Wednesday, June 7
Austin, TX
University of Oregon
at
NCAA Championships
Williams Advances to NCAA Final in the 100 Meters
06/07/23 | Track and Field
The Portland, Ore., native will run for a national title Friday at 6:52 p.m. (PT) on ESPN2.
AUSTIN, Texas – Micah Williams turned in a qualifying effort on day one of the NCAA Championships and will run for a national title Friday night in the 100 meters. Additionally, UO freshman Rafael Raap posted a pair of season bests in the decathlon.
Williams, back on the track from relay duties in the first event of the evening, posted a season best of 10.03 to secure a lane in Friday's 100-meter final. The UO junior was third in the final heat to grab the first of two on-time qualifiers. Williams will be making his third-career appearance in the NCAA final of the 100 meters.
The Portland, Ore., native lines up for a national title Friday at 6:52 p.m. (PT) on ESPN2. Williams was seventh last season and ran to a bronze finish in 2021.
Raap posted two season bests Wednesday with his efforts in the long jump (7.18m/23-6.75) and high jump (1.92m/6-3.5). Through the first five events of his NCAA debut, he has 3,915 points which is just two points off his day-one score at the Pac-12 Championships. Raap sits in 16th place overall after the first day in Austin.
The decathlon continues Thursday with the 110-meter hurdles at 10:30 a.m. (PT). The final day of the 10-event competition also includes the discus, pole vault, javelin and 1500 meters. The final event will go off at 7:56 p.m. as part of the ESPN2 broadcast window.
In a bittersweet result, the 4x100-meter relay of Williams, Ryan Mulholland, Xavier Nairne and PJ Ize-Iyamu Jr., combined for a season-best time of 38.93 but did not advance to Friday's final. The quartet became the fifth to dip under 39 seconds in program history and moved from eighth to fifth on the all-time UO list.
The team began the day with a previous best of 39.08 from the Desert Heat Classic in late April. Teams needed to run 38.67 or faster in the semifinal round to qualify for the nine-team final.
Running in the first of two heats in the steeplechase, Alex Slenning went from ninth to sixth over the final lap to grab one of the two at-large spots with one race to go. The Pac-12 bronze finishes passed two runners after the final barrier, crossed the finish in 8:44.60 and then sat through heat two to see whether the time would stand up.
Unfortunately for the Portland native, the second heat got out to a faster pace which resulted in both on-time qualifiers to come out of that race. The second at-large crossed in 8:43.18 to push Slenning down to 13th overall, one spot out of qualifying.
In the Ducks' last semifinal, UO sophomore Matthew Erickson recorded a time of 1:49.42 in the third heat of the 800 meters but did not advance. He finished sixth in his heat and 16th overall. Erickson was making his debut at the national meet.
Up next: Day two of the NCAA Championships will mark the beginning of the women's competition and the last five events of the decathlon. The Women of Oregon will have scoring opportunities Thursday in the long jump (Alysah Hickey), shot put (Jorinde van Klinken, Jaida Ross) and hammer (Shelby Moran).
The Ducks' schedule will also include semifinals in the 200, 800, 1500, 400 hurdles and both relays. All semifinals will air on ESPN2 beginning at 5:30 p.m. Field events and the decathlon will be streamed on ESPN+ event-specific links.
Wednesday Results | Semifinals
MEN
100 Meters
8. Micah Williams – 10.03q (SB)
800 Meters
16. Matthew Erickson – 1:49.42
3,000m Steeplechase
13. Alex Slenning – 8:44.60
4x100m Relay
16. Ryan Mulholland/Micah Williams/Xavier Nairne/PJ Ize-Iyamu Jr. – 38.93 (SB) [No. 5 UO]
Decathlon – Day 1
16. Rafael Raap – 3,915 points
18. 100 Meters – 11.11 (-0.2) [836 points]
10. Long Jump – 7.18m/23-6.75 (SB) [857]
9. Shot Put – 14.15m/46-5.25 [738]
14. High Jump – 1.92m/6-3.5 (SB) [731]
22. 400 Meters – 51.37 [753]
For more news and information about Oregon cross country and track and field, follow @OregonTF on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
Williams, back on the track from relay duties in the first event of the evening, posted a season best of 10.03 to secure a lane in Friday's 100-meter final. The UO junior was third in the final heat to grab the first of two on-time qualifiers. Williams will be making his third-career appearance in the NCAA final of the 100 meters.
The Portland, Ore., native lines up for a national title Friday at 6:52 p.m. (PT) on ESPN2. Williams was seventh last season and ran to a bronze finish in 2021.
Raap posted two season bests Wednesday with his efforts in the long jump (7.18m/23-6.75) and high jump (1.92m/6-3.5). Through the first five events of his NCAA debut, he has 3,915 points which is just two points off his day-one score at the Pac-12 Championships. Raap sits in 16th place overall after the first day in Austin.
The decathlon continues Thursday with the 110-meter hurdles at 10:30 a.m. (PT). The final day of the 10-event competition also includes the discus, pole vault, javelin and 1500 meters. The final event will go off at 7:56 p.m. as part of the ESPN2 broadcast window.
In a bittersweet result, the 4x100-meter relay of Williams, Ryan Mulholland, Xavier Nairne and PJ Ize-Iyamu Jr., combined for a season-best time of 38.93 but did not advance to Friday's final. The quartet became the fifth to dip under 39 seconds in program history and moved from eighth to fifth on the all-time UO list.
The team began the day with a previous best of 39.08 from the Desert Heat Classic in late April. Teams needed to run 38.67 or faster in the semifinal round to qualify for the nine-team final.
Running in the first of two heats in the steeplechase, Alex Slenning went from ninth to sixth over the final lap to grab one of the two at-large spots with one race to go. The Pac-12 bronze finishes passed two runners after the final barrier, crossed the finish in 8:44.60 and then sat through heat two to see whether the time would stand up.
Unfortunately for the Portland native, the second heat got out to a faster pace which resulted in both on-time qualifiers to come out of that race. The second at-large crossed in 8:43.18 to push Slenning down to 13th overall, one spot out of qualifying.
In the Ducks' last semifinal, UO sophomore Matthew Erickson recorded a time of 1:49.42 in the third heat of the 800 meters but did not advance. He finished sixth in his heat and 16th overall. Erickson was making his debut at the national meet.
Up next: Day two of the NCAA Championships will mark the beginning of the women's competition and the last five events of the decathlon. The Women of Oregon will have scoring opportunities Thursday in the long jump (Alysah Hickey), shot put (Jorinde van Klinken, Jaida Ross) and hammer (Shelby Moran).
The Ducks' schedule will also include semifinals in the 200, 800, 1500, 400 hurdles and both relays. All semifinals will air on ESPN2 beginning at 5:30 p.m. Field events and the decathlon will be streamed on ESPN+ event-specific links.
Wednesday Results | Semifinals
MEN
100 Meters
8. Micah Williams – 10.03q (SB)
800 Meters
16. Matthew Erickson – 1:49.42
3,000m Steeplechase
13. Alex Slenning – 8:44.60
4x100m Relay
16. Ryan Mulholland/Micah Williams/Xavier Nairne/PJ Ize-Iyamu Jr. – 38.93 (SB) [No. 5 UO]
Decathlon – Day 1
16. Rafael Raap – 3,915 points
18. 100 Meters – 11.11 (-0.2) [836 points]
10. Long Jump – 7.18m/23-6.75 (SB) [857]
9. Shot Put – 14.15m/46-5.25 [738]
14. High Jump – 1.92m/6-3.5 (SB) [731]
22. 400 Meters – 51.37 [753]
For more news and information about Oregon cross country and track and field, follow @OregonTF on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
Players Mentioned
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SPT
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