By: Maggie Vanoni
The sunny Sunday afternoon at Hayward could not have gone better for the University of Oregon men’s track and field team as it won its 11th straight Pac-12 Championship.
The Ducks earned 106 points Sunday for a total of 175 during the two days of the meet. Second place went to USC, which scored 115.5. It was their second largest margin of victory during their run of championships.
“Just an average day at the office,” joked UO head track and field coach Robert Johnson. “I was super surprised at the margins. My form chart originally had us [the men’s team] losing by 12. Under no circumstances did I expect this gap.”
Sunday’s performances began with the remaining field events, where athletes saved the best for last to clinch their titles.
UO senior Ryan Hunter-Simms earned the first 10 points for the team when he won the discus with a final throw of 192 feet, 7 inches, his first Pac-12 title in the event after competing in 2014 and 2015.
“I tried to put it all out there on the last one since it’s my last Pac-12,” said Hunter-Simms. “I didn’t want to leave anything out there. My coach told me that on the last throw, whoever had the best right hook would take it all. And today I had the best right hook.”
USC junior Eric Sloan also pulled out in front in the final round in the men’s triple jump to win the title with 52 feet 6 inches after his teammate Dominic Smallwood finished with a then-leading jump of 51-8½.
The track events began with a UO win in the men’s 4×100 meter relay in 39.17 seconds, marking the first of senior’s Kyree King’s three titles.
King also won the 100 and 200 meters with personal bests in both races, a double that UO hasn’t won since 1959. King finished the 100 in 10.09, and the 200 in 20.27.
“My main goal was to help my teammates,” said King. “And with the double I did that, but it was also good with my teammates behind me in both runs. I wanted to propel the men’s sprints team, and I’m glad that I could be able to do that.”
Oregon’s sweep of first and second place in both sprint earned the team 36 points.
After Saturday’s 10th place finish with 13 points, Colorado had better luck with the distance races Sunday, winning titles in both the 800 and the 5,000.
Colorado senior Nick Harris out kicked his competition in the 800, and to his surprise finished in first place with a time of 1:48.77, winning his first Pac-12 title for his home state.
“It went out really fast and I tried to lay off the pace because I knew then it was going to be quick,” said Harris. “When I was in the position at the 150, I just laid it all out there and ran for the line with my life.”
Two events later, Colorado swept first through third in the men’s 5,000-meter race, earning 24 points of their total 73.
Oregon freshman Tanner Anderson ran his second race of the weekend, finishing fourth in the men’s 5,000 meters, saying that it was a “game-time call” as to whether he would race Sunday.
“Even though I wasn’t needed,” said Anderson, “I was happy to contribute more points to the team.”
