The Ducks advanced 13 individuals and one relay team to the NCAA Championships after a successful weekend at the West Regionals in Northridge, Calif.
“Both teams had a very good day,” Oregon head coach Vin Lananna said in a media release on Saturday. “We basically advanced just about everyone through that we thought we could.”
Oregon, as expected, finished first in the men’s 800 meter race thanks to Andrew Wheating’s ability to hold off USC’s Duane Solomon in the final meters, and Rachel Yurkovich won the women’s javelin by a large margin. Yurkovich defended her regional title with a throw of 180 feet, 11 inches on her second attempt and passed on her next two throws. It was 20 feet farther than the second-place finisher.
“All my throws felt pretty good today, but the second one definitely felt the best,” Yurkovich said. “It’s always nice to win, but the real goal was just to get through to nationals and stay healthy.”
In the 800m, Wheating took the lead with 220 meters to go and never surrendered it, finishing in 1:47.93 while Solomon came in at 1:48.52.
“The plan was to stay on the leader and then when I felt comfortable, make my move,” Wheating said.
“So I waited until I felt like I was in a good position and went for it,” he said. “I gave a little burst there at the end just to make sure no one snuck in at the line.”
In the women’s 800m, Zoe Buckman finished second, running behind California’s Alysia Johnson throughout the entirety of the race and set a personal-best time in 2:02.50. It’s the fifth-fastest mark in school history.