We asked Lindsay Rossmiller to give me a view of the Oregon Twilight meet that I would not get reading the papers, and she did just that. Capturing some of the flavor of the meet, and some of the history of the meet. Enjoy her column.
Trenier Moser, photo by PhotoRun.net
The Oregon Twilight Meet felt both like a senior day and homecoming for the Ducks. As the seniors celebrated their last home meet, many alumni returned to Hayward Field on a sunny Friday afternoon in May.
Phyllis Francis and Arthur Delaney (Ultimate Speed Athletics) swept the sprints, Ashton Eaton (OTC Elite) made an appearance in the high jump and joined Mike Berry in the 400 meters, and a host of alumni found themselves racing current and future Ducks in the women’s 1500 to conclude the night.
Originally conceived in 1966 as a benefit for injured long jumper, Bob Woodell, the Twilight Meet has continued ever since and serves as Oregon’s final home meet, although its status is questionable with the renovations to Hayward Field next year.
In one of the biggest surprises of the night, Oregon’s Edward Cheserek looked like he was easing to a win in the men’s 3000 when NAIA Lewis-Clark State’s Sam Atkins kicked him down in the final 20 meters to win in 7 minutes, 56.70 seconds. Cheserek finished in 7:57.26 and Team Run Eugene’s Eric Avila was third (8:05.24).
Fresh off the Penn Relays, Phyllis Francis won both the 100 and 200 as she came down from her standard distance. In the 200, Francis took down Judi Brown’s 1984 meet record to win in 22.77. She ran 11.34 to chase down fellow Oregon alum, Mandy White (11.37), in the final 20 meters of the 100.
Indoor 60-meter hurdles world champion Nia Ali set a new meet record with 12.78 in the 100 hurdles coming off a fourth-place finish at the Drake Relays last weekend.
In the men’s 100 and 200, Portland-based training partners Arthur Delaney and Joe Morris went 1-2 in both as they continued searching for the Olympic standard.
“We know we’re there, it’s just a matter of wind gauge,” said Delaney referencing the 3.1 wind during the 200.
In the 400, former Ducks Mike Berry and Ashton Eaton (OTC Elite), both dipped under the meet record. Berry, still the Oregon school record holder, won in 45.56. Eaton ran a 45.78 for second-place and his first 400 of the outdoor season.
In the high jump, Eaton struggled with missed attempts and went out on 1.96 meters, but admitted that it is the one event he has yet to figure out again for this season as he prepares to defend his Olympic gold medal.
Cas Loxsom (Brooks Beasts) opened his outdoor season in the men’s 800 meters with a strong effort, but found himself losing ground as Edward Kemboi surged past on the home straight. Kemboi, the current NCAA champion and who signed with High Performance West this past week, won in 1:48.13. Loxsom was second in 1:48.16.
“I’ve kind of have had a couple setbacks so it’s fun to be out racing again,” said Loxsom. “I just wanted to be competitive in that last 200. Kemboi snuck up on me a little bit. I kind of eased off and then saw he was right there so I tried to pick it back up and hit the lane, but I missed it by a hundredth or two. It’s still fun though.”
The Nike Oregon Project’s Treniere Moser won both the 800 and 1500 as she, Jordan Hasay and Mary Cain made the trip south to get in some speed work. Moser won the 800 in 2:05.36. Cain was third with 2:08.50.
In the 1500, Moser held off Colorado high school senior and Oregon signee Katie Rainsberger as they challenged down the stretch to win in 4:13.59. Rainsberger ran 4:14.20. Hasay was third in 4:16.67 and the Oregon alum was pleased to return to Hayward Field for the first time in two years because of injury.
“It’s been hard just getting my confidence back and I’m finally healthy, but it’s kind of about getting that excitement back and the feeling and so in that last 100 I had that feeling,” said Hasay, who ran her Olympic 10,000 qualifier last weekend at Payton Jordan.
Rainsberger, who had a poster of Hasay on her wall growing up, still has the Colorado state meet left to run before graduating and joining the Ducks.
Rainsberger said, “It kind of sets in a little bit more each time I come here and I get received with such open arms.”
