The 2024 NCAA Track and Field National Championships are underway on Wednesday afternoon. Oregon boasts five competitors on the day. Here’s when to watch and what to expect.
1500 meter race (semifinal) | Wednesday, 4:46 P.M.
The Ducks have three athletes in the 1500m race: Thomas Palfrey (bib #751), Elliott Cook (#748) and Rheinhardt Harrison (#749). Palfrey, a sophomore in his first Championships outing, recently hit his personal best in the race in the NCAA West preliminary round, with a time of 3:40.76. Cook, whose strength in the middle distance races saw him win both the 800m and 1500m races at the Pac-12 Championships, is making his second bid for an individual title after qualifying in 2021-22 and finishing 21st overall. Harrison is a freshman whose first appearance at the NCAA Championships will come at his home stadium. His credentials aren’t in doubt — he’s a two-time Gatorade Player of the Year for cross country in Florida, but it’s time for him to show up when the lights are bright.
100m dash (semifinal) | Wednesday, 5:46 P.M.
The Ducks have just one qualifier in sprints — PJ Ize-Iyamu (bib #750). He anchored the 4x100m relay last year, but he’s into the Championships as an individual runner for the first time in 2024. Ize-Iyamu added a wind-assisted 10.04 time to his resume at the NCAA West preliminaries, but it will more than likely take another step forwards to capture an individual title.
Decathlon (100m, long jump, shot put, high jump, 400m) | Wednesday
The Men of Oregon add a decathlon competitor in Rafael Raap (bib #752). There’s five events on Wednesday: the 100m dash, at 12:30 P.M.; the long jump, at 1:10 P.M.; the shot put, at 2:25 P.M.; the high jump, at 3:40 P.M.; and the 400m dash, at 6:56 P.M. Raap competed at the National Championships last year in the decathlon and finished 14th in the field, and he’s the reigning Pac-12 champion, after showing out with 7,719 points in Boulder. It’s his first time competing for a national title at Hayward — and that could be just the advantage that he needs.
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The Women of Oregon, meanwhile, kick off action on Thursday. Bowerman Award hopeful Jaida Ross, amongst others, will look to capture yet another national championship after winning the Pac-12 Championships for the third time in a row last month. Follow along with the Emerald’s coverage of the 2024 NCAA Track and Field Championships on X, @ODESports.
