Oregon junior Silan Ayyildiz trailed a couple of runners coming off the curve in the final lap of the women’s 800m. Ayyildiz pumped her arms as she sped past everyone in the field, the Hayward fans ecstatic in cheers as she inched closer to success. She crossed the finish line with a new lifetime best: 2:03.11.
“Today, I was really kind of nervous because I’m still getting used to the speed a little bit,” Ayyildiz said. “But I had the PR, so I can’t complain.”
Seven schools took the track to compete at Hayward on Saturday for the Oregon Team Invitational: Oklahoma State, Kansas State, Wichita State, Oregon State, Texas A&M, Utah and the host program, Oregon.
Klaudia Kazimierska entered the women’s 1500m off an 800m victory at the Oregon Open on Friday. She looked to start the evening with a Ducks’ victory — but her teammate Mia Barnett was just as motivated to cross the finish line first.
Barnett set the pace for much of the race with the Oregon duo leading the field. With 200m to go, Kazimierska made the move and passed her teammate to clock in at 4:07.28.
“I was planning to go on the 400 to go but because of this wind on the back stretch, I was kind of waiting with that move,” Kazimierska said. “200 to go, okay, I can’t wait anymore. I just need to go. I need to give my all today.”
Barnett came in second also posting a top 10 time in Division I this season.
“Mia is always the one that is pushing the pace,” Kazimierska said. “I really appreciate that, because I’m more concerned as a runner, and I’m waiting for that kick and Mia is brave and she can push the pace from the start.”
The Oregon Team Invitational followed NCAA rules, which made it an officially non-scored competition. The event did introduce an unofficial “Fan Scoring,” however, meaning that Kazimierska’s placing gave Oregon an unofficial 14 points.
“I love team competition. I think that having an event that can bring the team together like this, I’m all for it,” Oregon 800m runner Matthew Erickson said. “I love competition. I feel like this does a really good job at focusing on wins rather than time, focuses on like a team, competitiveness rather than individuality.”
The men’s 1500m followed Kazimierska’s victory where Oregon sophomore Rheinhardt Harrison finished second. Harrison recorded a time of 3:39.07 but came 0:00.16 seconds after Texas A&M sophomore Luca Santorum’s personal record.
A competitive women’s 400m race had the Ducks’ Ella Clayton battling with two Aggies in the final stretch. The Oregon senior couldn’t find the final gear in the last 20m and ended in third, but still delivered another 12 points for the Ducks.
The Hayward crowd shouted words of encouragement throughout the men’s 400m race, as Oregon’s Fuad Omer got off to a quick start. In the last 100m it appeared that the race was his, but Wichita State senior Joakim Genereux turned on the jets to set a new personal record — and finish 0:00.06 seconds before Fuad.
The men’s 800m featured just as chaotic of an ending as the women’s. Erickson also passed the rest of the field coming off the curve with his fellow Duck Koitatoi Kidali trailing close behind.
“Today, the emphasis was on the win and so it was, what decisions can you make throughout the race that optimized your chances to win the race?” Erickson said. “That’s what I did today. I was just going in, trying to make decisions that I felt were in my best interest to win the race.”
The final win of the day for the Ducks came in the 5000m. Ayyildiz set the pace for the event shortly after her 800m race. Her teammate Juliet Cherubet ultimately came in first with a time of 15:28.86 — moving up to 12th in Division I.
Collegiate track and field returns to Hayward on May 9 for the Oregon Twilight.
