Becky Holliday is having a holiday-like outdoor track season.
It’s been all good.
The senior pole vaulter broke her own Oregon record once again at the Mt. San Antonio College Relays in Walnut, Calif., on Saturday, capping a weekend of success for the Duck men and women.
Holliday hit 14 feet, 5 1/4 inches in the Mt. SAC pole vault, finishing second only because defending national champion Tracy O’Hara of UCLA also cleared 14-5 1/4 but had fewer misses.
Holliday came into this season as the Oregon record-holder in the vault, and she broke that record at the April 12 Pepsi Invitational by jumping 14-3 1/4. But that mark was short of her personal best of 14-4, which she achieved while at Clackamas Community College. Saturday was the first time she bested that CCC mark.
“Overall, it was a good weekend,” Oregon women’s head coach Tom Heinonen said.
It was a good weekend for the Oregon men as well. Samie Parker ran into the NCAA West Regional meet and onto the Ducks’ all-time top-10 list by running Saturday’s 100-meter dash in 10.43 seconds. It was actually Parker’s second 100 race of the day — competing close to his home in Long Beach, Calif., Parker ran the University section of the 100 early in the day and finished sixth in 10.72 seconds. But he shaved some time off that mark and off his personal best in the Olympic Development section later on Saturday. Parker now ranks seventh all-time at Oregon.
Freshman hurdler Eric Mitchum continued to have success, taking sixth in the Olympic Development Section of the 110 hurdles. Adam Kriz also continued his success in the hammer, finishing third among NCAA athletes at Mt. SAC during his reign as Pacific-10 Conference Field Athlete of the Week.
In earlier action this weekend, Jason Hartmann notched an NCAA automatic mark in the 10,000 and missed his personal best by only six seconds by finishing second in 28:52.03. The mark was significant for the redshirt junior because it was one of only a handful of 10,000 races he’ll run before the NCAAs.
Back on the women’s side, Jenny Brogdon jumped to a season best and finished second at the Mt. SAC high jump on Saturday. Amanda Brown, normally a long jumper, hit a good distance and took second in the triple jump.
“Amanda continues to show us that she’s a consistent 40-foot triple-jumper,” Heinonen said.
In earlier action on the women’s side, junior transfer Abby Andrus continued her assault on Oregon’s record book in only her first year as a Duck. She finished first in the Long Beach Invitational 400 hurdles on Friday, putting her sixth in Oregon history in the event. Also in that event, sophomore Kyla Mellott finished second and earned her first-ever NCAA mark as she qualified for the NCAA West Regionals.
Both Oregon squads will return home this weekend for the first of two consecutive home meets. This weekend’s meet is the Oregon Invitational.
“As a team, we’re eager to get home,” Heinonen said.
The Oregon Invitational will kick off on Thursday with the first events of the decathlon and heptathlon, which will both conclude on Friday. The bulk of the athletes will compete Saturday starting at 10 a.m. The Ducks will stay in Eugene for the Oregon Twilight on May 3.