Busy Weekend Features Three-Meet Slate

EUGENE, Ore. – With just over a month until the national meet, the Oregon track and field team heads off to three meets this weekend in search of more qualifying marks. Beginning Friday, the Ducks' three-meet weekend includes the BU Valentine Invitational, Don Kirby Invitational and Husky Classic.

The Ducks' distance crew will be split between Boston and Seattle while the sprints, jumps and throws groups are off to the Don Kirby meet in Albuquerque, site of the NCAA Indoor Championships (March 10-11).

BU Valentine Invitational (Boston, Mass.)
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Don Kirby Invitational (Albuquerque, N.M.)
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Husky Classic (Seattle, Wash.)
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The busy schedule gets started Friday at approximately 8:25 a.m. (PT) with Mia Moerck taking on the 800 meters at the BU Valentine Invitational. She is one of four UO women competing in Boston, along with Maddy Elmore (3,000), Klaudia Kazimierska (mile) and Izzy Thornton-Bott (mile).

Thornton-Bott enters the weekend with a mile qualifier of 4:34.10—No. 7 in UO history—from the UW Invitational (Jan. 28) and currently ranks 16^th in the NCAA in the event.

School-record holder Alysah Hickey (long jump) is scheduled to compete Friday in her signature event at the Don Kirby Invitational. She is one of six UO women—all over 18 feet this season—entered in Friday's long jump. Jonah Tactay, who has set a PB in each of the first two meets of the year, will compete in the men's long jump.

Friday evening will also feature invitational sections of the 4x400-meter relay at Don Kirby where the Oregon women will push for a season-best time. The team of Ella Clayton, Shaniya Hall, Katriina Wright and Jordyn Blake carry a time of 3:34.69—adjusted to 3:35.13—into the weekend.

How They Rank
Based on times and measures entering the weekend, the Men and Women of Oregon have 16 top-30 national marks including four top-five performances through the first month of the indoor campaign. Micah Williams is tied for the NCAA lead in the 60 meters while Elliott Cook currently ranks fifth at 800 meters for the UO men.

On the women's side, Jorinde Van Klinken—one of three Ducks in the top 20 in the shot put—is second nationally and Lexi Ellis owns the fifth-best effort in the triple jump.

MEN
60 Meters – 1. Micah Williams, 6.51@
800 Meters – 5. Elliott Cook, 1:46.93
DMR – 10. Matthew Erickson/Matt Pueschner/Ben Reynolds/Elliott Cook – 9:43.27

WOMEN
60 Meters – 8. Jadyn Mays, 7.21@
200 Meters – 9. Jadyn Mays, 23.11@
800 Meters – 29. Klaudia Kazimierska, 2:05.43
Mile – 16. Izzy Thornton-Bott, 4:34.10
60m Hurdles – 8. Aaliyah McCormick, 8.09@
4x400m Relay – 15. Ella Clayton/Shaniya Hall/Katriina Wright/Jordyn Blake, 3:35.13@
DMR – 14. Klaudia Kazimierska/Mia Moerck/Izzy Thornton-Bott/Maddy Elmore, 11:04.73
Long Jump – 12. Alysah Hickey, 6.30m/20-8
Triple Jump – 5. Lexi Ellis, 13.50m/44-3.5
Shot Put – 2. Jorinde Van Klinken, 18.55m/60-10.5; 10. Jaida Ross, 17.40m/57-1; 20. Mine De Klerk, 16.75m/54-11.5
Pentathlon – 18. Taylor Chocek, 4075 points
@ - adjusted for altitude from Texas Tech Open (Jan. 27-28)

At the end of the qualifying window, the top 16 declared athletes in each event and top 12 relays will advance to the NCAA Indoor Championships. For qualifying purposes, times run at altitude—Don Kirby Invitational, for example—are adjusted (list below).

60 Meters/60m Hurdles – add 0.02
200 Meters – add 0.07
400 Meters – add 0.11
4x400m Relay – add 0.44

Meet Levi
The UO track and field team picked up a special addition to the roster Jan. 21 when nine-year-old Levi Morris joined the Ducks through Team IMPACT. Levi, who battled leukemia, was joined by family and friends, The Duck and his new teammates in a Signing Day event at Hayward Field. Team IMPACT is a nation-wide organization that pairs children facing serious illness with college athletic teams.

For more news and information about Oregon cross country and track and field, follow @OregonTF on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.