The NCAA Track and Field Championships took place last Wednesday at Hayward Field as redshirt freshman Ben Smith came out on top in the men’s shot put with a throw of 21.04m. Smith’s remarkable performance was the first shot put championship for Oregon since 1982, when Dean Crouser threw 21.06m.
Crouser holds the all-time record for men’s shot put in Oregon history, and Smith is now second. Smith also won a title for shot put in the Big Ten Conference Championship and the NCAA West First Round.
The Ducks finished with 15 points on the men’s side on Wednesday thanks to the performances from Smith and redshirt sophomore Kobe Lawrence, who came in fourth for the second time with a throw of 19.87m.
In the javelin, Pat Vialva earned seventh place with a 75.04m throw. Right behind him was Daniel Thrana, who came in eighth with a 74.90m throw. The two of them combined for three more points for Oregon ahead of Friday’s events.
On the track, Benjamin Balazs finished in second place in the 3,000-meter steeplechase with a time of 8:24.68. Kai Graves-Blanks fell short of advancing in the 110 hurdles as he finished 19th in 13.57, but he did play a role in getting the Oregon men into the final round for the 4×100 relay. Graves-Blanks, Jaelon Barbarin, PJ Ize-Iyamu and Grant Valley came in seventh place in 38.54.
The men’s 1,500m featured three athletes from Oregon. In 16th place was Tomas Palfrey, who finished in 3:39.56. Simeon Birnbaum came in 12th in 3:38.87. The fastest Duck in the event was Elliott Cook, who came in seventh place in 3:36.77.
On Friday, Birnbaum came out on top in the 1500m in 3:36.05. In sixth place was Cook, who finished in 3:37.80, while Palfrey finished ninth in 3:38.67.
The other men’s final event on Wednesday that featured an Oregon athlete was the 10,000 meter, in which Evan Burke finished 23rd in 29:14.90.
On Friday, Smith came in 22nd in the men’s discus with a 56.17m throw. In the triple jump, Tre Betts finished fourth with a 16.56m jump. Balazs came in fifth place in the 3,000m steeple in 8:23.03. The last event to feature a Duck was the 5,000m, where Luke Tewalt earned 16th place in 14:01.28.
![Oregon third baseman Drew Smith (17) talks to pitcher Will Sanford (28) during the first inning. On April 24, 2026, The Oregon Ducks defeated the Penn State Nittany Lions [5-4], at PK Park, at University of Oregon, Based in Eugene, Ore. (Fred Hall/Emerald)](https://dailyemerald.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/2026.4.24.EMG_.FJH_.BaseballVsPennSt-4-1200x800.jpg)
