EUGENE, OREGON, May 13-15—The Ducks rolled to a massive Pac-12 win on their home track, despite taking victories in only 5 events. Instead, it was incredible depth that fueled the 64½ point winning margin over Colorado, the nearest challenger. In piling up a winning 167 points, Oregon captured its first loop crown since ’17.
Said head coach Robert Johnson, “You know, they were bridesmaids for a few years and so to have them back up there on top of the podium, I am super excited and proud.”
Senior Kemba Nelson took the sprints for the Ducks in 11.05 and 22.74, and ran second leg on the winning 4×1 (42.91). On the field, it was the horizontal jumps, with wins for long jumper Alysah Hickey (21-½/6.41) and triple jumper Lexi Ellis (42-11½/13.09).
Not surprisingly, Cal’s Camryn Rogers closed out her Pac-12 career with a third hammer title, whirling 241-10 (73.71) from a very wet circle as teammate Anna Purchase hit 226-1 (68.93) for 2nd. Rogers wasn’t phased by the weather: “Coming in and having a meet like this, an experience like this, really prepares us for those big competitions down the line.”
Colorado scored 102½ points overall, the most since it joined the Pac-12. It helped that the Buffs swept the distances, Abby Nichols capturing the 10,000 on the first night, outkicking Oregon’s Alessia Zarbo, 32:27.25–32:28.57. On the final day, Nichols claimed the 5000 in 15:47.92 with frosh teammate Emily Covert 2nd in 15:48.88. NCAA Indoor mile champ Micaela Degenero used a 59.59 final lap to take the 1500 in 4:13.26 and Mady Boreman won the steeple in 9:42.22.
Buffalo coach Mark Wetmore was pleased. “We’re known for distances and I tell them this is the meet, this is the money meet, this is when you prove yourself. They came here ready to perform and almost all did. The women won every distance event other than 800 where Micaela got third 45 minutes after the 1500 so the women were beautiful in those distance events.”
Solid hurdle wins went to USC’s Jasmine Jones (12.92) and Arizona’s Shannon Meisberger (56.43). USC’s Jan’Taijah Ford topped UCLA’s Shae Anderson in the 400, 51.22 to 51.43, but Anderson came out ahead on the 4×4, her 50.93 anchor delivering the win for UCLA, as Ford finished up for USC’s runner-up effort with a 51.61 (3:32.49).
Arizona State’s Jorinde van Klinken pulled off a double in the throws, hitting 60-1 (18.31) in the shot and capturing the next day’s discus with a toss of 199-8 (60.87).
PAC-12 WOMEN’S RESULTS
(5/13—10K, PV, HT, JT; 5/14—St, LJ, SP)
Teams: 1. Oregon 167; 2. Colorado 102½; 3. Cal 82; 4. USC 78; 5. Washington 68; 6. UCLA 66½; 7. Arizona 60; 8. Arizona State 57; 9. Stanford 56; 10. Oregon State 32; 11. Washington State 29; 12. Utah 21.
100(-0.1): 1. Kemba Nelson’ (Or-Jam) 11.05; 2. Ezinne Abba (Cal) 11.13; 3. Celera Barnes (USC) 11.21; 4. **Jadyn Mays (Or) 11.28.
200(0.1): 1. Nelson’ 22.74; 2. Abba 22.91; 3. Shae Anderson (UCLA) 23.04; 4. Iman Brown (Or) 23.08.
400: 1. *Jan’Taijah Ford (USC) 51.22; 2. Anderson 51.43; 3. Bailey Lear (USC) 51.76.
800: 1. **Carley Thomas’ (Wa-Aus) 2:02.93; 2. Julia Heymach (Stan) 2:03.81; 3. Micaela Degenero (Co) 2:04.55;
4. *Anna Gibson (Wa) 2:04.75.
1500: 1. Degenero 4:13.26; 2. Christina Aragon (Stan) 4:14.89; 3. Gibson 4:15.83; 4. *Mady Boreman (Co) 4:16.93.
St: 1. Boreman 9:42.22; 2. *Kaylee Mitchell (OrSt) 9:48.79; 3. Aneta Konieczek’ (Or-Pol) 9:50.80; 4. *Grace Fetherstonhaugh’ (OrSt-Can) 9:57.42.
5000: 1. Abby Nichols (Co) 15:47.92; 2. ***Emily Covert (Co) 15:48.88; 3. **Alessia Zarbo’ (Or-Fra) 15:54.25;
4. *Cara Woolnough’ (Ut-Aus) 15:55.47.
10,000: 1. Nichols 32:27.25; 2. Zarbo’ 32:28.57; 3. Covert 32:30.82; 4. *Haley Herberg (Wa) 32:34.67; 5. Allie Schadler (Wa) 32:56.80.
100H(0.3): 1. **Jasmine Jones (USC) 12.92; 2. ***Micaela De Mello’ (WaSt-Bra) 13.03; 3. *Talie Bonds (Az) 13.17.
400H: 1. Shannon Meisberger (Az) 56.43; 2. Webster 56.47; 3. **Abbey Glynn (Co) 57.62; 4. *Skyler Blair (Ut) 58.54.
4 x 100: 1. Oregon 42.91 (Mays, Nelson’, Reed, Montgomery); 2. USC 43.45; 3. UCLA 43.77.
4 x 400: I–1. Utah 3:40.19; 2. Washington State 3:41.71. II–1. UCLA 3:31.49 (Leger, Jendrezak, Pierre-Webster, Anderson); 2. USC 3:32.49; 3. Arizona 3:35.31.
Field Events
HJ: 1. Bonds 5-9¼ (1.76); 2. Hawa Wague (Cal) 5-9¼ (1.76); 3. *Tori Sloan (Or) 5-9¼.
PV: 1. Makenna Barton (Wa) 13-2½ (4.03).
LJ: 1. **Alysah Hickey (Or) 21-½ (6.41); 2. **Dominique Ruotolo (Or) 20-5¾ (6.24); 3. *Temitope Ojora’ (USC-GB) 20-1 (6.12).
TJ: 1. *Lexi Ellis (Or) 42-11½ (13.09); 2. *Temitope Ojora’ (USC-GB) 42-9 (13.03); 3. Ruotolo 42-9 (13.03).
SP: 1. Jorinde van Klinken’ (AzSt-Neth) 60-1 (18.31); 2. **Jaida Ross (Or) 57-7 (17.55); 3. Samantha Noennig (Az) 57-5½ (17.51).
DT: 1. van Klinken’ 199-8 (60.87); 2. **Jasmine Blair (Cal) 187-10 (57.26); 3. Ross 182-0 (55.47); 4. Karlee Freeman (USC) 181-11 (55.45).
HT: 1. Camryn Rogers’ (Cal-Can) 241-10 (73.71); 2. *Anna Purchase’ (Cal-GB) 226-1 (68.93); 3. *Shelby Moran (AzSt) 217-5 (66.27); 4. Beatrice Llano’ (AzSt-Nor) 214-6 (65.39).
JT: 1. Virginia Miller (Stan) 178-6 (54.42); 2. ***Valentina Barrios Bornacelli’ (WaSt-Col) 165-0 (50.31); 3. ***Kohana Nakato (Or) 158-11 (48.45).
Hept(5/13-14): 1. *Allie Jones (Stan) 5731; 2. **Avery McMullen (Co) 5576; 3. *Skylar Sieben’ (Az-Ger) 5542; 4. **Taylor Chocek (Or) 5523. ◻︎