Some families are simply breeding grounds for athletes. At the Oregon Invitational on Saturday, one family could be seen competing throughout the entire day.
In the first event of the evening session, sophomore Megan Kriz stepped on deck to prepare for the hammer throw finals amid the strong breezy winds that blew during the whole meet. Standing right behind Kriz was her older sister, Rachael, also a member of the Oregon team.
The elder Kriz watched attentively as her younger sibling geared up to launch the hammer through the air. It landed in the grass more than 184 feet away. That mark ended up setting a new personal record for the younger Kriz and elevated her to third on the Oregon all-time list in the event.
“My sister is incredible,” junior Rachael Kriz said. “She continues to get better, better and better. It’s so much fun, and it’s what I feed on most out of everything here.”
The elder Kriz took part in her own events but was not as successful as she would have liked. She placed sixth in the high jump at 5-4 1/4. Her best mark of 139 feet in the javelin was not good enough to move her into the finals.
“I had an off day,” Rachael Kriz said. “All in all you take some and you leave some, and I’d rather leave this one.”
Kriz, though, said she generally enjoys having her younger sister with her as part of the Oregon program. Seeing the other compete gives each extra motivation to perform better.
“Anytime you have a family member on there, I think the stakes are just a bit higher,” Kriz said. “You go farther and you jump higher … even though I didn’t do it.”
The two sisters are not the only ones from their family to represent the Ducks. Their older brother, Adam, also competed for Oregon in the hammer throw last season. He finished his career as a Pacific-10 Conference champion and a former All-American.
He also participated at the Oregon Invitational as a member of Team XO and claimed victory in the hammer.
Younger sister Megan, a transfer from Portland State, said her older siblings played a huge role with her decision to move to Eugene.
“It’s cool, actually,” Kriz said. “(With) Adam and Rachael, I really wanted to be closer to them.”
Rachael is happy they specialize in different field events. She admits there could be the potential for a sibling rivalry.
“I’m just glad we don’t do the same events, because it could get a little nasty,” she said jokingly.
“But it’s great having her here.”