Ross Doubles Up at Oregon Twilight

EUGENE, Ore. – Paced by a two-win outing for sophomore Jaida Ross, the Oregon track and field team collected six wins at the Oregon Twilight Friday evening at Hayward Field. Ross pulled double duty with wins in the shot put and discus, including a lifetime-best performance in the latter. The Ducks also posted 11 lifetime or season bests in the team's regular-season finale.
 
The Ducks' focus now turns to the postseason which begins next week with the Pac-12 Championships at Hayward Field. The three-day meet begins Friday, May 13. All-session and single-day tickets for the Pac-12 and NCAA (June 8-11) Championships are currently on sale. Visit GoDucks.com/TrackTickets or call 800-WEBFOOT (932-3668) to purchase.
 
Ross got the discus out to a measure of 55.51m/182-1 on her final attempt to overtake Sable Lohmeier of BYU for first place. Lohmeier after the previous three rounds but was unable to answer, securing the victory for Ross. That throw establishes a new lifetime best by nearly eight feet and moves the Medford, Ore., native from seventh to third on the UO all-time list.
 
Ross completed the double with a victory in the shot put, a competition she led from start to finish. All four legal marks were good enough for the win, including a 16.77m/55-0.25 effort in the opening round.
 
In the men's 800 meters, Luis Peralta produced a season-best time of 1:49.12 in a stride-for-stride finish with former UO standout and current #ProDuck Cole Hocker (1:49.15). Entering the day, Peralta did not have a top-50 regional mark but with Friday's race, he moves into the top 35 in the NCAA West rankings.
 
The top 48 declared individuals—and 24 relays—will advance to the NCAA West Preliminary (May 25-28) in Fayetteville, Ark. The qualifying window for regionals runs through next weekend's conference meet.
 
Rieker Daniel registered a season's best of his own Friday, stopping the clock in 10.71 to win the men's 100 meters. The race marked his first open 100 since the Aztec Invitational (March 26) in San Diego. Last week at the Desert Heat Classic, he was part of the Ducks' 4x100-meter relay that posted a winning time of 39.12 in Arizona. He led a 1-2 UO finish in Friday's race with teammate Kwabena Lynn (10.86).
 
In another 1-2 Oregon showing, Colleen Uzoekwe and Gianna Bullock took the top-two spots in the long jump, respectively. Uzoekwe led throughout, producing a best of 5.66m/18-7 in the second round while Bullock (5.54m/18-2.25) finished just behind her teammate.
 
Camden Wheeler (49.27) rounded out the UO winner's circle with his effort in the 400 meters. The UO freshman has a season-best time of 48.26 from the Mt. SAC Relays.
 
The final event of the Oregon Twilight, as is tradition, was the Bill McChesney Jr. men's 1500 meters run in tribute to the UO distance great. Cooper Teare, in the third-fastest time in the world this year, won in 3:34.81 to not only establish a lifetime best but to hit the WCH Oregon22 qualifying standard (3:35.00). Teare took down his previous best of 3:35.97, set last year—wearing an Oregon kit—at the Twilight.
 
Current Duck James Gormley finished third in the McChesney 1500 meters with a time of 3:41.81, just off his PR of 3:41.51 from last month's Oregon Relays. Texas' Crayton Carrozza (3:40.16), in second, was the top collegiate performer in the field.
 
Malia Pivec and Harper McClain each lowered their lifetime bests in the 3,000-meter steeplechase. Pivec crossed the finish line in 10:11.78 to strengthen her hold on the No. 9 spot on the UO top-10 list. In a big improvement for McClain, the UO freshman (10:20.21) began the day with a PR of 10:38.28 but knocked 18 seconds off that with Friday's performance.
 
Friday Results
MEN
100 Meters
1. Rieker Daniel – 10.71 (SB)
2. Kwabena Lynn – 10.86
 
400 Meters
1. Camden Wheeler – 49.27
4. Jacob Williams – 50.10
 
800 Meters
1. Luis Peralta – 1:49.12 (SB)
4. Elliott Cook – 1:50.23
5. Matthew Erickson – 1:50.27
10. Vincent Mestler – 1:53.27
13. Angus Folmli – 1:54.82
16. Benjamin Reynolds – 1:59.82
 
McChesney 1500 Meters
3. James Gormley – 3:41.81
8. Tomas Palfrey – 3:44.20 (SB)
9. Evan Holland – 3:44.37
10. Aaron Bienenfeld – 3:45.64 (SB)
18. Jack Yearian – 3:51.34
 
5,000 Meters
4. Abdinasir Hussein – 14:14.02
5. Caleb Brown – 14:17.33
6. Cameron Stein – 14:19.86
 
3,000m Steeplechase
8. Quincy Norman – 8:58.81
9. Steven Neumaier – 9:01.86
 
Pole Vault
3. J Kai Yamafuji – 4.61m/15-1.5
5. Arthur Katahdin – 4.46m/14-7.5
 
Discus
2. Travis Brewster Jr. – 46.89m/153-10
 
Hammer
3. Mason Strunk – 65.43m/214-8 (PR)
 
Javelin
4. Asher Krauel – 63.10m/207-0
 
WOMEN
100 Meters
2. Sydney Holiday – 12.07
 
800 Meters
2. McKenna Ramsay – 2:07.75 (PR)
3. Carly Kleefeld – 2:08.11
 
1500 Meters
3. Aneta Konieczek – 4:17.16
6. Alessia Zarbo – 4:19.98 (PR)
7. Ella Nelson – 4:20.31 (PR)
10. Nicole Louw – 4:24.35
16. Dania Holmberg – 4:34.96
 
3,000m Steeplechase
5. Malia Pivec – 10:11.78 (PR) [No. 9 UO]
6. Harper McClain – 10:20.21 (PR)
 
Long Jump
1. Colleen Uzoekwe – 5.66m/18-7
2. Gianna Bullock – 5.54m/18-2.25 (-0.2)
6. Meagan Kiefer – 4.92m/16-1.75
 
Shot Put
1. Jaida Ross – 16.77m/55-0.25
 
Discus
1. Jaida Ross – 55.51m/182-1 (PR) [No. 3 UO]
 
Hammer
4. Ashley Hodulik – 45.39m/148-11
 
Javelin
4. Josephine Krohn – 43.76m/143-7
7. Riley Traeger – 42.27m/138-8
 
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