The fans at Hayward cheered as Oregon junior Klaudia Kazimierska made the move at the belt to pull ahead of the rest of her competitors. Despite the next three athletes in the 800m all recording personal records, Kazimierska returned to her home track for the first time since June 2024 with a first-place finish.
“Honestly, we didn’t have any strategy,” Kazimierska said. “I wasn’t feeling right this morning, so we were just staying in lane, just trusting instincts, and just race.”
Tracktown USA is the place to be in the thick of the outdoor track and field season. The Oregon track program witnessed several members like Kazimierska take victory laps in its first home meet in about a month. All 21 track events for the Oregon Open took place on Friday at Hayward Field.
The women’s 3000m steeplechase kicked off the events on the track with four Oregon athletes competing. The Ducks duo of Katie Clute and Kendall Martin started to gain separation from the rest of the pack by the beginning of lap three.
Clute clocked in at 10:13.16 — a new season best, with Martin recording a personal record. Utah’s Sona Kourilova passed Martin during the final lap to finish in third.
Benjamin Balazs, Sergio Del Barrio and Vincent Mestler represented the Ducks in the men’s 3000m steeplechase. Similarly to the women’s, Balazs and Del Barrio competed at the front of the group for much of the event. Balazs gained about 80m on his teammate with two laps to go to set a new personal record of 8:34.72. Del Barrio ended in second, while Mestler came in fourth, while a personal record.
The 3000m steeplechase races were followed by a pair of two-team 4x100m relays between Oregon and Wichita State. Amirah Shaheed anchored the Ducks to a 44.25 season-best, which beat the Shockers by nearly two seconds. The men’s 4x100m relay was the first track event that Oregon failed to finish in first. The Ducks didn’t finish after a failed handoff between the second and third leg.
Oklahoma State dominated the women’s 1500m in the third heat, with four Cowgirls recording personal records and finishing first through fourth. UO Running Club’s Avery Hackenberg ran in second for most of the first heat but finished third, while Allura Markow recorded a time of 4:32.00 to end in 12th overall in the field of 28.
The men’s 1500m featured only two heats. The second one of the afternoon showcased a plethora of green uniforms, but Oklahoma State once again recorded the top two times. Oregon’s Koitatoi Kidali narrowly beat his teammate Matthew Erickson to the finish line for both fourth in the heat and overall. Erickson and Duck sophomore Jeffery Rogers finished in fifth and sixth overall.
Later in the evening, Oregon freshman Mihaly Akpamgo set a season best in the 100m by clocking in at 10.61 seconds. Akpamgo finished 0.06 seconds before second place to be the first Duck to finish first-overall since the women won the 4x100m two hours earlier. He competed in the 200m as well, where he crossed the finish line at 21.51 for a fourth-place finish.
Hayward Field erupted in sound once Kazimierska’s name was announced just before 6:30 p.m. Kazimierska gained separation in the second lap of the 800m to burst ahead of the rest of the field.
“I didn’t know actually where my shape [was] at,” Kazimierska said. “I just know that now going into 1500, it was a good opener.”
Kazimierska’s friends and fans in the crowd at Hayward once again screamed her name in excitement as she clocked in at 2:02.80. She was followed by her teammates Mia Barnett and Samantha McDonnell.
“They performed really well. We were working out together in the past couple weeks, so I knew that we are all in the same shape,” Kazimierska said. “I didn’t know that I’m gonna win today. I honestly expect that. I felt I’m gonna go for like, third or fourth.”
The Ducks’ day ended with redshirt senior Annika Thompson coming in first for the women’s 5000m, while Evan Bishop and Evan Burke finished first and second in the men’s.
The men’s and women’s hammer throw concludes the Oregon Open tomorrow, beginning at 1:45 p.m. Hayward then hosts the Team Invitational on Saturday.
