On a sunny spring day, Oregon track and field honored its seniors and welcomed back veterans during the Oregon Twilight on May 8 at Hayward Field.
All of the seniors present in Eugene came out during the middle of the meet to be honored by the fans and program. They all listened to the long list of accolades for each individual. Oregon head coach Robert Johnson stepped out during the proceeding to give out flowers and hugs while the crowd gave a standing ovation.
“We were going to use this meet in a number of ways to prepare for next week,” Johnson said. “I think we accomplished a lot of things there.”
It didn’t take long for the seniors to make their mark on the meet as Jackson Darland set the tone with a hard-fought personal record in the men’s 3,000 steeplechase. Helped by pacesetter and teammate Chris Mulverhill, Darland was able to cross the line in 8:59.95. As he finished, the early arrivals rose to their feet in the stands as Mulverhill embraced Darland at the finish line.
Joining the proceedings were several Duck alumni, forming an all-star list of former competitors. The headliner was the return of “The World’s Greatest Athlete” Ashton Eaton to Hayward. Eaton holds the world record for the decathlon and is the reigning Olympic champion in the event.
At the Twilight, Eaton started things off in the 100-meter dash coming in second (10.20) behind Ultimate Speed Athletics’ Joe Morris. He was just .09 seconds behind taking first place.
Eaton came back out to compete in the 400-meter dash. His race came down to the wire again. This time, things were closer as both looked to cross the line at the same time, leaving it too close to call. As the stadium waited for the results, Eaton joked with the crowd.
“I looked at the board and I was like ‘I don’t know, that’s pretty close,’” Eaton said.
The results finally showed that Eaton finished second (46.27), this time by just .01 seconds.
Three athletes in the men’s mile were able to crack the fabled four-minute mark. Oregon’s Eric Jenkins won (3:57.09), with teammate Will Geoghegan coming in second (3:57.53). The final one to break the barrier was high school senior Matthew Maton, who finished in 3:59.38.
In the men’s 1000-meter dash senior Johnny Gregorek used the event to give him one last chance to prepare before the Pac-12 Championships. He was running in a field that included Mac Fleet and Jordan McNamara.
“The goal going in was to just get a good tune-up for Pac-12s next week,” Gregorek said. “Coach just said to go out there and tuck in behind those guys until 200 to go.”
The race came down to a sprint down the final straightaway, with Fleet in control trying to hold off the other two. McNamara tried to make a move on the inside, but Fleet was able to counter.
“Jordan should know better coming inside, I definitely closed down on him,” Fleet joked after the race. “The rail belongs to the guy in the lead.”
Gregorek made a late push at the line, but couldn’t pull ahead. Fleet won (2:21.25), Gregorek finished second (2:21.32) and McNamara claimed third (2:21.40).
Oregon senior Johnathan Cabral won the men’s 110-meter hurdles with track to spare, clearing each hurdle cleanly to win in 13.75. While he coasted into the finish, he pulled up at the line, holding his hamstring. After going into the locker room to be looked at, he came back out saying it was nothing to worry about.
Brianne Theisen-Eaton returned to Hayward to compete in the women’s long jump. She was able to win the event after just two jumps, taking it with a final mark of 21-8.25.
“Its always nice to compete at Hayward,” Theisen-Eaton said. “It’s a beautiful night, which makes it even better.”
Edward Cheserek cruised to a strong performance in the men’s 3000-meter dash, winning in 7:57.97. The sophomore got some good competition from former teammate Trevor Dunbar at the bell, but was able to use his patented kick to claim the win.
“I was just trying to get ready for next week,” Cheserek said. “This was just having fun at Hayward Field.”
Former Duck Samantha Murphy won the women’s 800 running unattached, crossing in 2:05.77.
Also honored during the meet were the many officials who help things run smoothly at Hayward.
Click here for a complete list of results.
While most of the Ducks were busy in Eugene, a small contingent of multi-athletes are gearing up for the start of the Pac-12 Championships. The conference decathlon and heptathlon started May 9 at 12 p.m. at UCLA, and it will continue into next weekend as well.
Follow Christopher Keizur on Twitter @chriskeizur