Oregon senior pole vaulter Karina Elstrom should have stopped vaulting a while ago.
After she injured her back last season, doctors told her that vaulting over a 12-foot bar was the worst thing she could possibly do.
But Elstrom had other plans entirely.
“I want to make it to Pac-10s and see what happens from there,” Elstrom said.
For Elstrom, an All-American in 1999 before injuring her back toward the end of last season, the Pac-10s are not out of the question, and neither are the NCAA Championships at Hayward Field on May 30-June 2. After she and her coaches thought her career might be over, Elstrom vaulted a season-best 11-5 3/4 on Saturday for the Ducks women’s track and field team.
“I’m working my way up,” Elstrom said. “I’m using a short approach and short poles right now.”
Elstrom is part of a pole-vaulting crew that has been a pleasant surprise for Oregon head coach Tom Heinonen this season. Junior Niki Reed became the first Oregon athlete to officially qualify for the NCAAs at the Washington Dual meet Saturday, while freshman Kirsten Riley and senior Holly Speight both jumped 11-9 3/4. It was a season best by 10 inches for Riley.
“The vaulters were terrific today,” Heinonen said after Saturday’s meet.
Both Elstrom and Reed have said they think Speight will make the NCAAs, while Riley has a chance as well.
“Everybody’s doing really well right now,” Elstrom said. “Part of the reason I wanted to come back this year was because of the other girls.”
All the vaulters will compete at the Oregon Invitational in two weeks, while Reed will face some of the nation’s best at the Mt. SAC Relays in California this weekend.

Throwin’ hard, throwin’ long
In what has become a familiar pattern for the women’s track team, the Oregon throwing unit made big news at the Washington Dual last weekend… again.
Senior Maureen Morrison threw a season-best 181 feet in the hammer, while sophomore Mary Etter led the Ducks with wins in the discus and shot put.
“Last year I felt like I peaked too early,” Morrison said. “This year I don’t want to make that mistake, so my emphasis right now is on improving about five feet at every meet.”
Morrison’s hammer throw was less than two feet short of an NCAA Provisional mark and may have marked the senior’s return to top form. Morrison holds the school record in the hammer at 186-6, and made the NCAA Provisional list last year.
“My expectations are really high,” Morrison said. “My ultimate goal is to get to nationals.”
Morrison leads a group of throwers that rivals the pole vaulters in dominance and teamwork.
“There’s some pride in being an Oregon thrower, because we’re such a strong team,” Morrison said. “There isn’t a lot of politics, or a lot of drama. Instead of looking at it as an individual sport, we look at it as a team sport.”

SAC: Silly, All-over Craziness
Oregon will travel to the Mt. SAC Relays this weekend. Sort of.
The Ducks will send athletes to the Azusa Pacific Heptathlon at Pomona-Pitzer University and the Long Beach State All-Comers meet, all in Southern California.
One thing should remain constant all weekend: The Ducks will see some of their toughest competition of the season.
“This [event] was for the team, next weekend is for the individual,” Heinonen said Saturday after the Washington Dual.
This weekend’s meets will be a far cry from the organized competition from last weekend. The Ducks will spread themselves over three meets in four days, and some athletes will compete in more than one meet.
“It’s going to be pretty wild,” said Morrison, who will compete in two different meets. “It’s going to take a lot of extra endurance.”