Ducks Cap Busy Weekend with Wins, School Records

Saturday, February 14

Albuquerque, NM

All Day

University of Oregon

Don Kirby Invitational

Wilma Nielsen, BU Valentine mile (Feb. 14)

Photo by: Jan Figueroa

02/14/26 | Track and Field

Wilma Nielsen added the UO mile record, now 4:21.04, to her impressive indoor season.

EUGENE, Ore. – The Oregon track and field team capped its busy weekend with six wins in addition to nine top-10 program performances including three school records. Wilma Nielsen and Kobe Lawrence moved their names to the top of the UO indoor all-time lists in the mile and shot put, respectively, and Diana Cherotich improved on her own school mark at 3,000 meters.

Nielsen's stellar indoor season continued with a lifetime-best 4:21.04 in the women's invitational mile on day two of the BU Valentine Invitational. She was third overall and second among collegians behind BYU's Riley Chamberlain who ran 4:20.61 to set a new collegiate record. Nielsen was one of three in the race to eclipse the previous NCAA mark of 4:23.46 held by UO teammate Silan Ayyildiz.

Elle St. Pierre ran a world-leading 4:17.83 to win the invitational mile.

In the next section of the event, Juliet Cherubet lowered her all-time best to 4:27.46 to become the No. 3 performer in Oregon history. She came into the day with a best of 4:32.03 from two weeks ago at the Razorback Invitational. Cherubet finished seventh overall and fifth among collegiate entries.

The Women of Oregon capped their weekend in Boston with Cherotich lowering her own school record in the 5,000 meters. Running in the first section of the open division, Cherotich covered the 25 laps in 15:13.30 to knock more than three seconds off her previous best of 15:16.72 from the Colyear-Danville meet in December. The effort also moves her into the top 15 nationally.

Ayyildiz added a win for the UO women in the invitational section of the 3,000 meters. She crossed the finish line in 8:42.66, just off her school record—8:42.29—and more than a second clear of the field.

At the Scott Jarvis Invitational hosted by Texas Tech, Lawrence posted a best of 20.16m/66-1.75 on his final throw and became the third collegian beyond 20 meters this season. He began his winning series with a toss of 20.15 meters, good for the first 20-meter indoor measure of his career. Lawrence began the weekend with an indoor best of 19.81 meters and now ranks second in the NCAA this season.

Lawrence and Ben Smith (19.08m/62-7.25) finished 1-2 for the Ducks in Saturday's competition.

Behind a season-best performance in Albuquerque, Aaliyah McCormick became a three-time hurdles champion at the Don Kirby Invitational. The UO senior stopped the clock in 7.95 for a third-consecutive win at the meet. That time will adjust to 7.97 due to the altitude on the NCAA qualifiers list where she currently ranks second.

The sprints and jumps groups accounted for five top-10 program performances at the Don Kirby Invite beginning with Peyton Bair and PJ Ize-Iyamu in the invitational 60 meters. Having advanced with a pair of season bests in the heats, Bair and Ize-Iyamu ran lifetime bests of 6.61 and 6.62, respectively, in the final. Bair, the NCAA leader in the heptathlon, is now tied for fourth in UO history with Ize-Iyamu right behind on the list in a tie for sixth.

With the altitude in Albuquerque, the times adjust up by .02—6.63 and 6.64—for the sake of national qualifying purposes.

In the women's triple jump, sophomore Cassandra Atkins had an indoor best of 13.12m/43-0.5 to move from sixth to fifth on the UO top-10 list. She is now the sixth Oregon woman to jump 13 meter or farther indoors. Redshirt freshman Maleigha Canaday-Elliott added her name to the program's all-time list with a final measure of 12.87m/42-2.75, good for seventh at Oregon.

Emily Fitzsimmons, already the No. 2 indoor UO performer in the pole vault, had a day's best clearance of 4.40m/14-5.25 to strengthen her hold on that spot. She took attempts at a would-be school record of 4.50 meters, and still only trails school-record holder Melissa Gergel (4.45m).

The Ducks swept the top spots in the open sections of the 60 meters in Albuquerque, getting wins from Grant Valley and Brazil Neal. Valley pulled away to stop the clock in 6.71 for the win and a new lifetime best. Valley was runner-up (20.86) in Friday's open section of the 200 meters. Neal, from section two of 11, clocked a new best of 7.37 to lead the women's field.

Both Valley and Neal led a 1-3 finish with teammates Jaelon Barbarin (6.81) and Amirah Shaheed (7.38) in third overall.

Up Next: The Ducks' schedule next week includes the Arkansas Qualifier (Feb. 20) in Fayetteville, Ark., and the DMR Challenge (Feb. 22) in Boston. The postseason begins Feb. 26-28 with the Big Ten Indoor Championships in Indianapolis.

Saturday Results
David Hemery Valentine Invitational (Boston, Mass.)
WOMEN
800 Meters
27. Allura Markow – 2:10.40

Mile, invite
3. Wilma Nielsen – 4:21.04 (PB, UO #1)
7. Juliet Cherubet – 4:27.46 (PB, UO #3)
--. Allura Markow – DNF

3,000 Meters, invite
1. Silan Ayyildiz – 8:42.66

5,000 Meters
1. Diana Cherotich – 15:13:38 (PB, UO #1)
24. Katie Clute – 16:01.86

Don Kirby Invitational (Albuquerque, N.M.)
MEN
60 Meters, invite – final
3. Peyton Bair – 6.61 (PB, =UO #4)
4. PJ Ize-Iyamu – 6.62 (PB, =UO #6)

60 Meters, invite – prelims
2. PJ Ize-Iyamu – 6.64q
4. Peyton Bair – 6.65q

60 Meters
1. Grant Valley – 6.71 (PB)
3. Jaelon Barbarin – 6.81 (SB)

60m Hurdles – final
4. Kai Graves-Blanks -7.71

60m Hurdles – prelims
3. Kai Graves-Blanks – 7.69q (=PB)

Pole Vault 'C'
7. Aiden Carter – 4.58m/15-0.25

Triple Jump
7. Tre Betts – 15.32m/50-3.25

WOMEN
60 Meters, invite – prelims
19. Lily Jones – 7.47 (=SB)

60 Meters
1. Brazil Neal – 7.37 (PB)
3. Amirah Shaheed – 7.38 (PB)
7. Niya Clayton – 7.53 (PB)
60. Loren Webster – 7.97

60m Hurdles – final
1. Aaliyah McCormick – 7.95 (SB)

60m Hurdles – prelims
2. Aaliyah McCormick – 8.04q
18. Annaleise Taylor – 8.54 (SB)

Pole Vault
7. Emily Fitzsimmons – 4.40m/14-5.25 (PB, UO #2*)
* already held spot, improved mark

Triple Jump
4. Cassandra Atkins – 13.12m/43-0.5 (PB, UO #5)
7. Maleigha Canaday-Elliott – 12.87m/42-2.75 (PB, UO #7)

Jarvis Scott Invitational (Lubbock, Texas)
MEN
Shot Put
1. Kobe Lawrence – 20.16m/66-1.75 (PB, UO #1)
2. Ben Smith – 19.08m/62-7.25

NYU Invitational (New York, N.Y.)
MEN
800 Meters, invite
2. Matthew Erickson – 1:47.15
3. James Harding – 1:47.26

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