Galen Rupp decided to take his challenge of the American record for the 10,000 meters to the Payton Jordan Invitational in Palo Alto, Calif. No problem for the Oregon Relays, held Friday and Saturday at Hayward Field.
Andrew Wheating successfully doubled in the 800 meters and 1,500 meters, Danny Marconi set a personal best in the high jump, and Cyrus Hostetler set the nation’s best mark in the javelin as the men of Oregon had a dynamic showing with championship meets coming in the near future.
Friday night was a tale of two 1,500m races. The women came out fast, as professional runners Jemma Simpson and Sarah Bowman jockeyed for position with Oregon freshman Jordan Hasay. In the final lap, Hasay fell away from the two pros, and Simpson, a native of England running for Oregon Track Club, pushed ahead of Bowman to win in 4:12.72. Bowman crossed the finish line in 4:13.02, and Hasay finished third in 4:17.37.
“I felt really good through, like, three laps. It surprised me; it felt comfortable even though it was a pretty quick pace,” Hasay said.
The men’s 1,500m was the highlight of the night, as Andrew Wheating vaulted ahead of Will Leer of OTC and Lee Emanuel of New Mexico in the last 200 meters to win in a personal-best 3:37.83. The Norwich, Vt., native turned in the nation’s fastest time at that distance in the victory, his first race of the outdoor season at Hayward Field.
“It was very refreshing. It was really good,” Wheating said. “We talked strategy and said let’s just wait it out. Be patient, be patient. After it got to 200m (to go), I had enough and I had to get going.”
“I came here to run quick. The pace came out fast and it was a bit windy,” Emanuel said, who ran from the front of the pack for much of the race. “I qualified for nationals. That’s the most important thing, really.”
A.J. Acosta, also entered in the 1,500m, kicked from his position behind Wheating with 200 meters remaining and finished in fourth place. The San Diego, Calif., native’s time of 3:39.44 was a personal best.
“Right after 800, Wheating came around me and I just remembered coach Powell yelling at me, ‘Just go with him!’” Acosta said. “It sets me up for a lot of things. More than anything, it’s a good confidence booster. I haven’t run this fast in two years. It puts me in good shape for the rest of the season going forward.”
Friday also saw Alex Kosinski debut at 5,000 meters, where the junior impressed by sticking with OTC’s Lauren Fleshman, who ran her first 5,000-meter race in almost two years after foot surgery. Fleshman broke away before the bell lap to win the race in 15:42.46; Kosinski’s time of 15:57.63 is the eighth-best in Oregon history.
On Saturday, the Duck men continued to shine, with great performances from start to finish. Luke Puskedra opened up competition with a victory in the 10,000m, and David Klech finished strong in the 400-meter hurdles to win in a confidence-boosting 51.31.
Marconi kicked things into high gear after clearing 7 feet for the first time in his Oregon career. The Klamath Falls native rode his momentum up to a clearance of 7 feet, 2 1/4 inches, the fourth-best in Oregon history and the 12th-best nationally.
“I’ve been waiting for 7-foot for quite a while. I couldn’t ask for a better day,” Marconi said. “People at Hayward cheering you on — it’s awesome. People care.”
Wheating came back for the 800m and put on yet another display of his kick, making his move with 200 meters to go to pass teammate Travis Thompson and win in 1:47.71, the third-fastest time in the nation this season. Thompson finished second in 1:47.94, more than a second faster than his prior personal best.
“I just wanted to stay up (at the lead) and get out of the junk,” Thompson said. “I’m more of a 400 guy, so I wanted to go through that first lap fast, faster than I have been. I tried something new, and it worked.”
Javelin thrower Cyrus Hostetler, making his season debut after recovering from a torn anterior cruciate ligament, threw 256 feet, 6 inches on his third attempt for the event win and the nation’s best mark. He promptly passed on his three remaining throws.
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