Track and Field: 2025 Oregon Twilight Recap

One of college track and field’s most electric meets delivered again Friday night, as the Ducks tallied 11 event victories at the Oregon Twilight to close out their regular-season home schedule in style. The evening also served as a tribute to Oregon’s senior class, capped by a celebratory group victory lap at Hayward Field.

With championship season just around the corner, the Ducks now set their sights on a postseason run that begins right at home with the Big Ten Championships (May 16–18). From there, qualified athletes will travel to College Station, Texas, for the NCAA West First Round (May 28–31), with the top 12 in each event advancing to the NCAA Championships (June 11–14), also hosted at Hayward Field.

Friday’s Twilight finale featured standout performances from both veterans and rising stars. Sophomores Simeon Birnbaum and Ella Thorsett delivered statement wins in the 1500 meters, each improving their positions in the NCAA West regional rankings. Birnbaum, in his first solo race of the outdoor season, unleashed a blazing 3:37.02 in the Bill McChesney Jr. 1500, good for eighth in the region and top-20 nationally.

Thorsett continued her remarkable rise, dropping her personal best for the second week in a row. Her 4:16.82 clocking in the 1500 ‘B’ section moved her safely into the top 45 in the region, with only 48 qualifying for the NCAA West First Round. Thorsett has now cut nearly 12 seconds off her PR since the start of the season.

In the sprints, Big Ten and NCAA indoor 800 champion Matthew Erickson used the 400 as postseason prep, ripping a personal-best 47.04 to win. Freshman Mihaly Akpamgbo doubled up with wins in both the 100 and 200, clocking 10.58 and 21.37, respectively — the latter a new personal best. Akpamgbo’s sprint double came with less than 30 minutes rest between races.

Senior Kyle Gibbs claimed the pole vault title, clearing 17-7.25 (5.37m) on his third attempt to stay in the competition before making three solid attempts at what would have been a lifetime best of 18-2.75.

One of the night’s most dramatic finishes came in the newly introduced Wade Bell 800 meters. Redshirt freshman Will Heslam lunged across the line to edge out teammate Cain Evans by nine hundredths of a second, winning in 1:49.77 and posting his second sub-1:50 of the season.

Additional wins for Oregon came from Ethan Bartee in the 400-meter hurdles, Shaun Miller Jr. in the high jump, Kobe Lawrence in the discus, and Hannah Seubert in the steeplechase.

Friday Results

MEN

100 Meters
1. Mihaly Akpamgbo – 10.58

200 Meters
1. Mihaly Akpamgbo – 21.37

400 Meters
1. Matthew Erickson – 47.04

Wade Bell 800 Meters
1. Will Heslam – 1:49.77
7. Ben Greene – 1:51.27

Bill McChesney Jr. 1500 Meters
1. Simeon Birnbaum – 3:37.02

1500 Meters, Inv.
2. Evan Dorenkamp – 3:42.04
3. Sergio Del Barrio – 3:42.84
4. Evan Bishop – 3:43.00
5. Quincy Norman – 3:43.65

400m Hurdles
1. Ethan Bartee – 55.05

High Jump
1. Shaun Miller Jr. – 2.07m/6-9.5
3. Trey Tintinger – 2.02m/6-7.5

Pole Vault
1. Kyle Gibbs – 5.37m/17-7.25
3. Arthur Katahdin – 4.93m/16-2
4. Joey Bonacci – 4.63m/15-2.25

Discus
1. Kobe Lawrence – 55.20m/181-1
2. Aidan Elbettar – 53.49m/175-6

Javelin
2. Zach Young – 62.32m/204-5

WOMEN

1500 Meters ‘B’
1. Ella Thorsett – 4:16.82
5. Allura Markow – 4:25.08

3,000m Steeplechase
1. Hannah Seubert – 11:08.08

Pole Vault
2. Isabella Nilsen – 4.13m/13-6.5
3. Emily Fitzsimmons – 4.03m/13-2.5
5. Isabella Abrahams – 3.73m/12-2.75
—. Noreen Hussain – NH

Long Jump
—. Hannah Ganashamoorthy – NM

Javelin
2. Josephine Krohn – 44.32m/145-5

Up Next

Oregon will host the Big Ten Outdoor Championships at Hayward Field May 16-18.