While Hayward Field in still under construction, the Oregon Ducks opened their indoor track season on Saturday when they headed to Seattle to participate in the University of Washington Indoor Preview meet.

Oregon is one of five track programs in the country with both mens and womens teams ranked inside the top 10.

Having a nationally recognized track and field team does wonders for recruiting. The Ducks introduced 17 new runners. 11 freshmen and six transfers ran for the first time in an Oregon uniform. 

Cooper Teare is one of the seven returners to qualify for the 2019 Indoor Championships. Teare ran in the men’s 1000 meter race on Saturday and placed second. Teare finished second behind Washington’s Sam Tanner who outran him by a half second.

Gaston Bouchereau took the win in the final heat of the men’s 60 meter race with a time of 6.656 seconds. A photo finish helped the redshirt junior defeat UCLA’s Kenroy Higgins who beat Bouchereau in the prelim race.

On the women’s side, Brianna Duncan also took home first place in the women’s 60 meter race. Duncan finished in 7.27 seconds. Susan Ejore placed first in the women’s 1000 meter race. Sophomore Tori Sloan took the top spot in the women’s high jump, finishing with a final jump of just over 5-feet-6 inches.

The Ducks will run next at the Razorback invitational beginning on Jan. 31.