Photo by: GoDucks.com
Three Ducks Earn Big Ten Weekly Honors
02/04/26 | Track and Field
Wilma Nielsen, Peyton Bair and Ben Smith were recognized by the league office Wednesday.
EUGENE, Ore. – The Oregon track and field team collected three Big Ten weekly honors as announced Wednesday by the league office. For a second-consecutive week, Wilma Nielsen was recognized as the women's Track Athlete of the Week, while Peyton Bair and Ben Smith were named men's Field Athlete and Freshman of the Week, respectively.
Nielsen, in the Wanamaker Mile at the 118th Millrose Games, ran an NCAA-leading time of 4:23.56 and became the No. 2 performer in NCAA history. That effort is just one-tenth off the collegiate record run last season by teammate Silan Ayyildiz. With Sunday's performance, Nielsen set a new Swedish indoor national record and took more than two seconds off her previous best of 4:25.78 from last year.
Bair carded an NCAA-leading 6,371 points to win the heptathlon at the Razorback Invitational. Bair also posted the current world lead, broke the Big Ten record and became the No. 4 performer in collegiate history. He added 267 points to his previous best score with the help of lifetime bests in six of the seven events. Bair and teammate Aiden Carter (5,790 points) were 1-2 in the field.
Smith tallied a lifetime best of 19.82m/65-0.5 to break the Oregon indoor school record in the shot put. That measure currently ranks second in the Big Ten and fourth in the NCAA season. All four of his legal marks were beyond 19 meters and further than his previous best of 18.68 meters from two weeks ago. Smith and teammate Kobe Lawrence went 1-3 at the Razorback Invitational.
The Ducks combined for five wins, two NCAA leaders and 17 top-10 program marks this past weekend. In Monday's release of the USTFCCCA national rankings, the Men of Oregon were up 10 spots to No. 3 and the Women of Oregon check in at No. 6 in the country.
For more news and information about Oregon cross country and track and field, follow @OregonTF on Facebook, Instagram and X.
Nielsen, in the Wanamaker Mile at the 118th Millrose Games, ran an NCAA-leading time of 4:23.56 and became the No. 2 performer in NCAA history. That effort is just one-tenth off the collegiate record run last season by teammate Silan Ayyildiz. With Sunday's performance, Nielsen set a new Swedish indoor national record and took more than two seconds off her previous best of 4:25.78 from last year.
Bair carded an NCAA-leading 6,371 points to win the heptathlon at the Razorback Invitational. Bair also posted the current world lead, broke the Big Ten record and became the No. 4 performer in collegiate history. He added 267 points to his previous best score with the help of lifetime bests in six of the seven events. Bair and teammate Aiden Carter (5,790 points) were 1-2 in the field.
Smith tallied a lifetime best of 19.82m/65-0.5 to break the Oregon indoor school record in the shot put. That measure currently ranks second in the Big Ten and fourth in the NCAA season. All four of his legal marks were beyond 19 meters and further than his previous best of 18.68 meters from two weeks ago. Smith and teammate Kobe Lawrence went 1-3 at the Razorback Invitational.
The Ducks combined for five wins, two NCAA leaders and 17 top-10 program marks this past weekend. In Monday's release of the USTFCCCA national rankings, the Men of Oregon were up 10 spots to No. 3 and the Women of Oregon check in at No. 6 in the country.
For more news and information about Oregon cross country and track and field, follow @OregonTF on Facebook, Instagram and X.
Players Mentioned
Distance
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Combined Events
/ Track and Field
Combined Events
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Throws
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Distance
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Throws
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