Oregon redshirt junior Malia Pivec runs 10:19.06 at the 2022 Hayward Premiere, earning the number ten spot on the UO women’s all-time steeplechase list. Photo by Logan Hannigan-Downs

By Joe Zochert

The first day of the second edition of the Hayward Premiere started with fans walking the first lap around the track at Hayward Field at the University of Oregon. It was a great way for the Track Town, U.S.A. community to start the best season of track and field that the state of Oregon has ever seen.

It was full of great field events and fantastic talent in the distance races. Here were some of the highlights from day one.

Narrow Win for Donnelly

The first winner of the day was Adidas’ Sean Donnelly in the men’s hammer throw. He won the event and set the meet record with a throw of 73.83m (242’5”). He managed to get the winning throw on his fifth attempt as he fouled on four of his six throws. He beat the 2nd place finisher, Justin Stafford by a little over a meter. Stafford threw 72.47m (237'9'').

Pivec’s Perfect Hayward Debut

Oregon’s Malia Pivec won the women’s 3,000m steeplechase with a time of 10:19.06. The redshirt junior in her first race at Hayward Field became Oregon’s 10th best performer all-time in the event.

Smith Beats Tactay for Meet Record

Long Beach St. senior Jason Smith beat Oregon junior Jonah Tactay in the men’s long jump with a distance of 7.69m (25’2.75”). Smith’s second jump distance broke the meet record. Tactay got second with 7.21m (23’8”) on his fourth attempt, but couldn’t close the distance on his final two jumps.

Wichita St.’s Moore Gets a PR

Senior Adam Moore got a personal best 3:44.93 in the men’s 1500m. Moore put distance between himself and the rest of the pack. Oregon’s Luis Peralta tried to close the gap in the final 200m, but it wasn’t enough as the sophomore finished 2nd in 3:46.97.

Oregon’s Ruotolo Wins on Final Jump

Sophomore Dominique Ruotolo won the women’s long jump on her sixth and final attempt with a distance of 5.85m (19’2.5”). It was enough to barely beat her teammate, Colleen Uzoekwe, who jumped 5.84m (19'2'') on her first attempt.

Randall impresses in Women’s 1500m; Sets Meet Record

Jennifer Randall of the newly formed Cascadia Elite set a meet record in the women's 1500m with a time of 4:14.23. Randall, a physical therapist in Eugene, Ore. pulled away from Oregon’s Izzy Thorton-Bott on the bell lap. She looks to add to this momentum as she competes again in the women’s 800m on day two, which is scheduled for 2:45 p.m.

Cascadia Elite’s Jenn Randall runs away with the Hayward Premiere 1500m record, clocking 4:14.23 Friday night. Photo by Logan Hannigan-Downs

Gonzaga’s Mwaura leads Men’s 10k Sweep

In a blowout win, James Mwaura won the men’s 10,000m with a time of 28:29.01. He led his fellow Bulldogs to a podium sweep as Kyle Radosevich and Riley Moore finished 2nd and 3rd, respectively. Radosevich finished with a time of 29:27.06 and Moore was clocked at 29:36.75.

Utah Valley Took Over the Women’s 5k

After Gonzaga swept the men’s 10,000m, the Utah Valley women one upped them by finishing first through fourth in the women’s 5,000m. This dominant squad had an impressive performance as Junior Everlyn Kemboi led the charge with 16:04.18. Her teammates; Caila Odekirk (16:05.52), Hannah Branch (16:06.94) and Mazzie Melaney (16:09.15) took up the next three spots behind her. It was the most exciting finish of the day one track events.

Oregon’s Alessia Zarbo trailed Utah Valley’s Kemboi in the final lap, but was overtaken by the trio of Odekirk, Branch and Melaney on the final backstretch. Zarbo finished fifth in the race with a time of 16:16.50.

Holland Survives

After a rain delay, Zach Holland from Umpqua Community College won the men’s Javelin with a throw of 69.67m (228’7”). Holland won on his first throw of the night as Wichita St.’s Taran Taylor and Oregon’s Eric Lyon each threw their best on the final attempt. Taylor almost caught Holland with 69.03m (226’5”) and Lyon threw 67.14m (220’3”) which leapfrogged him from sixth to third place.

Quick Preview for Day 2

Saturday will be the second and final day of the Hayward Premiere. Field events start at 11:00 a.m. and the track events will begin at 12:30 p.m.

The field events are highlighted by the women’s discus throw, featuring Oregon freshman Mine De Klerk, and the men’s shot put. The track event that you don’t want to miss is the women’s 800m Invite as it will be a rematch between Randall and Thorton-Bott from the 1500m Invite.

With an action-packed schedule, day two of the Hayward Premiere should be another great day in Track Town, U.S.A.