Oregon’s track team was at its best this weekend at the Don Kirby Elite Invitational at the Albuquerque Convention Center, tallying six event wins while more than half of the 20 sprinters and runners hit personal records.
For the second meet in a row, the women sprinters swept the 60-meter with all three marking personal records. Hannah Cunliffe came out on top, crossing the line in 7.07 seconds to take over the world and NCAA lead. The time was also a new all-conditions collegiate and Oregon school record.
Deajah Stevens and Makenzie Dunmore followed Cunliffe across the line with times of 7.21 and 7.25 seconds, respectively and the day was not over for the two. Both Stevens and Dunmore ran a leg of the 4×400 relay, along with Raevyn Rogers and Elexis Guster. The team won the race, crossing the line in 3 minutes, 29.85 seconds.
Sasha Wallace continued her dominance of the women’s 60-meter hurdles, winning the event in 7.996 seconds after beating out Utep Sophomore Tobi Amusan by .001 of a second. Third-place finisher Alaysha Johnson achieved her second personal best in as many days, crossing the line in 8.01.
Johnson’s first personal record came Friday when she and three other Ducks achieved lifetime bests in the women’s 200-meter. Both Hannah Cunliffe and Ariana Washington broke 23 seconds to go 1-2 in the event with times of 22.60 and 22.80 seconds, respectively; Cunliffe’s time also broke the facility record at the Albuquerque Convention Center. Johnson placed fourth, finishing in 23.57, while Ashante Horsley ran the race in 24.06 to place sixth.
Freshman Braxton Canady also found success in the men’s 60-meter hurdle, winning the event with a personal-best time of 7.72 seconds.
Marcus Chambers also came out with a win in the 400-meter, marking a time of 46.45. As for the women’s 400, Guster finished as the runner-up in 52.85. Horsley and freshman Hannah Waller finished in fourth and fifth, respectively, both with personal records. Horsley finished in 53.744, narrowly missing out for third by .002 of a second, while Waller finished in 53.85.
After placing third in the long jump on Friday, Damarcus Simpson finished the 60-meter in second with an indoor personal-record time of 6.66 seconds. He was not the only Oregon jumper to finish as the runner-up in Friday’s events; Cole Walsh was the top collegiate in the pole vault, hitting a personal record of 17 feet, 10.5 inches.
Rhesa Foster also placed third in the women’s long jump on Friday, though on her final attempt she jumped the same distance (19-10.25) as the second-place finisher Daniella Johnson.
The Ducks will have one final attempt to hit the NCAA qualifying marks on Feb. 24-25 as they head back up to Seattle to begin championship competition at the MPSF Indoor Championships.
Follow Hannah Bonnie on Twitter @hbonnie03
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