STANFORD, Calif. – Maddy Elmore broke the Oregon school record for 5,000 meters Friday evening with a winning time of 15:15.79 at the Stanford Invitational. In a second top-10 program performance, Anika Thompson added her name to the Ducks’ all-time list in the 10,000 meters.
With her performance, Elmore broke the 39-year-old school record of 15:23.03 set by UO Hall of Famer Kathy Hayes in 1985, and became the No. 9 performer in collegiate history. Elmore came into the meet with an outdoor best of 16:11.77 from last year’s Bryan Clay meet. She also takes over the early season NCAA lead from Virginia’s Margot Appleton who ran 15:18.21 earlier Friday at the Raleigh Relays.
Friday marked Elmore’s third school record of the season. In December, the Eugene, Ore., native took down the UO indoor mark at 3,000 meters—now 8:50.43—and then anchored the DMR to a 10:47.50 during the Razorback Invitational in late January.
Thompson, running in the invitational section of the 10K, crossed the finish line in 32:54.97, becoming the sixth UO woman to dip below 33 minutes in the event. The Junction City, Ore., native moves into fifth on the Oregon top-10 list while replacing her previous best of 33:51.70 from last year’s Preview in Eugene. Thompson finished 12th overall in the top section Friday evening.
Junior Luke Affolder was the Ducks’ top performer at 1500 meters. He led the UO men with a personal best of 3:45.16, good for third in section four which was run Friday afternoon. Affolder knocked more than a second off his prior best of 3:46.31 from the 2023 Oregon Twilight. Benjamin Balazs and James Harding clocked times of 3:48.41 and 3:48:81, respectively in section three.
Taylor Chocek and Colleen Uzoekwe were the fifth- and eighth-fastest performers, respectively, in the preliminary rounds of the 100-meter hurdles. Chocek posted a time of 13.87 while Uzoekwe crossed in 14.03, good for a season best. The final will be run Saturday at 3:02 p.m.
In the collegiate section of the shot put, fellow UO multis standout Annika Williams was ninth overall with a day’s best of 13.41m/44-0, also good for an outdoor personal best. She qualified out of the first of two flights, and surpassed her previous outdoor best of 41-10 from the 2022 season at Kentucky.
Freshman Osawese Agbonkonkon posted an outdoor season best with a clearance of 2.03m/6-8 in the high jump. He tied with teammate Jack Normand for second place in Friday’s competition.
Up Next: In addition to Chocek and Uzoekwe qualifying for Saturday’s final, the Ducks will have entries in the men’s 800 meters on day two of the Stanford Invitational. Elliott Cook and Matthew Erickson are slated for competition in the top section with James Harding and Rheinhardt Harrison scheduled to run in second three. The 800 is set to begin Saturday at 1:59 p.m.
Full Team Results
Stanford Invitational (Stanford, Calif.)
MEN
400 Meters
44. Arthur Katahdin – 51.55
1500 Meters – section 3
4. Benjamin Balazs – 3:48.41
5. James Harding – 3:48.81
1500 Meters – section 4
3. Luke Affolder – 3:45.16 (PB)
1500 Meters – section 5
3. Giuliano Scasso – 3:52.26
5,000 Meters – section 3
4. Izaiah Steury – 13:53.13
–. Kutoven Stevens – DNF
10,000 Meters
34. Devin Hart – 29:09.53
110m Hurdles – prelims
23. Arthur Katahdin – 15.63 (-0.5)
High Jump
T2. Jack Normand – 2.03m/6-8
T2. Osawese Agbonkonkon – 2.03m/6-8 (SB)
WOMEN
5,000 Meters – section 1
1. Maddy Elmore – 15:15.79 (PB) [No. 1 UO]
10,000 Meters – section 1
12. Anika Thompson – 32:54.97 (PB) [No. 5 UO]
100m Hurdles – prelims
5. Taylor Chocek – 13.87q
8. Colleen Uzoekwe – 14.03q
14. Gianna Bullock – 14.28
–. Cheyla Scott – NH
Long Jump
13. Colleen Uzoekwe – 5.51m/18-1
20. Taylor Chocek – 5.31m/17-5.25
23. Gianna Bullock – 5.27m/17-3.5
Shot Put
9. Annika Williams – 13.41m/44-0 (PB)
