Two School Records at BU Opener

Saturday, December 6

Boston, MA

All Day

University of Oregon

Sharon Colyear-Danville Season Opener

Simeon Birnbaum, Graduate Classic (Jan 2025)

12/06/25 | Track and Field

Photo Gallery

The Ducks tallied seven top-10 program marks Saturday in Boston.

BOSTON, Mass. – The Oregon track and field team opened its indoor season Saturday with two school records, seven top-10 program performances and a win at the BU Sharon Colyear-Danville Opener. In addition, the Ducks' distance crew tallied 12 lifetime bests in Boston.

Birnbaum produced the first Oregon school record Saturday with his time of 7:39.65 in the invitational section of the 3,000 meters. He finished third among collegians in Saturday's race. Birnbaum is the first Oregon man to dip below 7:40 in the event, topping the previous school mark of 7:40.51 set by Edward Cheserek at the 2016 Millrose Games. Birnbaum ran 7:52.04 at last year's BU Season Opener.

Elliott Cook, in his first collegiate race since the NCAA Indoor meet in March, clocked in at 7:41.57 and moved to third on the Ducks' all-time list for 3,000 meters. It was his first-ever race at the distance and added a third indoor top-10 UO mark for the redshirt season who also ranks sixth in the 800 meters and 10^th in the mile.

The second school record of the day came from Cherotich in the invitational 5,000 meters. The Big Ten cross country champ crossed the finish line in 15:16.72 to knock nearly nine seconds off the mark held by Carmela Cardama Baez (15:25.41) from the 2019 BU Season Opener. Saturday's performance gave Cherotich her second UO school record, along with the 10,000 meters.

Harding took the top spot in the men's invitational mile, clocking a lifetime best of 3:55.92 to become the 11^th man in program history to run sub-3:56 in the event. The UO junior entered the BU weekend with a previous best of 4:02.43 from this past year's Big Ten Indoor Championships. Overall, Harding is the 38^th UO man to run under four minutes in the indoor mile.

The Ducks added a second sub-4:00 performer in Saturday's race with Jeffery Rogers lowering his best from 3:59.69 to 3:57.29 in a seventh-place finish. With his latest effort, the Sherwood, Ore., native now among the top-15 indoor mile performers in program history.

The Women of Oregon added a trio of top-10 times to the program's all-time list at 3,000 meters. Juliet Cherubet and Dalia Frias posted respective lifetime bests of 8:52.30 and 8:55.78, and became the No. 3 and No. 5 performers in school history. Wilma Nielsen, the reigning NCAA mile champion, made her first appearance in the event and came away with a time of 9:00.50, good for eighth on the UO list.

Oregon registered a final top-10 program effort with Abdel Laadjel in the invitational 5,000 meters. The Big Ten cross country champion clocked in at 13:24.17 to move from sixth to fourth on the Oregon list. He entered the meet with a lifetime best of 13:29.79, an unattached time from last year's BU Opener.

Notable: Bahiya El Arfaoui made her UO debut with a lifetime best of 9:02.27 at 3,000 meters, an event she hadn't run since 2023 … Will Heslam and Cain Evans went 1-2 in section three of the open mile; Ben Greene ran a lifetime best of 4:08.30 … Sergio Del Barrio produced a lifetime best of 8:00.35 in the open 3,000 meters … in his indoor debut for Oregon, Michael Mireles (13:42.02) lowered his 5,000 best by 23 seconds.

Saturday Results | BU Colyear-Danville Opener
MEN
Mile | Invite
1. James Harding – 3:55.92 (PB)
7. Jeffery Rogers – 3:57.29 (PB)

Mile
15. Will Heslam – 4:06.50
16. Cain Evans – 4:06.72
23. Ben Greene – 4:08.30 (PB)

3,000 Meters | Invite
4. Simeon Birnbaum – 7:39.65 (PB, UO No. 1)
7. Elliott Cook – 7:41.57 (UO No. 3)
13. Benjamin Balazs – 7:47.65 (PB)

3,000 Meters
21. Tayson Echohawk – 7:58.77
26. Sergio Del Barrio – 8:00.35 (PB)
53. Anthony Fast Horse – 8:08.98

5,000 Meters | Invite
10. Abdel Laadjel – 13:24.17 (PB, UO No. 4)

5,000 Meters
29. Michael Mireles – 13:42.02 (PB)
31. Aiden Smith – 13:43.07
130. Jack Meier – 14:13.30

WOMEN
Mile | Invite
10. Allura Markow – 4:50.52 (PB)

3,000 Meters | Invite
6. Juliet Cherubet – 8:52.30 (PB, UO No. 3)
7. Dalia Frias – 8:55.78 (PB, UO No. 5)
11. Wilma Nielsen – 9:00.50 (UO No. 8)
14. Bahiya El Arfaoui – 9:02.27 (PB)

5,000 Meters | Invite
12. Diana Cherotich – 15:16.72 (UO No. 1)

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