Carter Wins #B1GTF Heptathlon

Friday, February 27

Indianapolis, IN

All Day

University of Oregon

Big Ten Indoor Championships

Photo by: GoDucks.com

02/27/26 | Track and Field

B1G Indoor Results | Day Two

The Ducks have 27 scoring chances—16 men, 11 women—on the final day of the meet.

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – Redshirt sophomore Aiden Carter won the heptathlon Friday at the 2026 Big Ten Indoor Championships at Fall Creek Pavilion in Indianapolis, Ind. With just five of 18 events scored, the Men of Oregon lead the team race with 48 points. On the women's side, the Ducks are second with 42 points scored through seven of 18 events.

Remaining Scoring Chances
MEN (16)
60 Meters (1*) – PJ Ize-Iyamu
600 Meters (1) – Matthew Erickson
800 Meters (1*) – Matthew Erickson
Mile (2*) – Elliott Cook, Tomas Palfrey
3,000 Meters (5) – Benjamin Balazs, Simeon Birnbaum, Connor Burns, Elliott Cook, Tomas Palfrey
60m Hurdles (1*) – Kai Graves-Blanks
4x400m Relay (1)
Pole Vault (1) – Tyler Burns
Triple Jump (1) – Tre Betts
Shot Put (2) – Kobe Lawrence, Ben Smith

WOMEN (11)
60 Meters (1*) – Brazil Neal
Mile (3*) – Wilma Nielsen, Silan Ayyildiz, Juliet Cherubet
3,000 Meters (4) – Silan Ayyildiz, Diana Cherotich, Juliet Cherubet, Katie Clute
60m Hurdles (1*) – Aaliyah McCormick
Triple Jump (2) – Cassandra Atkins, Maleigha Canaday-Elliott
* qualified Friday

Carter took his lead from day one and never relinquished the top spot in the heptathlon. He started the day with a time of 7.99 in the 60-meter hurdles followed by a personal-best clearance of 4.80m/15-9 in the pole vault. At day's end, Carter had a new lifetime best of 5,815 points which strengthens his NCAA chances as a top-16 qualifier.

The Ducks' first points of day two came from Liisa-Maria Lusti and Loren Webster in the long jump. Lusti was the Big Ten Indoor runner-up with a day's best of 6.40m/21-0. Coupled with her fourth-place outing in Thursday's pentathlon, she accounted for 13 points this weekend. Webster recorded a lifetime best of 6.29m/20-7.75 to move into the final on her third attempt, and now sits seventh on the UO indoor list.

The long jump was also productive for the Men of Oregon with a 4-5 finish for Peyton Bair and Titouan Bizet, good for a combined nine points. Bair, the No. 1-ranked heptathlete in the nation, posted a day's best of 7.56m/24-9.75 on his sixth attempt which put him just ahead of Bizet (7.54m/24-9) in the field.

Collectively, all five Ducks—three women, two men—won their respective heats to advance to the final. Elliott Cook (4:00.67) and Wilma Nielsen (4:33.08) were the fastest overall qualifiers Friday. Nielsen won the Big Ten Indoor women's title a season ago and Cook was runner-up on the men's side.

The middle-distance crew will also have Matthew Erickson pulling double duty Saturday having earned his spot in the 800 final. He won his heat in 1:47.55 to secure one of the six automatic qualifiers. He will also run in the 600-meter final, scheduled to start 40 minutes after the 800.

Oregon also had the fastest two qualifiers in the hurdles with Kai Graves-Blanks and Aaliyah McCormick. Graves-Blanks established a new personal best of 7.63 running in the second of three heats, and moved to No. 2 on the Ducks' all-time indoor list. The UO newcomer came into the year with a previous best of 7.78.

McCormick, the reigning Big Ten Indoor champion, stopped the clock in 8.00 to grab an automatic spot in Saturday's final.

PJ Ize-Iyamu and Brazil Neal advanced to the finals of the men's and women's 60 meters, respectively. Ize-Iyamu lowered his lifetime best to 6.61 and had the fourth-fastest time in Friday's heats. With his showing, he also moves into a tie as the No. 4 performer in UO history. Neal equaled her personal best of 7.37 to earn a lane in her first Big Ten final.

Up Next: Day three of the Big Ten Indoor Championships get going at 8:30 a.m. PT with the men's high jump and women's triple jump. Track finals begin at 10:30 a.m. PT with unseeded sections of the 3,000 meters. The meet is being streamed by B1G+ and RunnerSpace.

Friday Results
Big Ten Indoor Championships (Indianapolis, Ind.)
MEN
60 Meters – prelims
4. PJ Ize-Iyamu – 6.61q (PB, =UO #4)
15. Grant Valley – 6.77

800 Meters – prelims
7. Matthew Erickson – 1:47.55Q
13. James Harding – 1:49.04
--. Cain Evans – DNS

Mile – prelims
1. Elliott Cook – 4:00.67Q
14. Tomas Palfrey – 4:04.40Q

60m Hurdles – prelims
1. Kai Graves-Blanks – 7.63Q (PB, UO #2)

Long Jump
4. Peyton Bair – 7.56m/24-9.75 [5 points]
5. Titouan Bizet – 7.54m/24-9 [4 points]

Heptathlon – Day 2/Final
1. Aiden Carter – 5,815 points (PB, UO #6^) [10 points]
               1. 60m Hurdles – 7.99 [984]
               2. Pole Vault – 4.80m/15-9 (PB) [849]
               12. 1,000 Meters – 2:57.88 [685]

WOMEN
60 Meters – prelims
6. Brazil Neal – 7.37Q (=PB)
9. Lily Jones – 7.40 (SB)
16. Amirah Shaheed – 7.46

800 Meters – prelims
13. Samantha McDonnell – 2:06.93 (PB)
20. Allura Markow – 2:08.87

Mile – prelims
1. Wilma Nielsen – 4:33.08Q (FR)
2. Silan Ayyildiz – 4:37.57Q
6. Juliet Cherubet – 4:39.59Q

60m Hurdles – prelims
1. Aaliyah McCormick – 8.00Q

High Jump
16. Toby Stolberg – 1.70m/5-7

Long Jump
2. Liisa-Maria Lusti – 6.40m/21-0 [8 points]
7. Loren Webster – 6.29m/20-7.75 (PB, UO #7) [2 points]
12. Cassandra Atkins – 6.00m/19-8.25 (PB)

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