SEATTLE, Wash. – The Oregon track and field team opened its weekend with three wins and a pair of top-10 program performances Friday at the Ken Shannon Last Chance in Seattle. The Ducks’ winners circle featured freshman Aaliyah McCormick in the 60-meter hurdles, alongside Jonah Tactay and Lexi Ellis in the men’s and women’s triple jump.
Day two of the last chance meet begins Saturday at 10 a.m. with Tori Sloan in the high jump and the Ducks’ trio of Jorinde Van Klinken, Jaida Ross and Mine De Klerk in the shot put.
Links to Follow: Watch | Live Results | Schedule
McCormick was the fastest qualifier out of Friday’s prelims and backed it up with a victory in the 60-meter hurdles, stopping the clock in 8.01 to equal her lifetime best. With the performance, she moves into a tie for fourth on the NCAA qualifying list. McCormick also ran 8.01 two weeks ago at Don Kirby in Albuquerque but the time was adjusted to 8.03 (altitude) for qualifying purposes.
Friday’s outing represented McCormick’s second win of the season, and third and fourth sub-8.10 times of the year; she ran 8.08 in her preliminary heat.
For a third-consecutive meet, Tactay improved his lifetime best in the triple jump and with his winning measure of 15.45m/50-8.25, he moves into the program’s top-10 list. He currently holds the No. 9 spot on that list. Tactay sat in second place after the first three rounds but moved into the top spot with his first of back-to-back jumps of 15.45 meters.
The effort also moved him into the top 50 in the NCAA this season. He’s scheduled to return Saturday for the long jump.
Ellis secured her second win of the indoor season with a day’s best of 13.12m/43-0.5 on a half approach. The first-round mark stood up through the remainder of the competition. On her final attempt, she got out to 13.10 meters. Ellis owns a season’s best of 13.50m/44.3.5 from the Texas Tech Open, a mark that ranks fifth in the NCAA this year.
In the pentathlon, Colleen Uzoekwe tallied personal bests in the shot put (14.33m/47-0.25) and at 800 (2:41.78) on her way to a new high of 3,941 points. The scores moves Uzoekwe to No. 6 on the UO all-time list and helped her to a third-place finish in Friday’s competition. Teammate Taylor Chocek finished second with 3,948 points behind lifetime bests in the 60-meter hurdles (8.47) and 800 (2:26.15).
Quincy Norman and Melissa Berry ran to identical ninth-place finishes in the men’s and women’s 5,000 meters…
CLICK HERE to Read the Full Original Article at University of Oregon Athletics…