6-9-26 - Trackside NCAA - Emerald Media Group

NCAA TRACK & FIELD

TUESDAY JUNE 9, 2026

DOMINANT DUCKS

Oregon Ducks once again take center stage after completing triple crown.

TO TRACKSIDE

The Daily Emerald’s Track & Field publication.

By Owen Murray & Jack Lazarus Sports Editors

Hey there Duck fans, Thanks for supporting The Daily Emerald. We’re so excited to bring you more of the reporting we’ve been producing all year, and we’re thrilled to do it again at Hayward Field this season. Welcome to Eugene, and thank you for supporting student journalism. In this edition, you’ll find stories about the history of Hayward Field, plus how the Ducks’ dominant cross country and indoor track and field seasons came to be. We’ve got writers covering the best of the NCAA out-

door season — everything you need to know about Oregon’s First Round qualifiers — plus a deep dive on the women’s middle-distance performers who anchor its title hopes. We hope that you’re able to enjoy Eugene as much as we do. Covering every sport is a privilege as student journalists, but doing so in and around the sport that makes the university special is even more so. We’re proud to provide coverage of this season’s meets at Hayward Field. On behalf of our Sports Desk, our design and editorial teams, our photographers and everyone at The Daily Emerald, thank you for reading. Welcome to Track Town, USA!

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(ON THE COVER) Oregon thrower Greyson Glivinski warms up before starting to throw before competition starts. The University of Oregon Ducks hosted the first day of the Oregon Team Invitational at Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore. on April 17, 2026.

(Saj Sundaram/Emerald)

(ON THE COVER, BELOW) Hurdlers cross the finish line after completing the women's 100-meter hurdles. The University of Oregon Ducks hosted the first day of the Oregon Team Invitational at Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore. on April 17, 2026.

(Saj Sundaram/Emerald)

(RIGHT) Oregon jumper Toby Stolberg leaps over the highjump to win the event. Oregon track and field competed at the Oregon Twilight meet at Hayward field in Eugene, Ore. on May 8, 2026.

(Rowan Campbell/Emerald)

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CROSS COUNTRY, INDOOR BIG TEN SWEEPS FUEL OREGON TRACK AND FIELD’S 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 Associate Sports 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. Aiden Smith (No. 25) and Simeon Birnbaum (No. 33) 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 Diana Cherotich (No. 31). With her win at the conference meet, where Oregon won the team title with a conference-record-low 18 points, Ayyildiz went back-to-back 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 3000m and 5000m 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

107 YEARS OF HAYWARD MAGIC

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

By Jack Lazarus Sports Editor

Taking up much of the University of Oregon campus’ 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 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 brandnew football stadium at the time would be named after him. Oregon’s track and field coach and trainer for the football team remained in the locker room during the halftime ceremony that saw the soon-to-be hallowed grounds take on

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 ProTurf 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 has hosted the Olympic Trials a total of eight times, including the most recent in 2024.

In 1987, Hayward made the switch to the metric system of measurement as well as the internationally accepted track configuration, 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 ven-

reigning 100m hurdles outdoor national champion, set a 7.89-second meet record in her 60m 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, finishing 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 1500m 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 4x100m at the Desert Heat Classic on May 2 ahead of this week’s Oregon Twilight meet.

ues 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 state-of-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.

MEET OREGON’S DOMINANT MIDDLE-DISTANCE WOMEN

In Silan Ayyildiz, Diana Cherotich and Wilma Nielsen, the Ducks have their own Cerberus guarding Hayward Field.

By Rowan Shea Sports Writer

The Oregon Ducks have some of the best distance runners in the nation fronting their program. Silan Ayyildiz is continuing to add to her elite resume; Wilma Nielsen, in her second year at Oregon, has been a force to be reckoned with; Diana Cherotich bat tled through an injury through her outdoor season but put up impressive numbers in spite of it.

The indoor season was phenomenal for all three. Notably, Nielsen was a top performer for the program. Back in the indoor season, Nielsen ran for the first time since the 2025 indoor season (she missed the outdoor sea son due to injury).

The senior from Sweden didn’t miss a beat. She ran a 4:21.04 on Feb. 14 at the Boston University Valentine Invitational, which placed her second all time in the in door women's mile in NCAA history. Niel sen also won the mile and the DMR in the NCAA Indoor Championships.

“Being at Oregon, it’s a lot of pressure, but we always come through,” Nielsen said. “We always step up when it matters.”

And the Ducks didn’t let up at the NCAA or the Big Ten Indoor Champion ships. They took home first in both men’s and women’s, then did the same for the Big Ten Outdoor Championships. In the NCAA Indoor Championships, both teams placed second.

Ayyildiz has been flying for the Ducks since 2023. Last year, she broke the indoor collegiate record in the mile (Nielsen passed her on the NCAA list, with Ayyildiz sitting at No. 5 all time as of 2026), and then set it again for the outdoor mile.

At the Indoor Big Ten Championships, Ayyildiz won the indoor mile and the 5k, then went and won the DMR in the NCAA Indoor Championships alongside Nielsen. After the dominant and packed indoor sea son, Ayyildiz was just working through the outdoor season and making sure that she prioritized feeling fine physically.

“For one week, I just laid off,” Ayyildiz said. “And the second week, just basically laid off, slowly coming back for the long distance reps.”

The rest looked to have paid off. In the outdoor season, she placed third in the out door 5k, but did not finish in the 10k. She qualified for the NCAA Championships in the 1500m after placing second in the first round of qualifiers.

Finally there’s Cherotich, the sophomore from Kenya. Cherotich started her Ducks career last year strong at the Stanford In vitational by setting a school record in the 10,000 meter. She ran a 31:45.22, the first woman in the history of the program to run

(RIGHT) Oregon runner Diana Cherotich trails in her 5000-meter race. The Oregon Ducks hosted day one of the Oregon Team Invitational at Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore. on April 17, 2026.

(Owen Burriss/Emerald)

(FAR RIGHT) Oregon distance runner Silan Ayyildiz kicks into a faster pace going into the fourth and final lap of the women’s 1500m invite race. The University of Oregon Ducks hosted the second day of the Oregon Team Invitational at Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore. on April 18, 2026.

(Saj Sundaram/Emerald)

NCAA OUTDOOR TRACK AND FIELD CHAMPIONSHIPS WOMEN’S EVENTS PREVIEW

The Women of Oregon will look to capture their second national title under head coach Jerry Schumacher.

By Max Koebel & Owen Murray Senior Sports Writer & Associate Sports Editor

The Women of Oregon will head back to Hayward Field with 15 national qualifiers and their eye on a national title. The Ducks added 11 new entries at the NCAA First Round in Fayetteville, Ark. last week including defending 100m hurdles champion Aaliyah McCormick and the 1500m trio of Juliet Cherubet, Silan Ayyildiz and Wilma Nielsen. Here’s who Oregon is sending to the National Championships:

Aaliyah McCormick 100-meter hurdles

In Fayetteville, McCormick broke the school record at Oregon with a time of 12.44 — the joint-seventh fastest in NCAA history — in her qualifying effort. McCormick won both the 2025 outdoor and 2026 indoor national high hurdles titles and ran a new all-conditions best (12.43) at the Big Ten Championships in Nebraska in May.

Micaela de Mello 100-meter hurdles

De Mello won her qualifying heat in 12.75 (+2.7) to secure her spot in Eugene. It’s her third time at the NCAA Championships. The senior was third at the Big Ten Championships in May. Before transferring to Oregon this year, she was a three-time NCAA Championships qualifier.

Brazil Neal, Amirah Shaheed, Lakely Doht-Barron, Lily Jones

4x100-meter relay

Last time out: The Ducks didn’t qualify any individual sprinters, but will send the group back to Eugene after they got the baton around in 44.30 in Arkansas. Senior Lily Jones, now a four-time national qualifier, is Oregon’s anchor leg.

Silan Ayyildiz 1500-meter

Last time out: Ayyildiz ran 4:08.16 to qualify fourth in her race at the First Round. She’s one of the Ducks’ three qualifiers in the 1500m, and a former indoor and outdoor collegiate record holder in the mile. She’s run just four 1500m races this outdoor season, but remains a dominant force in the middle-distance scene. She was a World Championships qualifier in 2025 and won the 2026 Big Ten indoor titles in both the mile and 5000m.

Wilma Nielsen 1500-meter

Last time out: Nielsen was the second-best Oregon finisher in the 1500m qualifier with a season-best, third-place 4:07.87. Another 2025 World Championships qualifier, Nielsen’s two-year Oregon career has been star-studded. She was also a collegiate indoor mile record holder and won both the Big Ten and NCAA indoor mile titles this season to defend her 2024 indoor national mile win. Nielsen was fifth in the Big Ten outdoor 1500m final.

Juliet Cherubet

1500-meter, 5000-meter

Cherubet was the top Oregon qualifier from the 1500m race in Fayetteville, with a personal-best 4:07.75. She’s now the seventh-fastest woman of Oregon in the race all-time. Later that day, she took a sixth-place finish in the 5000m race (15:28.61 season-best) to double up on bids. Cherubet won the 2026 Big Ten outdoor 1500m title in 4:16.53 and finished eighth in the 5000m. Earlier this season, she took second overall at the Big Ten Cross Country Championships.

Diana Cherotich

10,000-meter

Cherotich, the 2025 Big Ten outdoor 10000m champion, qualified for the 2026 NCAA meet with a 10th-place time at the First Round of 32:31.58. Her 5000m effort put her in 18th place. This season, Cherotich has only two 10000m races under her belt, and did not finish her Big Ten outdoor race. She took second in the 5000m at the Big Ten indoor meet, 10th at the NCAA meet and won the Big Ten Cross Country individual title.

Cassandra Atkins

Triple jump

Last time out: Atkins needed a huge performance after entering the final round of jumps in 18th place, and got it with a new personal-best 13.73m (45-0.5) to move into fourth and secure her spot at Hayward Field. A sophomore, Atkins was third in the triple jump at Big Ten Outdoors after winning the event at the Stanford Invitational. She finished sixth at the Big Ten Indoor Championships and second at last year’s Big Ten Outdoor meet.

Sharifa Davronova Triple jump

Last time out: Davronova put herself in position to qualify early with a 13.92m (45-8w +2.6) first-round jump and didn’t budge from the top spot.

Alicia Khunou Shot put, discus

Last time out: Khunou is another double-qualifier for the Ducks after she threw 56.16m (184-3) in the discus and qualified in the shot put before the First Round. A freshman, this is her first outdoor NCAA competition.

Marie Josee Bovele-Linaka Discus

Last time out: Bovele-Linaka finished fourth overall with a 57.59m (188-11) throw to ensure she’ll compete in Eugene after claiming an outdoor title in Lincoln, Nebraska, earlier this season. The sophomore debuted for the Ducks this outdoor season and won the event at three regular-season meets.

Greyson Glivinski Javelin

Last time out: An eighth-place finish booked the freshman’s place in her first national meet. The Silverton, Oregon, product finished 11th at Big Ten Outdoors and threw a season-best 52.63m (172-8) mark at the First Round.

Liisa-Maria Lusti Heptathlon

Last time out: Lusti qualified in the heptathlon as the sixth-best declared athlete in the nation. Multisport athletes do not compete in the first round. She posted her best mark of the season at the Big Ten Outdoor Championships, a 5917-point, second-place performance.

(ABOVE) Oregon sprinters Amirah Shaheed, Brazil Neal and Lily Jones sprint across the line of the women's 100-meter invite race as Shaheed wins. The University of Oregon Ducks hosted the second day of the Oregon Team Invitational at Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore. on April 18, 2026.

(Saj Sundaram/Emerald)

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NCAA OUTDOOR TRACK AND FIELD CHAMPIONSHIPS MEN’S EVENTS PREVIEW

The men of Oregon are wellpositioned for championships in several events.

By Henry Light Sports Writer

Simeon

1500m

Birnbaum

Last time out: Birnbaum is coming off a semifinal win in the West First Round after lowering his prelim time of 3:41.36 to a 3:37.00.

Looking back: Birnbaum’s 2025 season ended with a seventh-place finish in the championship, posting a time of 3:47.64. The sophomore showed what he was capable of in his first outdoor race of 2026, breaking the NCAA 1500m record at the Oregon Team Invitational. Head coach Jerry Schumacher gave him the green light to attempt that record in anticipation of more strategic races ahead, including this weekend’s championship, but Birnbaum made a statement in his season debut, and Friday presents his chance to follow through.

Tomas Palfrey

Last time out: Palfrey locked in his finals appearance with a slower time than his prelim race, declining from a 3:40.23 to a 3:44.67.

Looking back: Palfrey’s 2025 season ended in the Championship prelim, where he finished in 3:40.82. The senior opened his 2026 outdoor season with a DNF in which he sacrificed his race to pace Birnbaum’s record. In his true season debut at the Oregon Twilight, he set a personal best of 3:40.23.

Elliott Cook

Last time out: Like Palfrey, Cook slowed down in his semifinal race, going from a 3:40.17 in the prelim to a 3:45.24.

Looking back: Cook’s most recent finals appearance came in 2024, when he finished second in the nation with a 3:39.57. Cook’s 2026 season has come full circle to a peak at the right time, with his first round prelim time nearly matching his season-best 3:40.14 from Oregon Twilight.

3000m Steeplechase

Benjamin Balazs

Last time out: Season best time of 8:29.30, good for third place in the first round.

Looking back: Balazs finished seventh in last season’s championship race with an 8.24.46.

5000m

Simeon Birnbaum

Last time out: Birnbaum finished ninth in the first round race with a 13:42.69.

Looking back: Birnbaum’s 2025 season ended in the prelim race, where he ran a 14:10.98.

Luke Tewalt

Last time out: Tewalt finished tenth in the first round, posting a 13:47.55.

Looking back: In his final race at Wake Forest University before transferring to Oregon, Tewalt finished the 2025 season No. 14 in the nation with a time of 13:37.47.

10000m

Evan Burke

Last time out: Burke finished 11th in the first round with a time of 28:58.43.

Looking back: In his debut season at Oregon after transferring from Stanford, Burke took 17th place in the 2025 final with a time of 28:47.56.

110m Hurdles

Kai Graves-Blanks

Last time out: Graves-Blanks improved over his first-round prelim time of 13.44 to a 13.42 in the semifinal, but he fell from sixth place to eighth.

Looking back: Graves-Blanks ran for Iowa in last year’s championship, finishing 19th with a time of 13.54. He set a personal best of 13.28 earlier this season at the Desert Heat Classic.

4x100 Relay

Kai Graves-Blanks

PJ Ize-Iyamu

Jaelon Barbarin

Fuad Omer

Last time out: The Ducks took fourth place in the first round, finishing in 38.86.

Looking back: This same unit broke Oregon’s school record earlier this season, running a 38.59 at the Desert Heat Classic.

Triple Jump

Tre Betts

Last time out: Betts finished 12th in the first round, but his distance of 16.04m was a season best.

Looking back: Betts won the Division II triple jump championship at Pittsburg State last season with a distance of 16.46m.

door season, finishing fourth in the championship with a 20.37m throw en route to Big Ten Freshman of the Year honors. Smith has reached a new level late in the outdoor season, throwing a personal best 20.88m at the Big Ten Championships.

Kobe Lawrence

Last time out: Lawrence finished 12th in the first round with an 18.69m throw.

Looking back: Lawrence finished fourth in last season’s championship with a distance of 20.32m.

Discus

Ben Smith

Last time out: Smith set a personal best in the first round with a 59.88m throw, earning him fifth place.

Javelin

Shot Put

Ben Smith

Last time out: Smith won the first-round event with a 20.50m heave.

Looking back: Smith utilized a redshirt in 2025, but surged to conference recognition in the 2026 in-

Pat Vialva

Last time out: Vialva finished fifth in the first round with a 74m throw.

Looking back: Vialva’s season ended in the first round last season. The senior is in the best form of his career late in the season, throwing a personal best 77.40m at the Big Ten Championships.

Daniel Thrana

Last time out: Thrana finished ninth in the first round with a distance of 71.80m.

Looking back: Thrana opened his first season of NCAA competition with a personal-best 78.32m throw at the Oregon Team Invitational.