Blue skies, warm temperatures and smoggy mountains. All are characteristics of Los Angeles, and all but the smog are perfect conditions for track and field athletes.
The Ducks used those conditions to their advantage during the weekend, scoring high marks in key areas.
“It was great to be down here in the warm weather,” head coach Tom Heinonen said. “This was a (weekend) where we had a lot of good things happen.”
Elisa Crumley and Becky Holliday were two athletes who took advantage of the weather. Crumley upped her season best in the javelin throw by more than three feet, earning fifth at the Mt. SAC Relays on Sunday.
Holliday earned a season best in the pole vault with a made attempt at 14-feet-1 1/4 inches, a mark good enough for a second-place tie. She is still three inches below her personal best, but is quickly on her way to eclipsing that height.
“Becky really stood out,” Heinonen said. “She was doing that in a big competition against some of the best in the country.”
Friday’s Pomona Pitzer Invitational may have been the meet of the weekend for the Oregon women.
Heinonen’s squad earned one NCAA provisional mark, a Pacific-10 Conference qualifying mark, six personal bests and three season bests — all of that with just 12 event entries.
“This is the best day we’ve ever had at Pomona,” Heinonen said. “It started well with Ann (Sullivan) in the hurdles and got better and better.”
Sullivan, a sophomore from Omak, Wash., missed a Pac-10 qualifying mark by 0.02 seconds and finished sixth in the 100 hurdles with a time of 14.36.
Continuing the Ducks’ impressive day, freshman Katie McKeever improved her career best in the discus by 12 feet (165-feet-5 inches), easily meeting the NCAA provisional mark of 164-0.
McKeever continued her day by finishing 34th in the hammer (158-7, season best) and 18th in the shot put (42-2 3/4).
“Katie McKeever had her best day as a Duck,” Heinonen said Friday. “After the hammer, she had to run over to the shot put with no warm-ups and still almost had a season best in that too.”
On Saturday, McKeever continued her dominance, this time at Mt. SAC. The Woodland, Calif., native earned another NCAA provisional mark in the discus, this time with a throw of 169-9. She is now eighth all-time in Oregon history in the event.
“This was Katie’s first meet with nothing but good weather,” Heinonen said. “She really responded in the discus and the hammer. It was a major step for her.”
Starting off the weekend for the Ducks, senior Jenny Kenyon earned a season best in the heptathalon on Friday, finishing sixth with 4,867 points.
Kenyon’s final day marks included a 17-4 in the long jump, 87-10 in the javelin, and 2:22.04 in the 800.
“Jenny had a strong first day Thursday, but didn’t quite score as well (on Friday),” Oregon assistant coach Mark Stream said. “Overall, she competed hard, and it’s good news for the rest of the season. I think she’s starting to get fired up and has the competitive edge going.”
The Ducks return home Saturday to Hayward Field when they compete in the Oregon Invitational.