Rogers, Allen, others flock to Hayward for Twilight meet

By Doug Binder, DyeStat Editor

EUGENE – Raevyn Rogers wasn’t about to let an Olympic silver medalist in the next lane over – or anyone else – deny her a victory lap at the Oregon Twilight Meet on Friday.  

Rogers, the 2017 Bowerman Award winner, tore through 400 meters in a meet record 52.06 a week after taking the baton in a U.S. relay and splitting 50.5 on a world-record setting sprint medley relay (100-100-200-400) at Penn Relays.  In the process, she beat 2016 800 Olympic silver medalist Francine Niyonsaba (53.48), a new member of Oregon Track Club Elite.

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“I feel like it was a professional debut in front of Hayward and the home crowd,” said Rogers, who still lives just a few blocks away from the track as she completes her degree.

“It’s a local meet. It just felt like being at home. It’s different than Pre. This (meet) is a little more personal to me. I really value being here and being able to run. I felt a little bit of pressure (tonight). I had to win because I had to do my victory lap in front of the home crowd, because who knows how Pre’s going to go.”

Rogers was speaking for herself, but the sentiment she expressed was shared by about 20 former Oregon alums who returned to run at Hayward Field – the current stadium – one last time.

Devon Allen, who has been training and building a house in the Phoenix area, returned to Hayward Field for a pair of victories – he won the 110-meter hurdles in 13.42 seconds and then came back an hour later to win the 100-meter dash in 10.29 seconds. That broke a Pat Johnson meet record from 1995.

“It’s the last Twilight meet before everything gets torn down, so it’s really cool,” Allen said.

Rogers and Allen were joined by a parade of recent Oregon stars who are still pursuing 2020 Olympic dreams – Jasmine Todd, Johnathan Cabral, Daniel Winn, Trevor Dunbar, Mike Berry, Marcus Chambers, Kyree King and Annie Leblanc among them.

Berry and Chambers, Seattle-based teammates who linked up for the USA team that won the 4x400 relay at the Penn Relays, both ran to victories Friday on their old track.

Berry won the 400 meters in 46.62 and Chambers won the 200 meters in 20.99 seconds.

Todd won the women’s long jump with 20 feet, 7.75 inches (6.29m).

Former Oregon thrower Ryan Hunter-Simms won the discus with 185-6.

Current Ducks Sam Prakel (1:49.57), James West (1:49.67) and Mick Stanovsek (1:49.98) went 1-2-4 on the way to sub-1:50 clockings in the 800 meters.

Camas WA junior Daniel Maton, running unattached, won the second section of the 800 with 1:52.89.

Oregon freshman Reed Brown won the 1,500 meters in 3:41.75 and teammate Cooper Teare, also a freshman, was fifth in 3:43.91.

In the women’s 1,500, Oregon’s Lilli Burdon ran off with the win in 4:15.16. Sophomore Katie Rainsberger, working her way back from an ankle injury, was fifth in 4:23.03. She’ll need to run a little faster in order to qualify for the NCAA West Regional qualifying meet.

“If I can improve in the next five or six weeks the way I have in the last six weeks, that’s all I can ask,” Rainsberger said.