Malia Pivec, competing in her first meet as a Oregon athlete at Hayward Field, became the 10th fastest female steeplechaser in the program’s history. Photo by Kevin Neri
Oregon’s Malia Pivec ran her second-best time ever and best season opener in the women’s steeplechase Friday night at the Hayward Premiere, winning the event in 10 minutes, 19.06 seconds.
The performance moved her into the top 10 in Oregon history in the event. Pivec said it was a byproduct of racing and executing to a T.
She finished more than 3.5 seconds ahead of Idaho’s Katja Pattis.
Pivec knew in order to get a regional mark she’d have to run 82- and 81-second laps and keep a good rhythm throughout the race. To do that, she found herself needing to lead the race.
“I usually don’t prefer to lead,” she said. “So 20 meters in when I found myself in the lead, it wasn’t the position I wanted to be in.”
Pivec prefers to sit and let others lead. “I am all about conserving energy,” she said. “I think the one who makes the last move and the one who conserves the energy the best is often the one who crosses the finish line first.”
Pivec’s goal is to get herself and teammate Aneta Koniecek, a Polish Olympian, in the top five of the steeplechase at the Pac 12 Championships, which will be held in mid-May at Hayward.
“We have the national runner-up from Colorado in 2017, we have Aneta who is an Olympian, we have two Oregon State girls who both have gone sub-10 (minutes),” she said. “Trying to get two people in the top five at Pac-12 will be a tall task, but we’re hoping we can do that and bring home some points for the Ducks.”
Friday was Pivec’s first time in a Duck uniform at Hayward. “I had about 10 people in my fan club—a decent poll,” Pivec said.
After winning the steeplechase, Pivec paced her teammates in the 5,000 meters, getting a bit of an extra workout after her main event. Her goal is to improve her flat times so her steeplechase times will improve. “I might do a 5K and then race the steeple again at PAC 12,” she said.
