The Ducks start the weekend with five wins at Corvallis

EUGENE, Oregon – The Oregon Track and Field team opened its weekend with five wins at the OSU High Performance meet in Corvallis, including three UO women’s wins at Friday night’s distance carnival. The list of Ducks winners Emilie Girard (1500), Dania Holmberg (5,000), Caramia Mester (10,000), Pierce Lacoste (long jump) and Travis Brewster Jr. (disk).
In addition to Friday’s wins, the Ducks also produced four personal bests and four season bests at the Whyte Track and Field Center. The second day of high performance competition will begin at 11 a.m. with the javelin. Saturday also marks the start of the Desert Heat Classic in Tucson with the Ducks sprint group; the first event is scheduled for 5:25 p.m.
Girard walked away with a victory in the 1,500-meter invitational section, posting a season-best time of 4:19.14 and edging Oregon State’s Kaylee Mitchell (4:19.17) at the line. Girard was third at the bell just behind Mitchell and her OSU teammate Mari Friedman, but passed the two conference rivals for the win.
LaCoste led the field with a windy mark of 7.66m/25-1.75 (+2.4) in the long jump, securing the victory on his first attempt of the afternoon. With Friday’s result, the Eugene native moves up to fourth in the Pac-12 and top 15 in the NCAA West Region rankings. LaCoste was one of four UO men in the top 10 with stars in multiple events Jett Kinder, Max Vollmer and Nathan Poff.
In the Ducks’ first win of the weekend, Brewster produced a season-best measure to secure the top spot on the drive. He clocked the fastest time of the day at 49.65m/162-10 in the first round, a mark that held throughout the competition. The Brightwood, Oregon native finished just short of his 49.85m / 163-6 PR from last year’s high performance competition.
With a strong final lap, Holmberg turned a slim three-tenths lead into a seven-second victory over the final 400 meters of the 5,000-metre invitational. She stopped the clock in 16:26.90 to take nearly 30 seconds off her previous record of 16:55.05 set in 2019 during her Seattle Pacific career.
Mestler capped the Ducks’ night at Corvallis with a victory and a best-ever performance at 10,000 meters. Running 1-2 with Emma Jenkins of Portland over the final seven laps, Mestler held the lead throughout and clocked 34:15.18 in her first 10K since the Pac-12 Championships in last year; she took over 38 seconds off her time (34:53.94) from the conference encounter.
For a second consecutive weekend, Ellie Akough set a new lifetime record with a 55.29m/181-4 on his third attempt of the day. She finished second overall after adding five feet to her previous relay record from Oregon last week. Akough entered the year with a PR of 51.68m / 169-7 and is now less than a yard from the OU top 10 in the event.
Harper McClain was the top collegiate performer—and second overall—in the invitational section of the 3,000-meter steeplechase. Competing in the event for only the second time, McClain posted a new PR of 10:38.28 to cut more than two seconds from his first obstacle course time of 10:40.60 a month earlier at the Hayward Premiere.
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Friday results
MEN
Pole vault
2. Harrison Canfield – 4.73m/15-6.25
7. J Kai Yamafuji – 4.58m/15-0.25
9. Arthur Katahdine – 4.58m/15-0.25
long jump
1. Pierce Lacoste – 7.66m/25-1.75w, +2.4 (SB)
7. Jett Kinder – 6.78m/22-3
8. Max Vollmer – 6.65m/21-10
ten. Nathan Poff – 6.51m/21-4.25
Disk
1. Travis Brewster Jr. – 49.65m/162-10 (SB)
18. Max Vollmer – 36.00m/118-1
WOMEN
1500 meters | Invitational
1. Emilie Girard – 4:19.14 (SB)
5,000 meters | Invitational
1. Dania Holmberg – 16:26.90 (PR)
10,000 meters
1. Caramia Mixer – 34:15.18 (PR)
4. Anika Thompson – 34:57.60
–. Harper McClain – DNF
3000m steeplechase | Invitational
2. Harper McClain – 10:38.28 (PR)
Pole vault
4. Meagan Kiefer – 3.52m/11-6.5 (SB)
long jump
5. Gianna Bullock – 5.44m/17-10.25
ten. Colleen Uzoekwe – 5.27m/17-3.5 (-2.2)
Disk
4. Ellie Akough – 45.56m/149-5
Hammer
2. Ellie Akough – 55.29m/181-4 (RP)
16. Ashley Hodulik – 43.78m/143-7
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