The Ducks closed the regular season with 11 wins and three top-10 program marks before turning toward the postseason.
Oregon track and field closed the regular season Friday night at Hayward Field with the kind of performance that fits the name of the meet. As the sun set on the regular season at the Oregon Twilight, the Ducks delivered 11 wins, three top-10 program marks and a handful of performances that suggest the postseason lights will not be too bright.
Simeon Birnbaum, Benjamin Balazs and Marie
Josee Bovele-Linaka supplied the brightest marks of the evening, each pairing a win with a move up Oregon’s all-time lists. For a team about to step into the Big Ten Championships, the night offered one last home-stage reminder that the Ducks still have plenty of stars ready to shine.
Birnbaum Leads a Blazing 800
The headline performance came from Simeon Birnbaum, who led a 1-2-3 Oregon finish in the Wade Bell 800 meters. Birnbaum won in 1:44.67, a lifetime best, meet record and the No. 4 outdoor time in Oregon history.
That came in his first home appearance since breaking the collegiate record in the 1,500 meters at the Oregon Team Invite in April. Apparently, one historic Hayward moment was not enough for the spring.
Behind him, Oregon got a promising debut from Bodey Lutes, who finished second in 1:45.62 in his first official race as a Duck. The freshman from Coos Bay moved to No. 6 on the all-time U.S. U20 list and No. 3 on the world U20 list this season. James Harding completed the Oregon sweep in third, lowering his personal best to 1:45.66.
Based on times entering the day, all three marks rank among the top 15 in the NCAA this season, with Birnbaum at No. 3 and Lutes and Harding at No. 13 and No. 14. For a race tucked into the regular-season finale, the 800 delivered a postseason-level spark before the night had even gone fully dark.
Balazs Closes the Night With a Top-10 1,500
The final event of the night gave Oregon another all-time mark. Benjamin Balazs, the reigning Big Ten steeplechase champion, won the Bill McChesney Jr. 1,500 meters in 3:36.23, knocking more than five seconds off his previous lifetime best of 3:41.59.
The time moves Balazs to No. 7 on Oregon’s all-time list.
Oregon packed the race with personal bests. Jeffery Rogers finished in 3:36.57, Tomas Palfrey ran 3:37.49 and Tayson Echohawk crossed in 3:37.52. As the evening shadows stretched across Hayward, the Ducks’ distance group made sure the regular season ended with one more burst of green and yellow.
Bovele-Linaka Moves Up in the Discus
Marie Josee Bovele-Linaka added another top-10 program mark in the women’s discus, winning with a season-best throw of 58.10 meters, or 190 feet, 7 inches. The mark moved her from seventh to fourth on Oregon’s all-time list, replacing the 55.25-meter throw she recorded at the Triton Invitational just over a month ago.
Based on marks entering Friday, Bovele-Linaka now sits 12th in the NCAA this season.
Oregon put together a strong team showing in the event, finishing 1-2-4. Alicia Khunou was second at 54.78 meters, while Taylor Wiseman took fourth at 49.95 meters. Wiseman also finished second in the shot put earlier in the day with a season-best 15.17 meters.
Women’s Distance Group Adds More Wins
Silan Ayyildiz gave Oregon another win in the invitational section of the women’s 1,500 meters. With pacing help from former teammate Klaudia Kazimierska, Ayyildiz ran a season-best 4:06.97.
Juliet Cherubet placed third in a season-best 4:10.12, while Wilma Nielsen finished fourth in 4:11.78 in her outdoor season debut.
In the “B” section of the 1,500, Landen LeBlond picked up a win of her own, lowering her personal best to 4:22.75. She also set a second lifetime best Friday with a 2:09.93 in the 800 meters.
Ali Ince and Nicole Humphries led Oregon in the women’s 800, running season-best times of 2:06.48 and 2:06.76.
Field Events and Sprints Add to the Win Total
The Ducks’ first win of the day came from Hayden Williams-Downing in the javelin. She threw 46.88 meters on her final attempt, and all three of her legal throws were good enough to win the competition.
Oregon added three more field wins from Toby Stolberg in the high jump at 1.73 meters, Emily Fitzsimmons in the pole vault at 4.17 meters and Ben Smith in the discus at 57.98 meters. Smith led a 1-2 Oregon finish with Kobe Lawrence, who recorded a season-best 55.51 meters on his fifth throw.
The sprint group also got in on the evening’s win column. Lily Jones won the 100 meters and led a 1-2 finish with Niya Clayton. Jones was one of 16 Ducks recognized as part of Senior Day. Fuad Omer won the 400 meters, holding off Utah State’s Diego Aguirre at the line.
Former Oregon standouts also made their presence felt. Jaida Ross won the shot put with a meet-record 19.07 meters, Shelby Moran set a meet record in the hammer at 72.78 meters and Ryann Porter won the triple jump with a season-best 13.41 meters.
Ducks Turn Toward the Postseason
Friday night marked the close of the regular season, but it also felt like the lights coming on for the part of the year that matters most.
Oregon now heads to the Big Ten Championships, set for May 15-17 in Lincoln, Nebraska. After that comes the NCAA West First Round from May 27-30 in Fayetteville, Arkansas. The top 12 at each regional site will advance to the NCAA Outdoor Championships, which return to Hayward Field from June 10-13.
The sun has set on the regular season. For Oregon, the postseason stage is just starting to glow.
Friday Results
Oregon Twilight | Hayward Field
MEN
400 Meters
1. Fuad Omer – 47.47
Wade Bell 800 Meters
1. Simeon Birnbaum – 1:44.67 (MR, PB, UO #4)
2. Bodey Lutes – 1:45.62 (PB)
3. James Harding – 1:45.66 (PB)
5. Will Heslam – 1:50.04 (SB)
6. Ben Greene – 1:50.52
McChesney Jr. 1500 Meters
1. Benjamin Balazs – 3:36.23 (PB, UO #7)
3. Jeffery Rogers – 3:36.57 (PB)
4. Tomas Palfrey – 3:37.49 (PB)
5. Tayson Echohawk – 3:37.52 (PB)
6. Elliott Cook – 3:40.14
–. Simeon Birnbaum – DNF (pacer)
Discus
1. Ben Smith – 57.98m/190-2
2. Kobe Lawrence – 55.51m/182-1 (SB)
WOMEN
100 Meters
1. Lily Jones – 11.52
2. Niya Clayton – 11.78
800 Meters
2. Ali Ince – 2:06.48 (SB)
3. Nicole Humphries – 2:06.76 (SB)
6. Landen LeBlond – 2:09.93 (PB)
1500 Meters Inv.
1. Silan Ayyildiz – 4:06.97 (SB)
3. Juliet Cherubet – 4:10.12 (SB)
4. Wilma Nielsen – 4:11.78
9. Diana Cherotich – 4:18.38
10. Bahiya El Arfaoui – 4:18.38
12. Ali Ince – 4:26.28
–. Nicole Humphries – DNF
1500 Meters “B”
1. Landen LeBlond – 4:22.75 (PB)
High Jump
1. Toby Stolberg – 1.73m/5-8
Pole Vault
1. Emily Fitzsimmons – 4.17m/13-8.25
Shot Put
2. Taylor Wiseman – 15.17m/49-9.25 (PB)
Discus
1. Marie Josee Bovele-Linaka – 58.10m/190-7 (SB, UO #4)
2. Alicia Khunou – 54.78m/179-8
4. Taylor Wiseman – 49.95m/163-10 (SB)
Javelin
1. Hayden Williams-Downing – 46.88m/153-9
4. Liisa-Maria Lusti – 39.29m/128-11
