Rebekah Noble confided with members of her family Friday night.
Saturday she planned to return to the 800 meter race, where she had won an NCAA Championship last June, and had made a name for herself.
“I haven’t run an 8 in a while, especially coming out of (1,500s), 8’s a lot faster so I was like ‘I’m going to go out pretty hard and think that I’m sprinting and losing everything,’ but now that I ran another one, it’s good to know that feeling again,” Noble said.
Noble last ran the 800 in the Oregon Preview, and Saturday, in the second day of the Oregon Invitational, the sophomore won her race in 2 minutes, 3.22 seconds.
She ran behind professional athlete Nicole Teter for the first 600 meters, then Teter stepped off, and Noble sped around Bowerman curve and down the homestretch. Her winning performance was a highlight of the meet that also displayed Hayward Field’s new permanent lighting system Friday night.
The long distance carnival took place Friday intermixed with field events, notably the javelin competition.
Rachel Yurkovich battled Danish athlete Christina Scherwin, who ultimately won the competition with a throw of 186-feet-8-inches. Yurkovich managed her best throw of 172-5 on her final throw and finished second.
Saturday’s highlight centered on Noble, who, for a change, led much of the race. Typically, Noble trails and then uses her trademark kick to win.
“I luckily got out there and I was like ‘since I’m in this position right behind (Teter) I can kind of keep going with her and not let anyone catch up to me (and) pass me,’ which I think helped more for my second lap than anything else.”
Leading the race from the start gave Noble a new, exciting experience.
“It was kind of a new, exciting feeling being out in front, you know, running away from everybody,” Noble said. “They also have to catch me, but then if I still run my last 200 pretty fast, they’re going to have to run harder.”
Thrower Britney Henry faced off against volunteer track coach Cari Soong, a former UCLA thrower, who says the Invitational was her third meet in the last 12 days or so. Soong won Saturday with a throw of 210-7.
Soong and Henry traded high marks through the competition. Henry kicked off with a throw of 205-2. Soong gained the lead on her third throw of 206-11. Henry snatched the lead on her fourth throw of 209-5, but Soong quickly took the lead back with her toss of 210-7.
On Henry’s last throw, her hammer landed just four inches short of Soong, at 210-3.
Did Henry think it was good enough?
“Not really,” said a visibly upset Henry. “I was hoping, but all day it kind of just wasn’t really clicking, so whatever.”
It did make for an exciting back and forth competition.
“We went back and forth a couple times so it’s kind of fun,” Soong said. “It’s fun when you can do that. If we’re out here in the cold rain, let’s make it interesting.”
Soong and Henry differed on competing in the cool, wet weather. Henry says she likes it warm and dry, while Soong enjoyed the inclement weather.
“Actually, hammer is the one event that is better in the rain because you don’t lose your footing and you actually can turn a little bit faster because the shoes that we wear are slick on the bottom so you can turn really fast and have a lot of grip,” Soong said.
Keshia Baker earned second in the 400 in 54.43, an NCAA regional qualifying time and a personal record by almost a second. Teammate Kavina Hall followed in third at 55.24.