Birnbaum Takes Down Collegiate Record at Hayward Field

Saturday, April 18

Eugene, OR

5:30 PM | Field Events - 3:45 PM

University of Oregon

Oregon Team Invitational

Simeon Birnbaum, 1500 CR finish at Team Invitational (April 18, 2026)

Photo by: Evan Poulsen

Birnbaum Takes Down Collegiate Record at Hayward Field

04/18/26 | Track and Field

Meet Results

The Ducks combined for 12 wins on day two of the Oregon Team Invitational.

EUGENE, Ore. – Oregon junior Simeon Birnbaum shattered the collegiate record for 1500 meters on day two of the Oregon Team Invitational at Hayward Field. Highlighted by the record-breaking performance, the Ducks combined for 12 wins and seven top-10 program marks Saturday including a school record by Emily Fitzsimmons in the pole vault.

Birnbaum stopped the clock in 3:31.69 to become the new record holder, taking more than a second off the previous mark of 3:33.02 set by Villanova's Liam Murphy in March 2025. Paced by teammate Tomas Palfrey, Birnbaum hit the bell lap at 2:38.10 before a solo close of 53.59 to establish the new collegiate standard in front of the home crowd.

The time for the Rapid City, S.D., native also ranks third in the world this year. Birnbaum entered the day with a best of 3:37.02 from last season's Oregon Twilight but had already run a fast 13:19.73 over 5,000 meters two weeks ago at the Stanford Invitational. Birnbaum now owns the fastest in-season time for a UO man, only trailing Cole Hocker's 3:31.40 from the 2021 Olympic final on the Oregon all-time list.

Fitzsimmons won the competition with a first-attempt clearance at her opening height and after another first-attempt make at the next height—4.26m/13-11.75—she moved the bar up to take shots at the UO school record. On her second try, Fitzsimmons got over the bar set at 4.48m/14-8.25 to break Oregon's 23-year-old record by a centimeter.

Becky Holliday held the previous record of 4.47m/14-8 since 2003.

Based on the national performance list entering Saturday's competition, Fitzsimmons ranks ninth in the NCAA this season. She had three unsuccessful attempts at 15-1 to close out her day.

Oregon sprinters Kai Graves-Blanks, PJ Ize-Iyamu and Amirah Shaheed were all double winners Saturday. Graves-Blanks and Ize-Iyamu helped the men's 4x100 relay to a season's best 38.94—and the No. 6 time in school history—before picking up individual victories in the 110 hurdles and 100 meters, respectively.

Graves-Blanks' added a lifetime best of 13.42 over the barriers to move from fourth to third in program history. He and Johnathan Cabral (13.45, 2012) flip flopped spots on the UO list. On that relay, Graves-Blanks and Ize-Iyamu were joined by Grant Valley and Jaelon Barbarin.

On the women's side, Shaheed ran the second leg of the Ducks' victorious 4x100 relay in the first track event of the day, and then returned to lead a 1-2-4-5 UO finish in the 100 meters.

Daniel Thrana made his debut in an Oregon kit Saturday and responded with three measures beyond 75 meters in the javelin. On his second throw, he unleashed a mark of 78.32m/256-11 to become the No. 3 performer in school history with the farthest throw by an Oregon man since 2012. Thrana currently has the fifth-best measure in the NCAA this year.

The Kristiansand, Norway, native added measures of 76.22 and 76.46 on his third and fourth attempts, respectively.

Silan Ayyildiz and Ben Smith, both winners during Friday's opener, returned to Hayward Field for their second wins of the weekend. Ayyildiz was the Ducks' first individual winner of the day, crossing the line in 4:07.13 to take the top spot in the 1500 meters. Teammate Juliet Cherubet (4:10.41) was third.

Smith posted a lifetime best of 20.39m/66-10.75 to win the shot put to go along with Friday's victory in the discus. With that toss, Smith moved to No. 4 on the UO all-time list and took over the No. 2 spot on the NCAA performance list this year. He led a 1-2 Oregon finish with Kobe Lawrence securing a season's best of 19.50m/63-11.75 in rounds two and four.

The throws group picked up a third win Saturday from Marie Josée Bovele-Linaka (53.57m/175-9) in the discus. Alicia Khunou, Friday's winner in the shot put, finished second behind her teammate.

Benjamin Balazs closed out the Ducks' winning ways with a first-place outing in the steeplechase. In his season debut, Balazs finished well clear of the field with a time of 8:34.92, over 18 seconds faster than the race runner-up.

In the Oregon Team Invitational team race, the UO women took the top spot with 303 points while the UO men finished third with 168 points. The Ducks were joined this weekend by Kansas State, Oklahoma State, Oregon State, Utah, Weber State and Wichita State.

Notable: Aaliyah McCormick, competing at Mt. SAC Relays, finished third (12.96, -0.9) in the invitational section of the 100-meter hurdles … Micaela De Mello was eighth at Mt. SAC Relays in 13.33 (UO #8); her first 100-hurdles race since November 2024.

Ticket packages for the Ducks' outdoor home schedule are currently on sale. Along with this weekend's Team Invitational, the Ducks will host the Oregon Twilight (May 8) and the NCAA Championships in June.

Saturday Results
Oregon Team Invitational – Day Two | Eugene, Ore.
MEN
100 Meters
1. PJ Ize-Iyamu – 10.21 (-0.6)
4. Grant Valley – 10.44
6. Jaelon Barbari – 10.57

200 Meters
4. Fuad Omer – 21.88

400 Meters
6. Fuad Omer – 47.69

800 Meters
3. Jeffery Rogers – 1:49.06
6. Ben Greene – 1:49.89
10. Will Heslam – 1:51.11
--. James Harding – DNF (pacer)

1500 Meters
1. Simeon Birnbaum – 3:31.69 (CR)
3. Tayson Echohawk – 3:39.48
4. James Harding – 3:39.85
5. Anthony Fast Horse – 3:40.29
--. Tomas Palfrey – DNF (pacer)

110m Hurdles
1. Kai Graves-Blanks – 13.42 (PB, UO #3)

3,000m Steeplechase
1. Benjamin Balazs – 8:34.92

4x100m Relay
1. Graves-Blanks, Ize-Iyamu, Valley, Barbarin – 38.94 (SB, UO #6)

Triple Jump
7. Tre Betts – 13.60m/44-7.5

Shot Put
1. Ben Smith – 20.39m/66-10.75 (PB, UO #4)
2. Kobe Lawrence – 19.50m/63-11.75 (SB)

Javelin
1. Daniel Thrana – 78.32m/256-11 (UO #3)
3. Pat Vialva – 69.87m/229-2
6. Vlad Turcu – 65.59m/215-2

WOMEN
100 Meters
1. Amirah Shaheed – 11.50
2. Brazil Neal – 11.63
4. Lily Jones – 11.70
5. Niya Clayton – 11.81

200 Meters
3. Lakely Doht-Barron – 24.29

400 Meters
3. Lakely Doht-Barron – 54.36

800 Meters
5. Ali Ince – 2:07.12
7. Nicole Humphries – 2:07.42
11. Landen LeBlond – 2:10.69

1500 Meters
1. Silan Ayyildiz – 4:07.13
3. Juliet Cherubet – 4:10.41

100m Hurdles
3. Annaleise Taylor – 13.91

400m Hurdles
7. Annaleise Taylor – 1:00.34

4x100m Relay
1. Neal, Shaheed, Clayton, Jones – 44.17

4x400m Relay
7. Doht-Barron, Humphries, LeBlond, Ince – 3:49.27

High Jump
3. Toby Stolberg – 1.74m/5-8.5
--. Maleigha Canaday-Elliott - NH

Pole Vault
1. Emily Fitzsimmons – 4.48m/14-8.25 (PB, UO #1)

Triple Jump
5. Cassandra Atkins – 13.00m/42-8
8. Maleigha Canaday-Elliott – 12.71m/41-8.5

Discus
1. Marie Josée Bovele-Linaka – 53.57m/175-9
2. Alicia Khunou – 53.54m/175-8
6. Taylor Wiseman – 46.32m/151-11

Mt. SAC Relays | Walnut, Calif.
WOMEN
100m Hurdles, Invitational
3. Aaliyah McCormick – 12.96 (-0.9) (SB)
8. Micaela De Mello – 13.33 (-0.9) (UO #8)

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