T&F: women of Oregon finish fourth nationally

It wouldn’t feel quite right if the University of Oregon wasn’t represented on the podium at the NCAA Track and Field National Championships would it?

Fortunately, that didn’t have to be the case after the Oregon women finished in fourth place over the weekend in Austin, TX.

The Ducks, under first-year coach Jerry Schumacher, compiled a total of 44 points, finishing in the top four for the 15th time, and the first since they won the National Championship in 2017.

Jorinde Van Klinken’s star shone brightly as she corralled her third consecutive national title in the discus, and the first as a UO athlete. All six of her attempts finished beyond 61 meters, with her best topping out at 65.55 in the third round, breaking her own meet record from 2021.

Finishing as the runner-up in the shot put, Van Klinken accounted for 18 total points for the Ducks.

Izzy Thorton-Bott and Klaudia Kazimierska captured another 13 points for Oregon in the 1500 meters. Thorton-Bott finished second with a time of 4:09:21, and Kazimierska rallied to claim fourth place at 4:09:84.

The 4x100 relay team added a couple of points with a seventh place finish, Jaida Ross finished fifth in the shot put, and Alysah Hickey placed fourth in the long jump.

That wraps up the Ducks’ track and field events for the year, but not for Hayward Field, which will host USATF Championships in July.