The second day of the 2024 NCAA Track and Field National Championships is kicking off on Thursday morning. The women of Oregon enter the field, alongside Rafael Raap, who completes his decathlon.
4x100m relay | Thursday, 5:32 P.M.
The Ducks enter a team in the 4x100m relay once again after running a season-best 43.00 in Boulder, CO at the Pac-12 Championships. They were only bested by USC’s group, who also qualified for the National Championships. That squad returns to Hayward Field in an attempt to boost Oregon into a strong start. The 4x100m relay is the first track event of the day — and for these athletes, their first of the Championships.
The top two finishers from each heat, plus the next three best times will advance to the final.
1500m run | Thursday, 5:46 P.M.
Klaudia Kazimierska set her personal record in the 1500m run at 4:08.43, at the Bryan Clay Invitational earlier this season. The sophomore from Poland finished eighth in the 800m run at the Pac-12 Championships, but only ran the 1500m at NCAA Preliminary Qualifiers, where she finished fifth. That was good enough for a ticket to the Championships at Hayward, and she’ll enter a talented field that includes Florida senior Flomena Asekol, whose heat-best time of 4:07.10 will be difficult to best.
The top five finishers from each heat of the 1500m preliminaries advance, plus the next two best times.
3000m steeplechase | Thursday, 6:02 P.M.
The 3000m steeplechase is a curious race — too long for the short-distance runners, but perhaps shorter than distance athletes are used to. Enter Oregon freshman Katie Clute. Clute, a cross-country athlete in high school who was the Gatorade Player of the Year in Ohio. She won seven state championships in various distance events and placed nationally, but never ran the steeplechase. At Oregon, she’s made it her own, pushing through challenges to finish 12th in the preliminary rounds of the NCAA Championships and make an appearance at Hayward in her first year as a Duck.
The top five finishers from each heat of the 3000m steeplechase advance, plus the next two best times.
100m dash | Thursday, 6:32 P.M.
Oregon’s sprinter, Jadyn Mays, makes her first individual appearance of the week on Thursday night in the 100m dash. Mays won the event in Boulder, at the Pac-12 Championships before finishing first and second in back-to-back races in the preliminaries. Those times qualified her for Hayward, where she appeared in the National Championships in 2022. As a senior, she won two of the 100m races on Oregon’s schedule, and never placed lower than second. She has the fastest time on record in the field.
The top two finishers from each heat of the 100m dash advance, plus the next three best times.
200m dash | Thursday, 7:44 P.M.
Mays also competes in the 200m dash, where she holds a similarly commanding time. The top two finishers from each heat of the 200m dash advance, plus the next three best times.
4x400m relay | Thursday, 8:48 P.M.
Oregon sends out a strong group for the final event of Thursday’s program. An all-junior squad of Shana Grebo, Ella Clayton, Katriina Wright and Shaniya Hall will race in the first heat of the event. After winning the event at the Pac-12 Championships, the group ran just a second faster and finished fifth at the NCAA preliminaries — still good enough to qualify. Crucially, none of these athletes compete earlier in the day. Their strength is all reserved for the relay.
The top two finishers from each heat of the 4x400m relay advance, plus the next three best times.
Hammer throw | Thursday, 3:00 P.M.
Shelby Moran, an Oregon transfer after time at Arizona State, is now a four-time NCAA Championships qualifier. Last year, she finished ninth overall in Austin after winning the Pac-12 with a school-record-breaking throw of 68.96m. She bested that number yet again in 2024, throwing 70.02m on her way to qualification. She finished fourth in the preliminaries after winning the Pac-12 title in Boulder, and enters Hayward with a strong chance.
The best nine in the hammer throw after tie breaking advance to the finals.
Shot put | Thursday, 7:40 P.M.
Oregon’s Jaida Ross is a bona-fide star. The junior hails from Medford, Oregon (just outside Eugene), and the Ducks’ thrower will look to take home a title on Thursday. She hasn’t finished off the podium this season, and has dominated both indoor and outdoor shot put. She won both the Pac-12 Championships and finished first in the NCAA preliminaries, improving her distance between the two by a full meter. She’s Oregon’s best shot at points on Thursday — keep an eye on her.
The best nine in the shot put after tie breaking advance to the finals.
Decathlon | Thursday
Decathlete Rafael Raap continues his decathlon on Thursday after competing the first five events on Wednesday. Raap finished 18th out of 24 on the first day, and a strong second wind will be necessary to overtake the field — and his previous finish. He competed last year in Austin, where he grabbed 14th place.
Raap competes in five events, as follows:
110m hurdles (11:30 A.M.)
Discus (12:20 P.M.)
Pole vault (1:30 P.M.)
Javelin (4:00 P.M.)
1500m run (7:56 P.M.)
The finals will commence on Friday for the men, followed by the womens’ medalists on Saturday. Follow along with the Emerald’s coverage of the 2024 NCAA Track and Field Championships on X, @ODESports.
