What to watch: Standout events and individuals at the Pac-12 Track & Field Championships

Chris Hansen, Register-Guard
·6 min read

The track and field postseason begins this weekend with the first of four championship meets at Hayward Field between now and July.

Oregon is hosting the Pac-12 Track & Field Championships Friday-Sunday for the seventh time since the men’s and women’s meets combined in 1987.

The Ducks have won 14 straight men’s titles, starting in 2007, and have a conference-leading 21 titles.

The Oregon women have had three straight runner-up finishes to Southern California, which ended the Ducks streak of nine straight titles in 2018.

“We have a great weekend ahead of us,” Oregon coach Robert Johnson said. “One of the premiere track meets in the country this time of year, the Pac-12 championships speaks for itself.”

Through the summer, the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships will be in Eugene in June, as will the USATF Outdoor Championships, and then the World Athletic Championships come in July.

For the second straight season the Pac-12 meet will run over three days — Friday-Sunday — and will include the decathlon and heptathlon. Pre-pandemic, the combined events were held the weekend before what was then a two-day championships meet.

Thirteen reigning conference champions are back to defend their titles, and there are eight individuals who lead the NCAA in their respective events.

Here’s a closer look and some of the standout events and individuals based on the list of accepted entries.

Men

100 and 200 — Oregon’s Micah Williams and USC’s Davonte Burnett are gearing up for a showdown in the sprints. Burnett is the defending champion in both events and has the fastest 200-meter time in the Pac-12 this season at 20.28 seconds. He also owns the No. 5 time nationally in the 100 with a wind-legal 9.99, which is second-fastest to in the Pac-12 to Williams, whose 9.83 (+2.5) from the Mt. SAC Relays in April is ranked second in the NCAA. Williams also has a run 20.35 in the 200.

5,000 — The last individual event final on the track Sunday could also be a preview of the NCAA final. Washington’s Brian Fay is the NCAA leader at 13:16.52, Colorado’s Eduardo Herrera is ranked fourth (13:20.30), the Huskies’ Kieran Lumb is fifth (13:23.26) and Stanford’s Ky Robinson is seventh (13:23.61).

10,000 — Look for a trio of Stanford sophomores to put the Cardinal into the lead in the team standings after opening night. Defending champion Charles Hicks (27:40.16), Cole Sprout (27:42.42) and Robinson (27:47.11) have the top three times in the conference this season and are ranked No. 6, 7, 8 on the Pac-12’s all-time list.

Turner Washington — The Arizona State junior was one of three finalists in 2021 for The Bowerman Award after winning NCAA titles in the shot put and discus. He’s also won two NCAA indoor titles in the shot put. Washington is ranked No. 2 nationally in the shot put at 68 feet, 5¾ inches and is No. 8 in the discus at 204-6. Also keep an eye on California freshman Mykolas Alekna, who has thrown 222-0 to become the NCAA’s No. 2 performer all-time in the discus.

May 26, 2021; College Station, Texas, USA; Turner Washington of Arizona State wins the shot put at 68-0 1/2 during the NCAA West Preliminary at E.B. Cushing Stadium.
May 26, 2021; College Station, Texas, USA; Turner Washington of Arizona State wins the shot put at 68-0 1/2 during the NCAA West Preliminary at E.B. Cushing Stadium.

Decathlon — Max Vollmer is attempting to become the Ducks’ fourth three-time champ — and fifth overall in the Pac-12 — in the decatlon, joining Ashton Eaton (2008-10), Dakotah Keys (2012-14), Craig Brigham (1973-75) and Pedro da Silva (1990-92, though da Silva was later stripped of the 1992 title when he was declared ineligible). Vollmer set a PR in April with an 8,022-point performance, which ranks fifth nationally. California’s Hakim McMorris is ranked sixth nationally at 7,941 but is not entered this week. Washington’s Oliver Thorner is ranked 17th at 7,602.

Oregon's Max Vollmer, right, competes in the last event of the decathlon, the 1,500 meters, at the NCAA Track & Field Championships.
Oregon's Max Vollmer, right, competes in the last event of the decathlon, the 1,500 meters, at the NCAA Track & Field Championships.

Women

Slowing USC — The Trojans have built their three-year championship reign on the strength of their speed, as they won the 100, 200, 400, 100 hurdles and 400 hurdles during the past two championships meets, and would’ve made it three in row except for Oregon’s Makenzie Dunmore winning the 200 in 2018. This week, USC is favored in the 100, with Kentucky transfer Celera Barnes the NCAA leader at 10.82 and it also has Pac-12 leaders in the 100 hurdles (Jasmine Jones) and 400 (Jan'Taijah Ford).

USC’s Twanisha Terry reaches up as her and her competitors prepare for the women’s 100 meters at the NCAA Track & Field Championships at Hayward Field June 10, 2021. Terry emerged as first overall with 11.03 as her time.
USC’s Twanisha Terry reaches up as her and her competitors prepare for the women’s 100 meters at the NCAA Track & Field Championships at Hayward Field June 10, 2021. Terry emerged as first overall with 11.03 as her time.

1,500 — NCAA leader Julia Heymach of Stanford is not entered, as she's choosing to run the 800 and defend her title in the 5,000 instead. That opens the door to a handful of contenders, including her Cardinal teammate Christina Aragon, whose PR is 4:09.59, Washington’s Anna Gibson (4:13.31) and Oregon’s Izzy Thornton-Bott (4:13.75).

Stanford's Christina Aragon, left, wins the women's 800 meters during The West Coast Classic at Hayward Field.
Stanford's Christina Aragon, left, wins the women's 800 meters during The West Coast Classic at Hayward Field.

3,000 steeplechase — The top-two performers in the Pac-12 already engaged in a thrilling race this season when Oregon Olympian Aneta Konieczek held off Oregon State’s Grace Fetherstonhaugh to win 9:44.72 to 9:44.76 during the Oregon Relays. That was a PR and school record for Fetherstonhaugh and a nice season-opener for Konieczek, who won the Pac-12 title last season in a meet record 9:36.74 and later ran 9:25.98 to qualify for Tokyo. Colorado’s Madison Boreman (9:46.80) and Oregon State’s Kaylee Mitchell (9:53.67) have also run under 10:00 this season.

Oregon's Aneta Konieczek, right, leads the women 3,000-meter steeplechase at the Oregon Relays at Hayward Field Friday April 22, 2022.
Oregon's Aneta Konieczek, right, leads the women 3,000-meter steeplechase at the Oregon Relays at Hayward Field Friday April 22, 2022.

Jorinde van Klinken — The Dutch Olympian from Arizona State is the defending Pac-12 and national champion in the discus, the collegiate record holder (230-4) and the NCAA leader this season by 14 feet with her season-best throw of 212-5. She also won the NCAA indoor title in the shot put in March and has a season-best outdoor mark of 60-6½, which is ranked No. 2 in the NCAA. Mine De Klerk (shot put: 56-4¾, discus: 177-11) and Jaida Ross (56-2¼, 182-1) have great scoring potential for the Ducks.

Mar 12, 2022; Birmingham, AL, USA; Jorinde Van Klinken of Arizona State wins the women's shot put at 62-7 1/4 during the NCAA Indoor Track & Field championships at the CrossPlex.
Mar 12, 2022; Birmingham, AL, USA; Jorinde Van Klinken of Arizona State wins the women's shot put at 62-7 1/4 during the NCAA Indoor Track & Field championships at the CrossPlex.

Triple jump — This could become a battle for first place between Oregon teammates Lexi Ellis and Dominique Ruotolo, who are the No. 1 and No. 2 performers in the conference this season, respectively. Ellis, a junior with a pair of fourth-place finishes at the Pac-12 meet, has jumped a PR 44-6¼ this season to move into No. 3 on Oregon’s all-time list. Ruotolo is the reigning Pac-12 champion with a PR of 44-9¾. She had surgery last summer after tearing ligaments in her ankle during the Olympic Trials. Her season best is 43-9.

Oregon's Lexi Ellis competes in the long jump Hayward Premiere at Hayward Field Friday April 1, 2022.
Oregon's Lexi Ellis competes in the long jump Hayward Premiere at Hayward Field Friday April 1, 2022.

Follow Chris Hansen on Twitter @chansen_RG or email at chansen@registerguard.com.

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This article originally appeared on Register-Guard: Pac-12 Track & Field Championships standout athletes, events to watch