First-place finishes and personal records for Oregon track and field dominated Saturday afternoon as the Ducks took part in the conclusion of the MPSF Indoor Championships in Seattle.
By the time things wrapped up Saturday, Oregon had garnered five event wins and saw the men atop the podium as champions. The Duck men tallied 95 points, while the women took second with 89 points.
“At the end of the day, for our men to stand at the top of the podium, it’s a great by-product of the kids going out and trying to advance to nationals,” coach Robert Johnson told GoDucks.com.
The two-day meet serves as the final chance for teams to qualify athletes before the NCAA Indoor Championships.
The biggest performance of the day for Oregon came via junior Jeramy Elkaim in the men’s 3000. Elkaim ran a strong race — keeping the tempo high while maintaining enough energy for a late kick. His efforts were rewarded in a big way, with a first place finish and a huge PR in the event after taking the lead in the final two laps. Elkaim crossed the line in 7:48.48, which puts him fifth in school history. The time also qualified Elkaim for an entry to the NCAA Championships.
Joining Elkaim in the top eight were teammates Parker Stinson (7:52.21) and Jake Leingang (7:53.82).
“We had some good performances today,” Johnson said. “Those guys in the 3k, they did a good job of punching their ticket to the big dance.”
The Ducks had two sprinters shine in the women’s 60, setting MPSF records along the way. Jenna Prandini ran a 7.19 to win the event, with teammate Jasmine Todd crossing the line just .01 seconds behind her. Both times were faster than the meet record of 7.23, set by Oregon’s Amber Purvis back in 2011.
Mitch Modin was able to win the men’s heptathlon after running a 2:48.04 in the 1000. His final points total of 5,543 is a PR and just four points ahead of Stanford’s Harrison Williams.
Also winning her event was Brittany Mann, who waited until her final attempt in the shot put to claim the crown. She launched it 55-1 to win by more than two feet.
Oregon had dominant performances across the board in the mile. On the women’s side Ashley Maton (4:41.02), Nikki Hiltz (4:42.38) and Katie Porada (4:42.62) finished 2-3-4.
For the men senior Will Geoghegan finished second (3:58.36) while senior Colby Alexander finished fourth (4:00.66). Alexander’s time was a PR.
It was a nail-biter for Oregon freshman Niki Franzmair in the men’s 800. Down the final stretch Franzmair had to fight through contact to finish second, just behind BYU sophomore Shaquille Walker. Franzmair finished in a season best 1:48.79.
Lauren Crockett won the women’s high jump with a height of 6-0.5, Tony James tied his PR of 6.71 while finishing fourth in the men’s 60 and Annie Leblanc finished second in the women’s 800 with a PR of 2:05.67.
Click here for a complete list of results from both days of competition.
Oregon will have two weeks to ready itself before the NCAA Championships in Fayetteville, Arkansas. Entries for the championships will be announced Tuesday.
Follow Christopher Keizur on Twitter @chriskeizur