Rachel Yurkovich started the Oregon Relays out with a bang Friday afternoon. The junior from Newberg launched a new school and Pacific-10 Conference record throw of 191 feet, 1 inch on her first attempt, easily winning the competition. She outdistanced her nearest competitor by more than 35 feet.
Despite near ideal conditions, Yurkovich said she considered shutting it down after her first throw, but decided that she needed to get in multiple throws in preparation for the championship meets.
“I’m probably gonna have to throw a big throw toward the end at nationals,” she said. “I gotta build up my stamina.”

As part of her effort to stay healthy through the end of the season, Friday’s series of throws will be her last competitive effort until the Pac-10 Championships in three weeks.
Three of her last four personal bests have now come at Hayward Field, including her national high school record 176-5 in the 2005 XO Invitational, one of the precursors to the Oregon Relays, and her first meet as a Duck in 2006 (179-10).
“Hayward has a lot to do with it, and the crowd,” she said. “It just helps that I’m from Oregon and there’s a lot of people supporting me here.”
The two-day crowd of nearly 13,000 spectators was treated to several other top performances as well.
In the women’s 1,500m, Nicole Blood placed second to Colorado’s Jenny Barringer, the 2006 NCAA steeplechase champion, in 4:18.55, setting a new personal best and moving to eighth on Oregon’s all-time list in the event.
Former Duck Amber McGown ran 4:21.06, while senior Sarah Pearson met the regional qualifying standard, winning her section in 4:26.56.
Betsy Bies met the 5,000m regional standard, running 16:46.96.
Three Ducks moved onto or up the top-10 list in the steeplechase. Emily Mathis (10:40.30), Claire Michel (10:44.22) and Brooke Giuffre (10:58.55) now rank third, fifth and seventh, respectively.
Freshman Brianne Theisen placed second in the high jump, setting a season-best mark of 5-8 3/4.
The Oregon sprinters had a busy weekend, with many of them running multiple events and even multiple sections of events. Mandy White had the best times in the 100m and 200m (12.24 and 24.32).
“We were trying to get a lot of things out of it, having our sprinters and hurdlers and jumpers do a lot of different events,” Oregon head coach Vin Lananna said. “I think they accomplished quite a bit and now it’s show time, getting ready for Pac-10s.”
Lananna said they would likely send a small contingent of women to the Cardinal Invitational next weekend.
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