Balazs, Williams Win Big Ten Titles

Saturday, May 17

Eugene, OR

All Day

University of Oregon

Big Ten Outdoor Championships

Benjamin Balazs - B1G steeplechase champion (May 17)

05/17/25 | Track and Field

Meet Results | Day 2

The Men of Oregon lead the team race with 65 points after day two.

EUGENE, Ore. – Highlighted by a victory from Benjamin Balazs in the steeplechase, the Men of Oregon scored 38 points Saturday and lead the team race after day two of the 2025 Big Ten Outdoor Track and Field Championships at Hayward Field. Through nine of 21 events scored, the Ducks have 65 points and take 17 scoring chances into Sunday's finals.

Annika Williams secured a second Big Ten title for the UO women this weekend with her victory in the heptathlon. The Women of Oregon are currently fourth with 25 points through the first six events and will have 20 scoring opportunities on the final day of competition.

The 2025 Big Ten Outdoor Track and Field Championships concludes Sunday, starting with the women's javelin at 10 a.m. The 4x100-meter relays will kick off the running finals, coinciding with the start of the Big Ten Network broadcast at 12:30 p.m. All field finals will be streamed on RunnerSpace.

Tickets for the final day of the Big Ten Championships and the upcoming NCAA Championships (June 11-14) are currently on sale.

Balazs and teammate Sergio Del Barrio put together a 1-3 finish in the 3,000-meter steeplechase, good for 16 points toward the Ducks' total. Balazs took the lead for good with 500 meters left, becoming the 14^th man in program history to win a conference title in the event. He stopped the clock in 8:40.93 and Del Barrio went from fourth to third down the stretch with a time of 8:42.67, his fastest as a Duck.

Competing in her first heptathlon since last year's NCAA meet, Williams delivered a new personal best with 5,914 points. Over the course of the two-day competition, Williams had three season's bests and finished within the top three in four of seven events. Needing a score to qualify for nationals, Williams responded the with fourth-best total in the NCAA based on marks entering the day.

The Calvert, Texas, native joins Kelly Blair (1993-94) and Brianne Theisen (2009-10, '12) as just the third woman in program history to win a conference title in the heptathlon. Williams now has two conference titles to her credit having won the 2023 SEC Indoor title during her time at Kentucky.

Redshirt freshman Kobe Lawrence turned in a bronze performance in the shot put with a day's best of 19.42m/63-8.75 on his third attempt; went from sixth to third in the standings. Lawrence was fourth at the Big Ten Indoor meet this past winter.

Cheikh M'Baye and Safin Wills finished fifth and sixth, respectively, in the men's long jump to add seven points to the team's total. M'Baye qualified out of the first of two flights with a best of 7.57m/24-10 and Wills ended the day with a mark of 7.54m/24-9 on his third pass down the runway. He is also entered in Sunday's triple jump.

The UO men picked up six points from Koby Kessler and Aiden Carter in the decathlon. Kessler posted a new personal best of 7,303 points to finish fourth in the field while Carter (7,058 points) was eighth. On the final day of the 10-event competition, Kessler established lifetime bests in the 1500 meters, discus and javelin.

In his first conference meet with the Ducks, newcomer Shaun Miller Jr. contributed three points by way of a sixth-place finish in the high jump.

Katie Clute closed out day two with a fourth-place finish and season-best performance in the women's steeplechase. The UO sophomore clocked a time of 9:57.98, good for her first sub-10:00 showing of the year and within a second of her personal best of 9:56.99 from last year's NCAA Championships.

Scoring Opportunities Remaining
MEN
100 Meters – 1 (Pleasant)
800 Meters – 2 (Erickson, Kidali)
1500 Meters – 4 (Harrison, Dorenkamp, Birnbaum, Kidali)
5,000 Meters – 5 (Birnbaum, Bishop, Laadjel, Norman, Schumacher)
4x100 Relay – 1
4x400 Relay – 1
Triple Jump – 1 (Wills)
Discus – 2 (Elbettar, Lawrence)

WOMEN
400 Meters – 1 (Clayton)
800 Meters – 2 (Nelson, Kazimierska)
1500 Meters – 2 (Ayyildiz, Barnett)
5,000 Meters – 5 (Ayyildiz, Cherotich, Cherubet, Clute, Thorsett)
100 Hurdles – 1 (McCormick)
400 Hurdles – 1 (Taylor)
4x100 Relay – 1
4x400 Relay – 1
Pole Vault – 2 (Fitzsimmons, Nilsen)
Triple Jump – 2 (Porter, Atkins)
Javelin – 2 (Nakato, Krohn)

Among the highlights in a busy day of qualifying, Matthew Erickson and Aaliyah McCormick were the top qualifiers in the 800 meters and 100-meter hurdles, respectively. Erickson ran a season's best of 1:46.99 and will be joined in the final by teammate Koitatoi Kidali (1:47.62). McCormick ran 12.94, her first time under 13 seconds since last year's Mt. SAC Relays.

Saturday Results – Day 2 | Big Ten Championships
MEN
100 Meters
9. Rodrick Pleasant – 10.33q
20. Jaelon Barbarin – 10.65
22. Andrew Walker – 10.68
27. Reggie Witherspoon III – 10.86

400 Meters
15. Fuad Omer – 48.09

800 Meters
1. Matthew Erickson – 1:46.99Q (SB)
3. Koitatoi Kidali – 1:47.62Q (SB)
37. Ben Greene – 1:51.71
44. Will Heslam – 1:58.64

3,000m Steeplechase
1. Benjamin Balazs – 8:40.93 [10 points]
3. Sergio Del Barrio – 8:42.67 (PB) [6 points]
12. Vincent Mestler – 8:52.88 (PB)

High Jump
6. Shaun Miller Jr. – 2.06m/6-9 [3 points]
T17. Trey Tintinger – 2.01m/6-7

Long Jump
5. Cheikh M'Baye – 7.57m/24-10w (+2.1) [4 points]
6. Safin Wills – 7.54m/24-9 [3 points]

Shot Put
3. Kobe Lawrence – 19.42m/63-8.75 [6 points]

Decathlon – Day 2/Final
4. Koby Kessler – 7,303 points [5 points]
               7. 110m Hurdles – 15.15 [831 points]
               11. Discus – 33.61m/110-3 (PB) [536]
               10. Pole Vault – 4.00m/13-1.5 [617]
               8. Javelin – 44.42m/145-9 (PB) [506]
               2. 1500 Meters – 4:23.93 (PB) [785]
8. Aiden Carter – 7,058 points [1 point]
               4. 110m Hurdles – 14.91 [860 points]
               13. Discus – 31.40m/103-0 [492]
               2. Pole Vault – 4.70m/15-5 (=PB) [819]
               6. Javelin – 47.61m/156-2 [553]
               11. 1500 Meters – 4:56.28 (SB) [581]
12. Arthur Katahdin – 6,341 points
               12. 110m Hurdles – 16.69 [657 points]
               9. Discus – 34.20m/112-2 [548]
               5. Pole Vault – 4.50m/14-9 [760]
               13. Javelin – 38.61m/126-8 (SB) [422]
               12. 1500 Meters – 4:58.83 [566]

WOMEN
100 Meters
10. Lily Jones – 11.58

400 Meters
6. Ella Clayton – 53.27Q

800 Meters
7. Ella Nelson – 2:05.57Q
8. Klaudia Kazimierska – 2:05.75Q
10. Mia Barnett – 2:05.91
12. Samantha McDonnell – 2:06.58

100m Hurdles
1. Aaliyah McCormick – 12.94Q (SB)
16. Annaleise Taylor – 13.96 (-0.8)

3,000m Steeplechase
4. Katie Clute – 9:57.98 (SB) [5 points]
16. Kendall Martin – 10:35.27

Long Jump
12. Cassie Atkins – 5.95m/19-6.25 (SB)
14. Ryann Porter – 5.81m/19-0.75 (-0.1)
19. Hannah Ganashamoorthy – 5.50m/18-0.5 (-0.1)

Heptathlon – Day 2/Final
1. Annika Williams – 5,914 points (PB) [10 points]
               3. Long Jump – 6.00m/19-8.25 [850 points]
               3. Javelin – 41.45m/136-0 (SB) [695]
               15. 800 Meters – 2:26.75 [734]

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