The Oregon track and field program scattered across the map over the past two weekends, and the Ducks made the most of it.
From Philadelphia to Stanford to Tucson, Oregon added a Penn Relays championship, a school record, multiple all-time program marks and a long list of personal bests as the outdoor postseason continues to come into sharper focus.
Philadelphia: Men of Oregon Bring Home Another Penn Relays Wheel
Oregon’s distance tradition added another piece of hardware Friday at the Penn Relays, where the men’s distance medley relay team won the program’s fifth
DMR title at the historic meet and its first since 2017.
The quartet of Tomas Palfrey, Fuad Omer, James Harding and Simeon Birnbaum finished in 9:32.08, holding off Villanova by one-tenth of a second in a classic Penn Relays finish.
Palfrey opened with a 2:50.61 split on the 1,200-meter leg before handing off to Omer, who moved Oregon from fourth to second with a 45.58 carry. Harding then put the Ducks in front with a 1:45.19 split on the 800-meter leg, setting the stage for Birnbaum on anchor.
Birnbaum, racing for the first time since breaking the collegiate record in the 1,500 meters, took command with 400 meters to go. Villanova’s Marco Langon stayed close, but Birnbaum held him off down the stretch to secure Oregon’s 19th overall Penn Relays wheel.
The Ducks nearly added another title Saturday in the men’s 4xMile relay. Birnbaum, Palfrey, Tayson Echohawk and Jeffery Rogers finished second in 16:18.52, just .05 behind Villanova. This time, Langon edged Birnbaum at the line.
The Oregon women also competed Saturday, finishing fourth in the 4×1500 relay in 17:25.53 and ninth in the 4×800 in 8:37.32.
Stanford and Corvallis: Tewalt Enters Oregon’s All-Time Top 10
At the Payton Jordan Invitational, Luke Tewalt continued his impressive first season in an Oregon uniform with a 13:19.82 in the 5,000 meters, good for No. 7 on the Ducks’ all-time list.
Tewalt finished third among collegiate runners and 10th overall while cutting more than eight seconds off his previous personal best of 13:28.18. The performance came less than a month after he ran 28:00.52 in the 10,000 meters at Stanford, which moved him to No. 6 in Oregon history in that event.
Evan Burke and Evan Bishop also recorded personal bests in the 5,000. Burke ran 13:28.84, trimming 10 seconds from a PR that dated back to 2022 at Stanford, while Bishop crossed in 13:37.81. Connor Burns made his outdoor debut for Oregon and finished in 13:42.78.
On the women’s side, Dalia Frias lowered her 5,000-meter best by eight seconds, finishing in 15:48.32. That time placed her in the top 10 at Stanford and moved her into the Big Ten’s top 10 based on marks entering the meet.
Oregon also had action at the OSU High Performance meet, where Taylor Wiseman finished second in the discus with a throw of 49.04 meters, just two centimeters shy of her season best.
Tucson: Ducks Break 4×100 School Record at Desert Heat
The loudest result of the weekend came Saturday at the Desert Heat Classic in Tucson, where Oregon’s men’s 4×100-meter relay team broke the school record.
Kai Graves-Blanks, PJ Ize-Iyamu, Grant Valley and Jaelon Barbarin ran 38.59, taking down the previous program record of 38.72 set at the 2019 Pac-12 Championships on the same track. Based on marks entering the weekend, the Ducks also moved into the national lead in the event.
The women’s 4×100 team followed with a season-best 43.66 to win its race. Brazil Neal, Amirah Shaheed, Niya Clayton and Lily Jones were the only team under 44 seconds, taking nearly half a second off Oregon’s previous season best.
Graves-Blanks added one of the best individual days of any Duck this season. He won the 110-meter hurdles in 13.28, improving his lifetime best and moving to No. 2 in Oregon history. He also ran a personal-best 20.59 in the 200 meters, which ranks No. 9 on Oregon’s all-time outdoor list.
Ize-Iyamu also picked up an individual win, running a wind-legal 10.06 in the 100 meters. Valley won his heat and finished eighth overall in 10.30, another personal best.
The Ducks also controlled the field events in Tucson. Daniel Thrana won the javelin at 76.29 meters, with Pat Vialva third at a season-best 70.30 meters and Vlad Turcu fourth at a season-best 66.91 meters.
Oregon swept the long jump titles. Titouan Bizet won the men’s competition with an all-conditions best of 7.78 meters, while Liisa-Maria Lusti won the women’s event at 6.40 meters, becoming the seventh woman in program history to clear 21 feet outdoors. Cassandra Atkins added a personal best of 6.21 meters to finish third.
Tre Betts gave the jumps group another win in the triple jump, moving into first place in the fifth round with a season-best 15.64 meters.
Micaela De Mello also moved up Oregon’s record book, running 13.09 in the 100-meter hurdles to finish second overall and first among collegiate entries. That mark lifted her from eighth to sixth in UO history. She later added a 23.89 personal best in the 200 meters.
Oregon’s women showed depth in the 200, with De Mello joining Shaheed, Neal, Jones and Lakely Doht-Barron under 24 seconds. Doht-Barron also delivered a major 400-meter PR, lowering her best from 53.98 to 52.71.
Alicia Khunou added a program top-five mark in the shot put with a personal-best 16.66 meters, while Annaleise Taylor lowered her 400-meter hurdles best to 58.43. On the men’s side, Ben Smith finished second in the shot put at 20.02 meters, continuing a stretch of four straight competitions beyond 20 meters, while Kobe Lawrence placed fourth with a season-best 19.74 meters.
Up Next
The Ducks return to Hayward Field on Friday, May 8, for the Oregon Twilight. The meet will include Senior Day ceremonies along with several community events, including the Kids Half Lapper, Middle School Mile, OTC Masters’ Mile and Warsaw Costume Relay.
Duck Results
April 24-25
Penn Relays | Philadelphia, Pa.
MEN
Distance Medley Relay
1. Palfrey, Omer, Harding, Birnbaum – 9:32.08
4xMile Relay
2. Echohawk, Rogers, Palfrey, Birnbaum – 16:18.52
WOMEN
4×800 Relay
9. Ayyildiz, Humphris, Frias, Cherubet – 8:37.32
4×1500 Relay
4. Cherubet, Ince, Frias, Ayyildiz – 17:25.53
May 1
OSU High Performance | Corvallis, Ore.
WOMEN
1500 Meters, Inv.
10. Landen LeBlond – 4:30.21
Discus
2. Taylor Wiseman – 49.04m/160-10
Payton Jordan Invitational | Stanford, Calif.
MEN
5,000 Meters, Inv.
10. Luke Tewalt – 13:19.82 (PB, UO #7)
16. Evan Burke – 13:28.84 (PB)
18. Evan Bishop – 13:37.81 (PB)
20. Connor Burns – 13:42.78
5,000 Meters, Sec. 2
7. Juan Gonzalez – 13:47.23
WOMEN
5,000 Meters, Inv.
10. Dalia Frias – 15:48.32 (PB)
13. Ella Thorsett – 16:11.44
May 2
Desert Heat Classic | Tucson, Ariz.
MEN
100 Meters
1. PJ Ize-Iyamu – 10.06 (-0.2) (PB, UO #4*)
8. Grant Valley – 10.30 (PB)
23. Jaelon Barbarin – 10.57 (-0.5) (=SB)
200 Meters
4. Kai Graves-Blanks – 20.59 (-1.1) (PB, UO #9)
9. Grant Valley – 20.79 (-0.8)
18. Jaelon Barbarin – 21.20 (-1.1)
400 Meters
17. Fuad Omer – 47.12
110m Hurdles
1. Kai Graves-Blanks – 13.28 (PB, UO #2)
10. Aiden Carter – 14.21
4x100m Relay
1. Graves-Blanks, Ize-Iyamu, Valley, Blanks – 38.59 (UO #1)
Long Jump
1. Titouan Bizet – 7.78m/25-6.25w
12. Dakorien Moore – 7.10m/23-3.5
Triple Jump
1. Tre Betts – 15.64m/51-3.75 (SB)
Shot Put
2. Ben Smith – 20.02m/65-8.25
4. Kobe Lawrence – 19.74m/64-9.25 (SB)
Discus
25. Aiden Carter – 35.15m/115-4 (PB)
Javelin
1. Daniel Thrana – 76.29m/250-3
3. Pat Vialva – 70.30m/230-7 (SB)
4. Vlad Turcu – 66.91m/219-6 (SB)
WOMEN
100 Meters
4. Amirah Shaheed – 11.33 (PB)
6. Lily Jones – 11.45 (SB)
10. Brazil Neal – 11.54
18. Niya Clayton – 11.68 (SB)
200 Meters
5. Amirah Shaheed – 23.25 (PB)
10. Brazil Neal – 23.61 (SB)
18. Lily Jones – 23.81 (SB)
19. Lakely Doht-Barron – 23.82 (PB)
22. Micaela De Mello – 23.89 (PB)
400 Meters
5. Lakely Doht-Barron – 52.71 (PB)
100m Hurdles
2. Micaela De Mello – 13.09 (SB, UO #6)
7. Annaleise Taylor – 13.68 (SB)
400m Hurdles
3. Annaleise Taylor – 58.43 (PB)
4x100m Relay
1. Neal, Shaheed, Clayton, Jones – 43.66 (SB)
Long Jump
1. Liisa-Maria Lusti – 6.40m/21-0 (UO #7)
3. Cassandra Atkins – 6.21m/20-4.5 (PB)
Triple Jump
3. Maleigha Canaday-Elliott – 12.68m/41-7.25
Shot Put
4. Alicia Khunou – 16.66m/54-8 (PB, UO #5)
Discus
3. Alicia Khunou – 52.16m/171-1
–. Marie Josee Bovele-Linaka – NM
Javelin
6. Greyson Glivinski – 50.21m/164-8
OSU High Performance | Corvallis, Ore.
MEN
800 Meters, Inv.
5. Ben Greene – 1:49.68 (SB)
6. Elliott Cook – 1:49.87
7. Will Heslam – 1:50.42 (SB)
WOMEN
Shot Put
4. Taylor Wiseman – 14.85m/48-8.75
