Randal Tyson Track Center provided the scene for records to be broken and for All-Americans to stake their claims on the weekend.
The Oregon men’s and women’s track teams finished 41st and 15th in the team standings, respectively, at the NCAA Indoor Championships in Fayetteville, Ark.
The women were led by redshirt seniors Becky Holliday and Niki McEwen, who combined for 13 points. The 15th-place finish was the highest for the women since the 1996 NCAA indoor finale.
Holliday led the trio of Ducks, all of whom finished in the top-10 in the pole vault. She set a school record of 14 feet, 3 1/4 inches. Saturday marked her third All-America honor for the Ducks after taking second outdoors and seventh indoors in 2002.
“I can’t be too disappointed,” Holliday said. “I jumped well and had good attempts at every height. I guess it will make me hungrier for outdoors.”
McEwen secured her highest-ever NCAA place with her second-highest clearance at 13-11 1/4. McEwen entered the tournament ranked third and finished fourth, her third All-America honor in six indoor and outdoor NCAA appearances.
McEwen was content with her performance, considering she missed two weeks of training in mid-February after being sidelined by a case of shingles.
“I’m happy that I put together a solid season, and I’m starting to take advantage of my maturity and experience,” McEwen said. “My confidence is improving and I’m having better practices more often, which is a sign of bigger heights to come.”
Bringing up the rear for the Ducks was junior Kirsten Riley, who earned a personal best of 13-3 1/2 in her NCAA debut. Riley finished 10th after missing her attempts at 13-7 3/4.
For the men, senior Samie Parker improved his time by .02 seconds from last year to earn his second All-America honor. Parker’s 6.64 seconds in the 60-meter dash placed him fourth to gave the men’s team five points and a 41st placing.
“I got out of the blocks slow, and that really cost me,” Parker said. “I came in really wanting to be in the mix for the win, but all I can do now is look ahead. It was an all-right race and something I can build off.”
Senior Adam Kriz also competed for the men on Friday in the weight throw, finishing 15th. Kriz matched his pre-meet seeding of 15th with a toss of 64-9 1/4, which was his third-best mark ever.
Kriz couldn’t be disappointed after having another breakthrough season. He outdistanced his preseason best of 61-7 1/2. The fifth-year senior, along with the other four competitors, now looks forward to the outdoor season.
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