In basketball, you might call it a triple-double.
In track and field, you may just call it a triple.
Whatever you label it, Oregon sophomore Mary Etter’s three victories at the Willamette Open in Salem this weekend were a remarkable accomplishment.
She notched Pac-10 qualifying times in the shot put, discus and hammer throw to win all three events Saturday.
Etter was one of six Oregon athletes to win their respective events at the Willamette Open against a handful of Northwest and community colleges. Freshman Sarah Malone was the only Duck to notch an NCAA Provisional mark at the meet, with a javelin toss of 165 feet, one inch. The throw was her best of the season, improving on the NCAA provisional mark of 155-3 that she scored at the Oregon Preview.
Besides Etter’s Pac-10 mark, sophomore Jenny Brogdon cleared a Pac-10 qualifying height in the high jump at five feet, seven inches.
Other Oregon winners included Jenny Kenyon in the 100-meter hurdles, Holly Speight in the pole vault, Amanda Brown in the long jump and the Ducks’ 4×100 relay team. Kenyon won with a time of 14.73 seconds, Speight cleared the 12-foot height and Brown jumped 17 feet, 11.5 inches. The relay team was victorious with a time of 48.73 seconds.
Other notable performances were turned in by Sara Dinsmore, who finished third in the javelin and Karina Elstrom in the pole vault. Dinsmore’s throw of 142 feet was a personal record for the senior and only eight inches short of a Pac-10 qualifying mark. Elstrom’s third-place performance in the pole vault was the first for the senior since a back injury sidelined her at the end of last season. Her vault of 10 feet, 11.75 inches was just over one foot short of a Pac-10 qualifying jump.
Etter’s performance was the one that stood out from the group Saturday. Although none of her distances were extraordinary, competing well in all three events was. Etter has said she is inconsistent and almost never performs in all three of her events at the same meet. For the second meet in a row, though, the sophomore turned in a solid all-around performance. Etter’s hammer throw of 176 feet, 10 inches was a personal best.
The Willamette Open prepared Oregon for its dual meet with Washington next weekend. The Ducks have traditionally battled with the Huskies on the track, and next weekend should be no different. Last year, Oregon edged Washington by six points at Hayward Field. This year’s meet will also take place on the Ducks’ track, starting Saturday morning.