First Meet At New Hayward Field Will Be 2020 Pac-12 Outdoor Championships

By Adam Kopet

Oregon announced Tuesday that it will open the new Hayward Field next spring for the Pac-12 Outdoor Championships May 15-16. It will be the first meet held at Hayward Field since the 2018 NCAA Division 1 Championships.

The stadium construction began last summer with the track, grandstands and the Bowerman Building being torn out. In the year since construction began, there have been some delays. There had been hope the stadium would be meet ready by April next year, but the opening has been pushed back to May. As part of Oregon hosting the Pac-12 meet, Oregon State will host the multi-events May 8-9.

Current construction progress can be seen in a recent aerial video shot June 2. The lower bowl has been laid out and it appears preparations are being made to begin building higher. Scaffolding around the tower on the northeast corner of the stadium appears to reach several stories above the lower bowl height.

Oregon last hosted the Pac-12 Outdoor Championships in 2017.

Other meets that are expected to take place at Hayward Field next year are the Prefontaine Classic and the U.S. Olympic Team Trials. It is not yet known whether the Oregon high school championships will return to Hayward Field next year. That meet was split up between Western Oregon and Mt. Hood Community College this year. The Prefontaine Classic has been moved this year to Stanford.