6-18-26 - Trackside Nike Outdoor Nationals - Emerald Media Group

NIKE OUTDOOR NATIONALS

THURSDAY JUNE 18, 2026

The Ducks have been dominant on the conference level in 2025-26. The next step must come at the national meets.

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107 YEARS OF HAYWARD MAGIC

By Jack Lazarus Sports Editor

Taking up much of the University of Oregon campus’s eastern border, Hayward Field proves an architectural marvel and a site of some of the track and field world’s most important events in recent history.

Classified as one of the three Class 1 facilities by World Athletics, Hayward is one of the most impressive venues in all of track and field and will play host to a plethora of events this summer, including some of the NCAA’s best, the best high-school-level athletes from around the country and the Prefontaine Classic, which brings the top-tier athletes to Eugene for competition.

The place didn’t start with fireworks and the eyes of the world, however.

Bill Hayward initially had no clue that Oregon’s brand-new football stadium at the time would be named after him. Oregon’s track and field coach and

What to know about the country’s most historic track and field venue.

trainer for the football team remained in the locker room during the halftime ceremony that saw the soon-to-be hallowed grounds take on his namesake in 1919.

The stadium only served as a venue for football games in the opening two years, with Hayward Field’s historic track only installed in 1921.

The football team played its final game at Hayward in 1966 before moving to Autzen Stadium the next year.

The school began renovations to make Hayward Field a track-specific venue just three years later, which included adding an all-weather surface and widening the track to eight lanes instead of the original six.

It was these renovations that gave Hayward its renowned nickname as the “world’s fastest track,” largely due to a Pro-Turf track design that used a mixture of sand and urethane.

They also led to Hayward being selected to host the U.S. Olympic Trials for the first time in 1972, which saw legendary Oregon runner Steve Prefontaine qualify for his first and only Olympic Games. Since then, Eugene hosted the Olympic Trials a total of eight times, including the most recent one in 2024.

In 1987, Hayward made the switch to the metric system of measurement as well as the internationally accepted configuration of the track, which had shorter straights and longer turns. This meant that the infield also needed to expand, which used a different form of Pro-Turf.

The constant investment into Hayward Field in its early days thrust it into the upper echelons of track and field venues around the world, but the stadium didn’t become the true spectacle it is today until the newest changes finished in 2020.

Starting in 2018, Oregon demolished both of the original grandstands and created a brand new stadium-style concourse that surrounds all but one turn on the track. The Ducks also added a stateof-the-art underground training facility, which in turn helped guarantee the success of the track and field programs.

Due to the harsh nature of the weather in Oregon, being able to train at consistent conditions year-round has made the men’s and women’s programs into two of the most successful in the NCAA.

In 2022, Hayward’s new and improved look led to it being selected as the venue for that year’s World Athletics Championships, which was the first time the event was ever held in the United States.

This summer, Hayward’s history, tradition and magic will be in full force as generations of the track and field world make their mark.

CROSS COUNTRY, INDOOR

BIG TEN SWEEPS FUEL

OREGON TRACK AND FIELD SEASON SO FAR

The Ducks have been dominant on the conference level in 2025-26. The next step must come at the national meets.

By Owen Murray Sports Associate Editor

Before a Duck touched the outdoor track in 2026, Oregon track and field had already manufactured a successful campaign. Sweeps of both the Big Ten cross country and indoor team titles gave way to four top-five finishes at the NCAA meets, including a pair of runner-up spots in indoor. Their roster is littered with All-Americans ahead of an outdoor season that will see them host the NCAA Championships at Hayward Field. The Daily Emerald recaps Oregon’s 2025-26 season so far:

In cross country, Abdel Laadjel was named the Big Ten Men’s Athlete of the Year as he romped to an individual win at the conference meet in 23:11.60 over 8K and finished ninth individually at NCAAs. No. 25 Aiden Smith and No. 33 Simeon Birnbaum also finished in the top 50 before the national meet, where Oregon finished fifth in its best-ever performance.

The Women of Oregon were led through a third-place finish at nationals by All-Americans Silan Ayyildiz (18:57.90 over 6K, ninth at NCAAs) and No. 31 Diana Cherotich. With her win at the conference meet, where Oregon won the team title with a conference-record-low 18 points, Ayyildiz went back-toback as the Women’s Athlete of the Year.

Cherotich was named the Big Ten Freshman of the Year in her first fall season as a Duck.

“Honestly, it’s pretty crazy, because when I first came to Oregon, we weren’t very good,” Big Ten coach of the year Shalane Flanagan told LetsRun. “We’re solid, and the fact that the men’s and women’s programs are pretty sad right now about a third and a fifth (place) means we’re in a good place, clearly.”

On the short track, Oregon now owns all four available conference titles since the Ducks joined the conference after sweeping the Big Ten meet in Indianapolis. Birnbaum, a junior, won both the 3000-meter and 5000-meter races to buoy the men’s win alongside a shot put silver medal from indoor Big Ten Men’s

Freshman of the Year Ben Smith.

Ayyildiz doubled up, too, with conference victories in both the mile and 5000m. Aaliyah McCormick, the reigning 100-meter hurdles outdoor national champion, set a 7.89-second meet record in her 60-meter hurdles win, and Juliet Cherubet won the 3000m.

Wilma Nielsen, the second-place miler at Big Tens, turned in a 4:40.06 race at the NCAA meet to take her second-straight national title and was named the conference’s Indoor Athlete of the Year. McCormick won the 60m hurdles race in 7.86 seconds, lowering her personal-best again, and Ayyildiz finished top-13 in both the mile and 3000m. The Ducks’ distance medley relay also won the title, featuring Ayyildiz, Cherubet and Lakey Doht-Barron; and Indoor Freshman of the Year Liisa-Maria Lusti won the pentathlon with 4,498 points.

Mississippi State University transfer Peyton Bair won the indoor heptathlon with an Oregon-record 6,503 points. His mark broke Ashton Eaton’s national-title-winning score from 2010. Aiden Carter also scored a personal best, Oregon No. 5 all-time 5,908 points to finish ninth. Smith and Kobe Lawrence finished fourth and second, respectively, in the shot put while Birnbaum (second) and Benjamin Balazs (sixth) scored in the 3000m. Since heading outside, Oregon’s season has been highlighted by Birnbaum’s NCAA-record 1500-meter finish at the Team Invitational in April and the DMR win he anchored at Penn Relays. Four Ducks ran a men’s school-record 38.59-second 4x100-meter at the Desert Heat Classic on May 2 ahead of this week’s Oregon Twilight meet.

(ABOVE) Oregon distance runner Simeon Birnbaum leads the pack in the McChesney invite 1500m. Oregon track and field competes at the Oregon Twilight meet at Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore., on May 8, 2026.

(Rowan Campbell/Emerald)

A RECAP OF THE NCAA TRACK AND FIELD CHAMPIONSHIPS

The Ducks took home some individual wins, but neither the men’s nor women's teams placed in the top 3.

By Rowan Shea Sports Writer

TrackTown USA got its headliner last weekend as the NCAA Track and Field Outdoor Championships and the nation's top athletes rolled into Hayward Field for a chance at collegiate glory.

The overall men’s and women’s champions were the University of Arkansas men's team and the University of Georgia women’s team. The Oregon women’s team placed fourth with 36 overall points, while the men placed fifth with 40 points.

Adaejah Hodge, who ran for Georgia, took home two NCAA record finishes en route to the first-place finish for the Bulldogs. Hodge ran the women’s 100-meter in 10.63 seconds, the fifth-best time in NCAA history, and ran the NCAA record for the women's 200-meter with a blazing time of 21.68.

Amanda Moll of the University of Washington took the NCAA pole vault record away from her fellow Husky and twin sister, Hana Moll. Amanda Moll beat Hana Moll’s previous record by 0.01m as Amanda Moll got over the bar at 4.84m. Hana Moll placed second in the event.

The last of the record-setting performances for the women was Dejanea Oakley for Georgia. She ran the women's 400-meter in 48.79.

Ja’Kobe Tharp, for Auburn University, set a new world record for the men's 110-meter hurdles, running the event in a scorching time of 12.75.

The rest of the record-setting performances for the men included Samuel Ogazi, for the University of Alabama, running the 400-meter in 43.38; Jaiden Reid, for Louisiana State University, running the 200-meter in 19.63; Auburn taking the 4x100-meter relay in 37.75.

For the Ducks, Simeon Birnbaum, who, going back to the indoor season, had been on cruise control, absolutely dominated the competition. He kept up that domination in the Championships coming around the final turn in the 1500-meter, Birnbaum separated himself from the pack and took home first place for the Ducks.

The other Oregon track athlete who placed first was Aaliyah McCormick. She had a lot on the line for her event as she had to defend her title from the previous year. McCormick did just that with a time of 12.47, beating UCLA’s Celeste Polzonetti by 0.32 to become the first to repeat in the event since Tiffany Ofili did so in 2007 and 2008.

The final Oregon athlete who placed first in the events was Ben Smith. Smith had a great indoor and outdoor season, but it culminated in an NCAA Track and Field first-place finish. He threw 21.04m, 0.71m farther than the second-place finisher, JL Van Rensburg of the University of Tennessee.

That was a wrap for the NCAA Outdoor season. The Ducks had a solid showing in both the regular season and the Championships, and Hayward Field saw more records set and broken. Now the athletes will have time to rest and recuperate before the next indoor season kicks off in December.

ELLERY LINCOLN AMONG NIKE OUTDOOR NATIONALS WOMEN’S HEADLINERS

Oregon commit Ellery Lincoln will garner extra attention on her future home track, but an elite group of women’s athletes will compete in Eugene this weekend.

By Henry Light Sports Writer

The Nike Outdoor Nationals annually provides a preview of elite middle and high school runners who are bound to compete at Hayward Field again in college. That label takes on a different meaning for Oregon commit Ellery Lincoln, who will call TrackTown home next fall. Lincoln will garner extra attention in front of her future home fans, but she leads an exciting women’s field into the 2026 event, beginning 9 a.m. on Thursday, June 18.

Ellery Lincoln 1500m & 3000m

Lincoln is less than a month removed from a triumphant weekend at Hayward Field, in which she took home state championships at 1500 and 3000-meters competing for Lincoln High School. Lincoln’s junior season set a high bar for her final high school season, as she posted the top times in Oregon over the 800-meter (2:05.21), 1500-meter (4:09.13) and 3000-meter (9:06.61).

The Nike Outdoor Nationals will provide

a look into the Ducks' future, and Lincoln’s familiarity with Hayward Field will be a significant advantage this weekend.

Natalie Dumas 400m, 800m & 400m hurdles

University of Arkansas commit Natalie Dumas finished her New Jersey high school season with state championships in the 400-meter and 800-meter sprints and 400-meter hurdles. The Eastern Senior High School graduate is no stranger to national competitions, having won her first national event as a sophomore in the SMR 1600-meter at the Adidas Track Nationals. She has since won seven national events between the Adidas Track Nationals, New Balance Nationals Outdoor and Adidas Indoor Nationals, setting her up for a successful weekend in Eugene.

Mia and Mariah Maxwell 100m & 200m

Before sisters Mia and Mariah Maxwell compete together for the University of Texas at Austin, they will contend for victories in

the sprints at Hayward Field this weekend.

After three years of winning every event at 100-meter and 200-meter in Texas high school track for Atascocita High School, the Maxwells spent the 2026 season with club program APXP. Mia took first over 200-meter at the Clyde Hart Classic and 100-meter at the USATF Lone Star Grand Prix, while Mariah did the same over 200-meter at the Clyde Littlefield Texas Relays and 100-meter at the TSU Relays.

The sisters are bound for attention-grabbing college careers and more appearances at Hayward Field, but they will first focus on the Nike Outdoor Nationals.

(LEFT) Lincoln High School junior Ellery Lincoln crosses the finish line during the OSAA 6A 1500-meter state championship. Lincoln, a University of Oregon track and field commit, won the 1500-meter championship held at Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore. on May 30, 2026. (Charlie Mack/Emerald)

(BELOW) University of Oregon Track and Field commit and 6A girls 1500-meter state champion Ellery Lincoln lengthens her lead during the third lap. Hndreds of athletes traveled to participate in day three of the OSAA high school track and field state championships at Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore. on May 30, 2026. (Lilly Wall/Emerald)

BEN SMITH, SIMEON BIRNBAUM

HIGHLIGHT STRONG OREGON MEN’S PERFORMANCE AT NCAA CHAMPIONSHIP

Athletes from around the country traveled to Hayward Field to compete for the biggest prize.

By Max Koebel Senior Sports Writer

The NCAA Track and Field Championships began June 10 at Hayward Field as redshirt freshman Ben Smith came out on top in the men’s shot put with a throw of 21.04m. Smith’s remarkable performance was the first shot put championship for Oregon since 1982, when Dean Crouser threw 21.06m.

Crouser holds the all-time record for men’s shot put in Oregon history, and Smith is now second. Smith also won a title for shot put in the Big Ten Conference Championship and the NCAA West First Round.

The Ducks finished with 15 points on the men’s side thanks to performances from Smith and redshirt sophomore Kobe Lawrence, who came in fourth for the second time with a throw of 19.87m.

In the javelin, Pat Vialva earned seventh place with a 75.04m throw. Right behind him was Daniel Thrana, who came in eighth with a 74.90m throw. The two of them combined for three more points for Oregon ahead of June 12’s events.

On the track, Benjamin Balazs finished in second place in the 3000-meter steeplechase with a time of 8:24.68. Kai Graves-Blanks fell short of advancing in the 110-meter hurdles as he finished 19th in 13.57, but he did play a role in getting the Oregon men into the final round for the 4x100 -meter relay. Graves-Blanks, Jaelon Barbarin, PJ Ize-Iyamu and Grant Valley came in seventh place in 38.54.

The men’s 1,500-meter featured three athletes from Oregon. In 16th place was Tomas Palfrey, who finished in 3:39.56. Simeon Birnbaum came in 12th in 3:38.87. The fastest Duck in the event was Elliott Cook, who came in seventh place in 3:36.77.

On June 12, Birnbaum came out on top in the 1500-meter in 3:36.05. In sixth place was Cook, who finished in 3:37.80, while Palfrey finished ninth in 3:38.67.

The other men’s final event on Wednesday that featured an Oregon athlete was the 10,000-meter, in which Evan Burke finished 23rd in 29:14.90.

On June 12, Smith came in 22nd in the men’s discus with a 56.17m throw. In the triple jump, Tre Betts finished fourth with a 16.56m jump. Balazs came in fifth place in the 3000-meter steeple in 8:23.03. The last event to feature a Duck was the 5000-meter, where Luke Tewalt earned 16th place in 14:01.28.

(ABOVE) Oregon shot putter Ben Smith throws during his event. The University of Oregon hosted the Oregon Team Invitational at Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore. on April 18, 2026.

(Katie Poluyansky/Emerald)

(BELOW) Oregon distance runner Simeon Birnbaum celebrates the win after crossing the finish line and winning the men’s 1500-meter final. The NCAA Track and Field Championships took place at Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore. on June 10 to 13, 2026.

(Charlie Mack/Emerald)