Wildcats Win First Two Events at Pac-12 Championships

WALNUT, Calif. – Arizona Track and Field started out strong at the 2023 Pac-12 Championships on Friday, with Jordan Geist and Jared O’Riley winning the first two events of the competition and earning 10 points each for the men’s team. Geist won the conference championship in the hammer throw and O’Riley won it in the javelin. Additionally, Iker Sanchez Lopez (1500m), Trayvion White-Austin (200m), and Logan Hasher (400m hurdles) all advanced to their event finals on Sunday.
 
TOP-THREE FINISHES
Jordan Geist – Pac-12 Champion, Hammer Throw
Jared O’Riley – Pac-12 Champion, Javelin
 
FIELD HIGHLIGHTS
Jordan Geist kicked off the weekend for the Wildcats with a win in the first event of the 2023 Pac-12 Championships: the men’s hammer throw. Geist’s winning heave on the day was 73.82m (242-2), which came on his last throw of the competition. That winning mark is the best in conference championship history since 1996. Additionally, Geist’s first throw of the day put him in the lead of the competition, where he remained for its entirety, with his final throw being the cherry on top of a dominant performance.
 
Geist has now won Pac-12 Championships in the hammer throw, shot put (three times), and discus during his collegiate career. He’s only the second man and fourth person overall in Pac-12 history to complete this feat. He will look to add to his now five Pac-12 titles with the shot put on Saturday and the discus on Sunday.
 
Jared O’Riley kept the Wildcats early success going, as he posted a big personal best throw to win the men’s javelin. O’Riley entered the meet as the second seed in the event, but his PR heave of 71.79m (235-6), which surpassed his old mark by over 1 meter, helped him earn the Pac-12 crown in the event. He’s the first Wildcat to win the javelin at the conference championships since 2000. That mark also moves him up to fourth all-time in Arizona school history in the event. Additionally, that puts O’Riley 22nd in the nation as well.
 
TRACK HIGHLIGHTS
In the first running event of the championship weekend, the men’s 1500m prelim, Iker Sanchez Lopez clocked a time 3:47.91 to advance to the final on Sunday. Lopez finished fourth in his heat to qualify. In the women’s 1500m prelim, Sailor Hutton clocked a time of 4:28.28 as the lone Wildcat competitor.
 
Trayvion White-Austin clocked…