Oregon field athletes enjoyed a successful second day of the Oregon Team Invitational, treating the Hayward Field crowd to wins in men’s shot put, women’s pole vault, women’s discus and men’s javelin. Pole vaulter Emily Fitzsimmons headlined the day by breaking the school record, which had stood since 2003.

Fitzsimmons lapped the field in the event, making four attempts as the only competitor remaining and last clearing the 2026 Division I 10th-best of 4.48 meters to set the school record by 10 cm.

“I kind of knew I was capable,” Fitzsimmons said. “We had attempted that quite a few times in practice, if not higher,
so it was more of a relief and a moment of appreciation for it all coming together.”

The Ducks also felled the meet record in shot put, when redshirt freshman Ben Smith set a personal best of 20.39 meters on his second throw, which also landed him the No. 2 distance in Division I this season.

“PRs are nice, it’s good, but I’m still gonna try to throw farther, so I’m just riding that high with a new PR,” Smith said.

Despite the personal best, Smith remained focused on the long game, ultimately coming away from the event disappointed with his three fouls.

“Coming into the second throw, you’re expecting to amp up every throw after, so kind of plateauing after that is not what I was expecting, but keep high standards and keep better marks,” Smith said.

Oregon redshirt sophomore Kobe Lawrence placed second in the event, throwing 19.50 meters on his second attempt and matching it on his fourth to tie for 11th in the Division I season.

“Better than my first meet and a very consistent series,
so I’ll take it — I’m very happy with it,” Lawrence said.

The O also occupied the top two spots on the leaderboard after women’s discus, with Marie Josee Bovele-Linaka posting the winning 53.57-meter throw on her second attempt, and Alicia Khunou taking second place at 53.54-meters.

In men’s javelin, Oregon junior Daniel Thrana bounced back from a foul on his first attempt in a big way, throwing a personal best 78.32 meters. (256-11). The No. 5 distance of the Division I season won the event.

“I was so nervous in the beginning, so I kind of slipped on the first throw, so I was like, ‘Okay, I’ll just try to go for the win,’ — that was my goal after my first — but then I freaking ripped it 78, so I’m like, ’Okay, that’s even better,’” Thrana said.

Thrana felt the initial nervousness due to his high standards, but he quickly backed up that method with his massive second throw.

“I have high expectations, and kind of always want to compare myself to my PR,” Thrana said. “It was a lot of pressure, which I like and dislike at the same time, but it helps me get going, get the adrenaline and get that extra few meters I need after practice.”

Senior Pat Vialva and freshman Vlad Turcu rounded out a successful event for the Ducks in third and sixth place. Vialva peaked with the Division I No. 25 distance of 69.87 meters on his second throw, while Turcu showed impressive resilience after three throws below his standards to sail a 65.59-meter throw on his final attempt, good for No. 60 on the season.

Oregon’s field athletes will return to Hayward Field for the Oregon Twilight on May 8, before the Big Ten Outdoor Championships, which begin May 15.