The women’s indoor track and field team earned eight points from Jordan Hasay and Alexi Pappas in the 5,000 meters yesterday at the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships.
The women also got a point from the eighth-place distance medley relay team, but were hoping for a bit more in the event.
“I’m not sure how happy we are because you always want to maximize your opportunities to score points,” head coach Robert Johnson told goducks.com. “At the same time, we got some people through that we didn’t expect and we always say there is no good day two without a good day one.”
“We’ll come out ready tomorrow to fight for as many points as we can.”
The women stood at 11th with nine points last night, while Kansas led with 20.
In the women’s scoring events on Friday, Hasay set a school record in finishing fourth in the 5,000 meters in 15:40.30. Senior Alexi Pappas was sixth in that race in 15:47.13 — the third best time in school history — for another three points.
“More than anything, I just wanted to contribute to the team score,” Pappas said. “I had fun out there.”
The Ducks distance medley relay of Annie Leblanc, Chizoba Okodogbe, Becca Friday and Anne Kesselring also ran a season best 11:02.15.
“In my four years if there’s one thing I’ve learned, the form chart doesn’t mean anything,” Hasay said. “We’ve just got to get ready and bring it tomorrow.”
In other preliminary action, English Gardner won her semifinal heat in the 60 meters. The sophomore was first out of the blocks and won easily in a season best 7.15. That was just .03 off the school record she set at the NCAA meet a year ago.
Just as impressive, Jenna Prandini ran a 7.29 in her 60 meter heat to finish fourth and advanced based on time to Saturday’s final. The freshman came into the meet seeded 12th, but ran the third fastest time in school history to make the final.
The women were also successful in the mile with both Kesselring and Friday advancing. Kesselring placed second in 4:37.67, with Friday closing hard for third in 4:37.80.
For the men, Mike Berry had a record-setting run in his 400 meters heat. Berry broke his own school record in the 400 meters, which was set at the championships a year ago, by finishing second in his heat in 45.54.
Elijah Greer won his heat in the 800 meters in 1:48.13. Boru Guyota also captured his 800 heat to advance. Guyota finished second in 1:48.84.
Johnathan Cabral ran a hard race in the 60 meter hurdles and advanced to Saturday’s final by the thinnest of margins — .002. The sophomore was fifth in his heat in a personal best 7.73 seconds. That time was tied with Jordan Mullen of Iowa for the last spot for the final, but Cabral advanced on the tie-breaker to the thousandth of a second.
Cabral’s time was also the second fastest 60 hurdles in school history.
Dakotah Keys had a heptathlon personal best clearance at 6-7.5/2.02m in the high jump, which led him to a first day PR score of 3,187 points. The junior and Oregon native stood eighth following the first day of competition.
“I feel pretty good,” Keys said, who needed three attempts to get over the bar at 6-4 before moving on. “I think I’m on a little bit of a roll heading into the second day. It feels good coming off that high jump.”
He just missed a personal record in the 60 meters, running 7.14. He was also just shy of a personal record in the long jump as he went 23-7.5/7.20m on his second attempt.
Keys neared another personal record in the shot put with a best throw of 42-9.5/13.04m.
In Oregon’s lone men’s final, sophomore Jeramy Elkaim placed 13th in the 5,000 meters in 14:08.42.
None of the three Ducks were able to advance in the men’s mile. In heat two, Mac Fleet was fifth in 4:02.18 and missed advancing automatically by just .05. Brett Johnson took sixth in 4:04.11 and Matt Miner was eighth in 4:06.77.
The NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships continue today.