Oregon women looking for a podium finish at 2024 NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championship

Between its depth and some top-end talent, Oregon will have the opportunity for its first podium finish in five years at the women’s NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championship meet this weekend.

The Ducks have 10 entries in nine events for the three-day meet at The TRACK at New Balance in Boston, tied with BYU for third-most scoring opportunities. Arkansas has 17 and Texas has 11.

The championship begins Thursday with the men’s and women’s weight throw competition. The women’s meet picks up Friday at 6:50 a.m. with the start of the pentathlon. The first event on the track is the mile semifinal at 4 p.m.

Field events begin Saturday at 10 a.m. with high jump, then resume on the track at 4 p.m. with mile final.

The meet will air live on ESPN+.

“We’re a very deep team and we cover a lot of different events,” Oregon coach Jerry Schumacher said. “I think it's gonna make us very formidable, so I'm excited to see what the women can do.”

Ducks have several NCAA Indoor Track & Field meet veterans

Among Oregon’s entries is sprinter Jadyn Mays, who is making her third straight appearance at the NCAA Indoor Championships and second straight as a qualifier in both the 60 and 200 meters. She was fifth in both events last season.

Mays has run 7.11 seconds in the 60 this season and 22.65 in the 200 — times that rank third and seventh in the nation, respectively.

“Just having that experience,” Mays said, “my confidence level has grown from each meet that I've competed in this year.”

Mays isn’t Oregon’s only NCAA Indoor Championships veteran.

Jaida Ross, who is ranked second in the shot put this season with a PR throw of 61 feet, 9¾ inches, placed eighth at the championship meet last season.

Sophomore Aaliyah McCormick was the 2023 sixth-place finisher in the 60 hurdles. Her season-best of 8.05 is tied for 10th-fastest nationally.

Pentathlete Annika Williams, a transfer from Kentucky, scored 4,149 points — third all-time at Oregon — at the Ken Shannon Last Chance meet on Feb. 23 to secure her third NCAA Indoor Championship meet appearance. Williams placed sixth in 2021 and competed but didn’t finish the meet in 2023.

Also entered for the Ducks are Silan Ayyildiz and Klaudia Kazimierska in the mile, and Maddy Elmore in the 3,000.

It’s the second NCAA Indoor meet for Kazimierska, who broke the school record in the mile with a time of 4:30.33 on Feb. 9 at the Eagle Elite Invitational in Boston. She was sixth in the mile in 2023.

Ayyildiz, a transfer from South Carolina who was 14th at the NCAA Indoor meet in the mile last season, is the Ducks’ No. 2 performer all-time with her PR of 4:30.38.

Kazimierska and Ayyildiz have the 11th and 12th fastest times in the nation this season, respectively.

Elmore is entered in her first NCAA Indoor Championship meet. She broke the Oregon school record in the 3,000 this season with a time of 8:50.43 at the BU Season Opener on Dec. 2, a time that is also seventh fastest nationally this season.

Elmore also anchored the Ducks’ qualifying distance medley relay to a school-record 10:47.50 at the Razorback Invitational on Jan. 2. That team also included Kazimierska, Ella Clayton and Ella Nelson.

The 4x400 team is entered as well thanks to a qualifying effort of 3:30.25 by Shana Grebo, Clayton, Katriina Wright and Shaniya Hall.

The Ducks hope that’s enough to get them a trophy for the first time since a third-place finish in 2019.

“It's really exciting to be able to see that we have girls all across the board,” Mays said. “Everybody’s doing really good. I'm really excited for everybody. I think we have a really good shot to make the podium team this year.”

Familiar face missing from lineup

Long jumper Alysah Hickey has been noticeably absent from Oregon's list of competitors this indoor season.

The school record-holder and two-time NCAA Indoor finalist has been out with an ankle injury this winter and will miss the NCAA Indoor meet for the first time since 2021.

“That’s a real bummer because she could be the difference maker on this indoor team for the women being a podium team or not," Schumacher said. "We still have a good shot at it but she would’ve made it a lot easier.”

Hickey was sixth at the national meet last season and fourth in 2022.

Oregon entries for Women's NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championship

• Silan Ayyildiz — Mile; Maddy Elmore — 3,000; Klaudua Kazimierska — Mile; Jaydn Mays — 60, 200; Aaliyah McCormick — 60 hurdles; Jaida Ross — Shot put; Annika Williams — Pentathlon; 4x400 relay; Distance medley relay.

Follow Chris Hansen on Twitter @chansen_RG or email at chansen@registerguard.com.

This article originally appeared on Register-Guard: Oregon Ducks women head to Indoor Track & Field Championship