Three Oregon women qualify for 1,500-meter final

A previous version of this story incorrectly described what happened after Diana Cherotich left the track during the 10,000 meters. Lookout Eugene-Springfield regrets the error.

Pardon the Oregon women if they plan to hog a quarter of the track in Saturday’s 1500-meter final, but the 12-woman final, as usual, will be run in the Ducks’ house.”

“I’m so happy we all got the finals,” said Oregon junior Silan Ayyildiz, who took third in a time of 4:11.65 in the first heat of the 1500 semifinals Thursday at Hayward Field during the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships. “I think (the) final is going to be so fun for us, so I’m really excited.

“I think we’re all in really good shape, so I think we’ll all do great in the final,” said Ayyildiz, the collegiate record-holder (4:23.46) in the mile who hails from Turkey.

Ayyildiz found herself stuck in the middle of the pack in her heat but was able to make a move to the outside on the final lap.

“It was so scary,” she said. “I thought, oh my gosh, if someone pushed me, if I just lost my balance … “ But she was so focused, she found the strength to stay cool and get the job done, outkicking several other runners to easily qualify.

“Mentally, I was just really read for his race. I was really confident today in myself.”

The top five runners in each heat, plus the next two fastest times, advanced to Saturday’s final.

Oregon seniors Mia Barnett (4:09.61) and Klaudia Kazimierska (4:09.64) finished second and third, respectively, in the second heat.

Shannon Flockhart, the Brit from Providence who had the fastest time (4:04.97) coming into the semifinals, finished 11^th in the second heat and 20^th overall in 4:14.77 and failed to advance to the final.

Joining the Ducks’ 1500 trio in Saturday’s finals will be 100-meter hurdler Aaliyah McCormick, who took first in her semifinal heat Thursday in 12.76, just off her personal best of 12.74.

McCormick had the second-best time on the day, behind UCLA’s Yanla Ndjip-Nyemeck, who won her heat in 12.71.

“It feels so good to know that my teammates are out there and they all qualified, so it makes me now reassure myself,” said McCormick, who finished second this past winter at the NCAA Indoor Track and Field National Championships but is competing in her first outdoor NCAA.

“OK, if they can do it, I can do it, and Ducks travel in a pack so if one Duck goes, I’m going with them,” McCormick said.

The Ducks picked up their first points in the women’s competition Thursday with Emily Fitzsimmons’ sixth-place finish in the pole vault.

“It’s been awesome,” Fitzsimmons said. “I’m really proud of the time and work I put in with my coach, so seeing that all play out, and to show it off a little bit, especially at home, is so awesome.”

Oregon’s 10,000-meter record-holder, Diana Cherotich, the freshman from Kenya, hoped to score big points in that final but faded from her third-place spot more than halfway through the race and was the only one of 23 runners not to finish.

Cherotich was right behind the race’s two leaders, Grace Hartman of North Carolina State and Pamela Kosgei of New Mexico, when she stopped and walked off the track, appearing to limp. She did not reenter the race.

Kosgei ended up surging to the lead and held on to win in an NCAA meet record time of 31:17.82.

Oregon’s 4×100-meter relay team of Shaniya Hall, Lily Jones, Brazil Neal and Amirah Shaheed placed eighth in their heat Thursday and thus did not advance to Saturday’s final.

Asked what the team goal is come Saturday’s finals, after winning the NCAA indoor title this past winter, McCormick said: “The goal on Saturday is to do it again. I think that can honestly be an option, I think that can be a choice.

“But at the end of the day, we’re all just focusing on our own events, and if we do what we did at (the) indoor (championships)  even better, then we can definitely do it.”

McCormick’s comments came before Cherotich didn’t finish the 10,000.

Georgia, which scored 26 points on Thursday to take the team lead, would appear in ideal position to claim its first-ever women’s outdoor title, based on the number of athletes who advanced to Saturday’s finals, including Aaliyah Butler and Dejanea Oakley finishing with the top two times in the 400 semis; the Bulldogs’ 4×400 relay team having the second best time among the semifinal heats; and Michelle Smith having the third-best time in the 400-meter hurdle heats.

Southern California and South Carolina are also in great shape, with Washington and Oregon on the outside looking in and needing some first-place finishes and a lot of help on Saturday.

There were several other outstanding performances among Thursday’s semifinal events, including South Carolina’s JaMeesia Ford, who not only ran personal best times in both the 100-meter (10.87) and 200-meter dashes (21.98) but also ran the best NCAA times of the year.

Only four other women have ever run under 22 seconds in the 200 in NCAA history.

LSU’s Michaela Rose set an NCAA meet record in the 800 with a time of 1.58.95, and Washington’s Hana Moll set a personal best, NCAA meet record and the collegiate record with her final leap of 15 feet, 8 ½ inches in the pole vault.

Other champions crowned Thursday include:

• Peyton Bair, Mississippi State, men’s decathlon (8,323 points) 
• Stephanie Ratcliffe, Georgia, hammer throw (234 feet, 2 inches)
• Valentina Barrios Bornacelli, Missouri, javelin (203 feet, 5 inches)
• Mya Lesnar, Colorado State, shot put, (62 feet, 4.5 inches)
• Synclair Savage, Louisville, long jump (22 feet, .75 inches)

Women’s team scores:

• Georgia, 26
• Illinois, 16.5
• Washington, 16
• Louisville, 15
• Colorado State, 10
• Missouri, 10
• New Mexico, 10
• Stanford, 8
• Texas, 8
• Texas Tech, 8
• Rutgers, 8
• N.C. State, 8

The third day of competition starts at 11:45 a.m., Friday, with the 100-meter hurdles of the women’s two-day heptathlon. Oregon’s Annika Williams is competing.

The National Collegiate Wheelchair 100 starts at 4:50 p.m., followed by the 4×100 relay final at 5:02.

All the men’s final events take place Friday, and the Ducks will have five athletes competing for points.

• Aidan Elbettar, discus, 2:15 p.m.
• Safin Wills, triple jump, 5:10 p.m.
• Simeon Birnbaum, 1,500 meters, 5:12 p.m.
• Benjamin Balazs, 3,000-meter steeplechase, 5:24 p.m.
• Koitatoi Kidali and Matthew Erickson, 800 meters, 6:14 p.m.