Solid Opening Day at Pac-12 Championships

Friday, May 12

Walnut, CA

University of Oregon

Pac-12 Championships

Photo by: Jimmy Su Photo

05/12/23 | Track and Field

Ty Hampton led a trio of UO men scoring in the javelin Friday at the Pac-12 Championships.

WALNUT, Calif. – The No. 4 Women of Oregon advanced six to finals and scored in two events during Friday's opening session of the 2023 Pac-12 Championships at Hilmer Lodge Stadium in Walnut, Calif. The UO men sit in fourth place with 16 points after three events scored and in preliminary action, got two through finals.

Both teams are also in scoring position in the decathlon and heptathlon with seven of eight combined entries inside the top eight after day one.

Up Next: Day two of the conference meet begins at 11:30 a.m. with the resumption of the decathlon. In tandem with the combined events, the Ducks have 20 scoring opportunities—eight men, 12 women—on Saturday including Alysah Hickey going after a third-consecutive title in the long jump.

The Ducks' first points of the weekend came from a sixth-place outing by Mason Strunk in the hammer. He got the implement out to a lifetime best of 67.33m/220-10 on his third attempt of the competition. Along with secure three points for the UO men, Strunk moved from 10^th to eighth on the program's all-time list. The Salem, Ore., native came into the meet ranked eighth in the league.

In their other scoring chance Friday, the UO men collected 13 points in the javelin. Ty Hampton led the trio of Oregon entries with a third-place finish, getting the javelin out to a day's best of 68.84m/225-10 on his second attempt. Dalton Rasmussen (67.20m/220-5) and Jett Kinder (62.26m/204-3) each posted their bests in the final round to finish in fourth and seventh, respectively.

Rasmussen moved from fifth to fourth on his last attempt while Kinder, pulling double duty with the in-progress decathlon, went from ninth and out of scoring position to seventh place.

The UO women registered their first points of the meet with Kohana Nakato's fifth-place showing in the javelin. The sophomore started strong, getting out to a measure of 51.28m/168-3 in the opening round. With the finish, Nakato contributed four points toward the team total and for the first time, cracked the program's top-10 list and now sits at No. 8 in UO history.

The final event of the night saw Harper McClain pull a point for the women in the closing moments of the 10,000 meters. Sitting in ninth place with 200 to go, McClain passed Washington's Naomi Smith in the turn and held on down the stretch for eighth place. McClain's time of 33:42.26 knocks more than two second off her previous best from the Oregon Preview (March 17).

After four events in the heptathlon, the trio of Colleen Uzoekwe, Taylor Chocek and Gianna Bullock are all in scoring position. Uzoekwe and Choceck are separated by just four points (3,528 to 3,524) in third and fourth, respectively, while Bullock is eighth overall with 3,148 points.

Day two of the heptathlon features the long jump, javelin and 800 meters.

The UO men have three inside the top eight of the decathlon after day one with Rafael Raap sitting in fourth with 3,917 points. The Ducks also have Jett Kinder (3,719 points) in sixth place after five events, Nathan Poff (3,666) in eighth and Arthur Katahdin (3,481) in 11th overall.

Raap is within 100 points of the leader and just 10 points shy of third entering Saturday. Day two of the decathlon includes the 110-meter hurdles, discus, pole vault, javelin and 1500 meters.

In the first preliminary action of the weekend, James Gormley secured an on-time qualifier in the 1500 meters. He posted a time of 3:44.69—just off his season best from last Friday's Oregon Twilight—to get the second of two at-large spots into the Pac-12 final.

The Women of Oregon got in on the act with a trio of qualifiers in the 1500 meters. Izzy Thornton-Bott (4:16.54) and Klaudia Kazimierska (4:16.81) each advanced automatically with top-five finishes in heat one. Like Gormley in the men's race, Maddy Elmore (4:17.01) qualified on time to make it three Ducks advancing.

The UO women added two more finalists in the 200 meters with Jadyn Mays and Shaniya Hall. Running in heat one of four, Mays was the second-fastest qualifier in 22.84 which doubled as a season best. Hall (23.47) was the runner-up in heat three and her time held on for the final at-large bid.

Freshman PJ Ize-Iyamu Jr. made his Pac-12 Championships debut Friday with the fourth-fastest time in the prelims of the men's 200 meters. He crossed the finish line in a wind-aided 20.81 (+3.1) to advance to the final. He is also entered in the 100 meters and is part of the Ducks' 4x100-meter relay.

Shana Grebo closed out the day of qualifying as the second-fastest performer in the opening rounds of the 400-meter hurdles. She stopped the clock in 58.38 to take the top spot in heat two, thereby sealing her guaranteed spot in Sunday's final.

FRIDAY RESULTS
MEN
200 Meters – prelims
5. PJ Ize-Iyamu Jr. – 20.81wq (+3.1)
15. Ryan Mulholland – 21.21w (+3.1)

1500 Meters – prelims
12. James Gormley – 3:44.69q

Hammer
6. Mason Strunk – 67.33m/220-10 (PB) [No. 8 UO] +3 points

Javelin
3. Ty Hampton – 68.84m/225-10 (SB) + 6 points
4. Dalton Rasmussen – 67.20m/220-5 (SB) +5 points
7. Jett Kinder – 62.26m/204-3 +2 points

Decathlon/Day 1
4. Rafael Raap – 3,917 points
              6. 100 Meters – 10.99 [863 points]
              3. Long Jump – 7.05m/23-1.75w [826]
              2. Shot Put – 14.25m/46-9 (PB) [744]
              3. High Jump – 1.91m/6-3.25 [723]
              10. 400 Meters – 51.19 [761]
6. Jett Kinder – 3,719 points
              10. 100 Meters – 11.21 (PB) [814 points]
              2. Long Jump – 7.12m/23-4.5w [842]
              1. Shot Put – 14.59/47-10.5 [765] (PB)
              9. High Jump – 1.85m/6-0.75 [670]
              13. 400 Meters – 54.29 [628]
8. Nathan Poff – 3,666 points
              8. 100 Meters – 11.08w (all-cond. PB) [843 points]
              8. Long Jump – 6.67m/21-10.75w [736]
              6. Shot Put – 12.72m/41-8.75 (SB) [650]
              11. High Jump – 1.79m/5-10.5 [619]
              7. 400 Meters – 49.93 (SB) [818]
11. Arthur Katahdin – 3,481 points
              2. 100 Meters – 10.91w (all-cond. PB) [881 points]
              12. Long Jump – 6.13m/20-1.5w (all-cond. PB) [615]
              8. Shot Put – 12.60m/41-4.25 [643] (PB)
              13. High Jump – 1.67m/5-5.75 [520]
              5. 400 Meters – 49.84 [822] (PB)

WOMEN
200 Meters – prelims
2. Jadyn Mays – 22.84Q (SB)
9. Shaniya Hall – 23.47q

1500 Meters – prelims
3. Izzy Thornton-Bott – 4:16.29Q
5. Klaudia Kazimierska – 4:16.81Q
11. Maddy Elmore – 4:17.01q

10,000 Meters
8. Harper McClain – 33:42.26 (PB) +1 point
10. Melissa Berry – 34:47.00

400m Hurdles – prelims
2. Shana Grebo – 58.38Q

Javelin
5. Kohana Nakato – 51.28m/168-3 (SB) [No. 8 UO] +4 points
14. Josephine Krohn – 42.30m/138-9

Heptathlon/Day 1
3. Colleen Uzoekwe – 3,528 points
              5. 100m Hurdles – 13.98 [981 points]
              6. High Jump – 1.66m/5-5.25 [806]
              2. Shot Put – 14.18m/46-6.25 [806]
              3. 200 Meters – 24.48w [935]
4. Taylor Chocek – 3,524 points
              6. 100m Hurdles – 14.00 [978 points]
              1. High Jump – 1.75m/5-8.75 (PB) [916]
              3. Shot Put – 12.67m/41-7 (SB) [706]
              5. 200 Meters – 24.60w (all-cond. PB) [924]
8. Gianna Bullock – 3,148 points
              7. 100m Hurdles – 14.08 (PB) [967]
              7. High Jump – 1.57m/5-1.75 [701]
              8. Shot Put – 11.50m/37-8.75 [628]
              7. 200 Meters – 25.38 (PB) [852]

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