Ducks Sweep Weekly Pac-12 Honors

EUGENE, Ore. – The Oregon track and field team swept Pac-12 Athlete of the Week awards announced Tuesday by the league office. Middle distance standouts Matthew Erickson and Izzy Thornton-Bott won track honors while Mason Strunk and Shelby Moran—both in the hammer—were the top field athletes of the weekend.
 
The Ducks’ postseason begins with the Pac-12 Championships (May 12-14) at Hilmer Lodge Stadium in Walnut, Calif.
 
Erickson closed out the 2023 regular season with a victory over 800 meters at the Oregon Twilight. For the second time this season, he dipped below 1:50 with his time of 1:49.72 at Hayward Field; Erickson won by more than a second. He heads into the postseason with a best of 1:49.06, which currently sits fourth in the conference.
 
Thornton-Bott became the No. 13 performer in collegiate history with her time of 4:08.33 in section one of the 1500 meters at the On Track Fest in Los Angeles. The effort doubled as a lifetime best, taking just over three tenths off her time of 4:08.64 from the Australian Championships in late March. Additionally, she ranks fifth in the Pac-12 in the 800 meters (2:04.36).
 
Strunk registered a lifetime-best performance with a measure of 66.43m/217-11 in a runner-up finish at the Oregon Twilight. In addition to the personal best, the Salem, Ore., native moved to 10^th place on the UO all-time list. It was the first new addition to the program’s top 10 since 2016. With his showing at the regular-season finale, Strunk currently ranks eighth in the conference.
 
Tuesday marks the second-career Athlete of the Week selection for Strunk.
 
Moran registered a season-best toss of 66.60m/218-6 to win the hammer throw at the Oregon Twilight. She put together a series that featured four marks beyond her previous season best, and won the event by nearly 45 feet. The Sherwood, Ore., native continues to rank second in the Pac-12 and 13^th nationally in the hammer.
 
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