After placing as runner-ups in both the mens and womens events in the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships, the Ducks began their outdoor track and field season on March 20 at the OSU PNW Open. 

In the first three events of the outdoor season, the Ducks have carried the trend over from the indoor season of setting multiple personal bests per event, setting school records and being ranked as a top performer in their events in the NCAA.  

Oregon took home three wins from the event: the men took home one win in the discus event, and the women took home wins in shot put and discus.

The women saw two athletes finish in the discus: Alicia Khunou got into the record book, taking over possession of the tenth all time throw at 54.14m. Wiseman finished fourth at 49.06m. However, Josee Bovele-Linaka was the best on the day as she finished first after she launched a 54.46 meter throw, good enough for eighth all-time in UO record books. 

The first track events of the season took place at the Jim Bush Legends Invitational at UCLA’s Drake Stadium in Westwood, Los Angeles, and the records continued to flood in.

One athlete finished first in Los Angeles: Kai Graves-Blanks. The junior from Iowa ran a personal best, fourth best in UO history and, most importantly, placed No. 6 in the NCAA with a 13.47 time in the men’s 110-meter hurdle. 

While Graves-Blanks was the only athlete to finish first, there were eight other Ducks that earned personal bests at the event: PJ Ize-Iyamu, Graves-Blanks (again), Aiden Carter, Amirah Shaheed (twice), Brazil Neal and Liisa-Maria Lusti.

Ize-Iyamu and Graves-Blanks placed second and eighth in the men’s 200-meter. Ize-Iyamu ran a time of 20.67, and Graves-Blanks a 21.14.

Carter placed fifth in the 110m hurdles with a 14.23 time. 

In the women’s 100-meter, Shaheed ran a 11.53. Then, in the 200, she ran an outdoor personal best 23.75. Neal also had an outdoor personal best in the same event as she ran a 24.36. 

Finally, in the women’s 100-meter hurdles, Lusti ran a 13.58, which also put her tenth all-time at Oregon. 

The first weekend of April saw the Ducks spread from the Stanford Invitational to the Triton Invitational in La Jolla, California at the University of California San Diego, and at the Rebel Elite at the University of Nevada Las Vegas. The Ducks in the field events stood out front the rest, with Simeon Birnbaum turned in the best track performance on the weekend. 

At the Stanford Invitational, Simeon Birnbaum finished first with a time of 13:19.73 which was a personal best, a meet record and good enough for sixth all time at Oregon in section one of the men’s 5000-meter (sections are based off of entrance times).

In the Triton Invitational, men and women both took first in the javelin events. For the men, Pat Vialva threw a season best 69.57 meters. For the women, Greyson Glivinski threw a personal best 50.67 meters. 

Also of note were Khunou and Bovele-Linaka who finished second and fourth in the women’s discus. Khunou set a personal best 56.27 meters and is in the UO record book at number six. Bovele-Linaka threw 55.25m, a season best and seventh all time at UO. 

Finally, at the Rebel Elite, the Ducks didn’t have great performances in either the men’s or the women’s 200. The only performance that stood out was Shaheed’s eighth place finish where she set a personal best of 23.75.

Oregon men are ranked No. 36 in the USTFCCCA poll while the women are ranked No.82. 

The Ducks will compete at the Bryan Clay Multis in Azusa, California, at Azusa Pacific University Apr. 9 through Apr. 10. The first home meet for the Ducks will be the following week from Apr. 17 through Apr. 18.