Hocker And Teare Go 1-2 Against Iowa State's Kiptoo and Kurgat At Oregon Relays

By Doug Binder, DyeStat Editor

EUGENE – Cole Hocker improved to 3-0 in the new Hayward Field stadium and his victory in the 5,000 meters Friday night showed that the venue's "magic" has touched Oregon's new star. 

Hocker outkicked senior teammate Cooper Teare, 2019 NCAA cross country champion Edwin Kurgat of Iowa State and NCAA indoor 5,000-meter champion Wesley Kiptoo of Iowa State to win in 13:19.98. 

That quartet came off the final turn shoulder to shoulder and it was Hocker, the NCAA mile and 3,000-meter champ that had the burst to get away and win by less than half a second. 

Teare outran the two Cyclones to finish second in 13:20.24. Kurgat was next in 13:20.48 and Kiptoo was fourth in 13:21.02. 

WATCH THE LIVE WEBCAST ON RUNNERSPACE with a +PLUS subscription

VIDEOS

Those are the four fastest times in the NCAA so far this season and the race ended less than 10 minutes before a rain shower began to dump on the nearly cleared out stadium. 

Over the final laps, it was Teare, Kiptoo, Hocker and Kurgat running in single file. It stayed that way under the final 250, when Hocker attemped to make an inside pass. Kiptoo countered and held on to second place around the final bend. 

With 90 meters to go, the race was up for grabs.

"At this point, every race I'm in with Cole feels like it will come down to me and him," Teare said. "I can count on Cole pushing me and today was no different."

Teare and Hocker expected to go even faster and secure the Olympic 'A' standard, which is 13:13.50 – faster than Billy McChesney Jr.'s Oregon school record (13:14.80). 

The pace dragged near the mid-point and Teare went to the front at two miles, sooner than he would have liked.

"It was a little slow through 3K," Teare said. "I didn't want to go out in front when I did, but sometimes you've got to step up to the plate and take some of the work."

The women's 5,000 meters came down to an exciting duel between Oregon's Carmela Cardama Baez and Boise State's Clare O'Brien. 

Baez finished in an outdoor personal-best 15:36.41 and O'Brien, who is fourth on the NCAA 10,000-meter list, was right behind in 15:37.87. Baez ran 3:03.7 for her final 1,000 meters. 

David Too of Iowa State ran the third-fastest 3,000-meter steeplechase in the country, clocking 8:40.31 for the win and outkicking Adam Visokay from the Reebok Boston Track Club.

Val Constien of Tracksmith won the women's steeplechase in 9:42.32 and Colorado's Madison Boreman was second in 9:48.09. For Boreman, making her return to the event for the first time since her runner-up finish at the NCAA Championships in 2017, it was the No. 4 performance in the NCAA this season.   

Five women finished within a second in the women's 1,500. Addy Townsend of NCAA Division 2 program Simon Fraser pulled it out with 4:15.78, followed by Colorado duo Rachel McArthur (4:16.18) and Micaela DeGenero (4:16.50). Aneta Konieczek of Oregon (4:16.59) was fourth and Stanford's Christina Aragon (4:16.75) was fifth.

Eduardo Hererra of Colorado won the 1,500 meters in 3:43.32 in his first race at the distance since 2019.

In field events earlier in the afternoon, Oregon freshman Jaida Ross launched a career-best 52-2 (15.90m) in the shot put to move to No. 5 on the school's all-time list. 

Oregon's Kiana Phelps achieved a season-best mark of 178-11 (54.53m) to win the discus and she was also second in the shot put.

Zach Holland, who attends Umpqua Community College but competed unattached, won the men's javelin with a personal best throw of 231-6 (70.57m). He won by 20 feet.

Oregon State's Lindsay McShane picked up her second win in the hammer at Hayward Field, throwing 201-1 (61.31m.).

Virginia Miller of Stanford won the women's javelin with 171-9 (52.36m), a personal best. 

Olympic champion Tianna Bartoletta competed alongside collegiate athletes in the long jump, taking measure of the new stadium and working on her approach. She took just three attemps and produced a winning, if modest, mark of 20-4.25 (6.20m).