Pac-10 Championships Spotlight: Rachel Yurkovich
Historic Hayward Field has seen its fair share of success and triumph on its legendary oval.
And one of the faces it recognizes as much as any athlete is that of senior javelin thrower Rachel Yurkovich. The Newberg, Ore., native has shined at all levels at the hallowed stadium, winning titles and trophies in high school, as a collegian and most recently at a national level during the U.S. Olympic Trials.
Yurkovich took the bronze in the javelin at the Trials, throwing 185-1 last summer in front of a packed Hayward Field and national television audience. That kind of crowd and attention could have made her nervous, but it was hardly her first time in front of the Hayward fans.
Yurkovich was the top high school javelin thrower in the country, and the track and field fans of Eugene got to see her skill firsthand when she broke the national junior and high school record (176-5) right here at Hayward.
2008 U.S. Olympic Trials bronze medalist Rachel Yurkovich.
“I’ve always thrown well here and I always feel welcome at Hayward,” Yurkovich said. “Even when I was in high school competing the fans made me feel at home.”
Her progress as a student-athlete continued at the collegiate level, where daily training at Hayward led her to not only a school and Pac-10 record throw of 191-1 last April, the 2008 Pac-10 championship in May (her third straight) with a throw of 184-0 but also to her first NCAA javelin national title with a toss of 185-7.5 last June in Des Moines, Iowa.
“It’s been really special to kind of grow up here at Hayward,” she said. “It’s also been really cool to see Hayward kind of grow up around me with all the additions and all the high-tech stuff and become even more a cathedral of track and field.
“There are a ton of fans for every event, no matter what level,” Yurkovich explained. “I have never been anywhere else like that. People love and understand track here more than anywhere else in the country.”
The three-time All-American and economics major will have a chance to shine in front of the Oregon fans with several meets at Historic Hayward Field, including the Pac-10 Conference Championships on May 16-17, the NCAA West Regional Championships on May 29-30 and the USA Track & Field Championships on June 25-28.
At the Pac-10 meet, she’ll try to become just the second student-athlete in league history to win four straight Pac-10 javelin titles.
That suits Yurkovich just fine, because Hayward Field is more than just her team’s home track; it’s a place of comfort.
“When I come here, people know who I am,” Yurkovich mentioned. “When I’m at Hayward, I feel at home because everyone knows and recognizes me. I think that’s a testament to the fans and the community here and the overall understanding of athletes and what we do out there.
“It would be pretty awesome to win a fourth straight Pac-10 title for the home fans at Hayward.”
by Joe Waltasti, Oregon Media Services
