No. 2 Oregon responds with statement win over No. 3 Quinnipiac
The No. 2 Oregon acrobatic tumbling team came out sharper and more complete in Saturday’s home opener, defeating No. 3 Quinnipiac 270.640-265.425 at Matthew Knight Arena.
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Oregon State immediately set the tone. The Ducks took an early advantage by scoring a perfect 10.0 points in a tight toss-up contest in the mandatory events, and they controlled the game from start to finish to take a wire-to-wire victory between the two top-three events.
The win marked a significant improvement from Oregon State’s 267.325-point victory over Missouri State in the season opener. The Ducks improved by more than three points overall, with a huge jump in the team event, climbing from 89.100 to 92.290.
how did this happen
Oregon State got off to a strong start in mandatory play, winning three of its four preliminary games. The highlight was the throwing event, where the Ducks earned their first perfect score of 10.0 since 2020. The milestone was set with side-by-side precision scoring from two fivesomes: Shea Barnes, Kamryn Horiuchi, Charlotte Lippa, Ashlyn Parlett and Emily Rezner; and Sierra Bell, Molly Darragh, Makena Giddish, Angelica Martin and Blessing McMorris.
The Ducks led in the first race, 38.000-37.700, and took the lead in the stunt race, outpacing Quinnipiac, 65.100-63.300. Cassidy Cu and Angelica Martin scored 9.800 in the five-element heat and 9.750 in the seven-element heat to lay the foundation for the sport.
After the pyramid, Oregon maintained a slight advantage, leading 94.300-92.350. Quinnipiac got going on the throw, but the Ducks responded with a rollover. Nya Womack had a 9.800 passing grade in the air and Morgan Willingham tied that mark on a six-element pass to help steady Oregon State’s momentum.
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Heading into the team competition, the Ducks finished with a slim lead of 178.350-177.175. Oregon State defeated the Bobcats in the finals with a score of 92.290-88.250 to win by five points.
Next
Oregon State will host a marquee matchup next Saturday at No. 1 Baylor, scheduled for 3 p.m.
Erickson excels indoors, Ducks shoot two in 1:47 at Arkansas qualifier
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Matthew Erickson continued his postseason buildup Friday night with an indoor personal best of 1 minute, 45.93 seconds in the 800 meters at the Arkansas qualifying meet.
The reigning NCAA indoor champion finished second and became just the second player in Oregon State history to break 1:46 indoors, joining school record holder Charlie Hunter (1:45.59). Based on results entering the weekend, Erickson was ranked seventh in the NCAA’s descending standings.
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James Harding added to the Ducks’ strong performance, finishing third with a lifetime best time of 1 minute, 46.44 seconds. His performance vaulted him into the top 16 nationally and improved his standing in the Oregon State record book, from sixth to fourth in indoor all-time. Harding surpassed last season’s best time of 1 minute, 46.83 seconds set earlier this year at the Razorback Invitational.
With the qualifying window open during conference weekend, the top 16 individual and 12 relay teams announced in each event will advance to the NCAA Indoor Championships, which will be held March 13-14 in Fayetteville.
Friday results
Arkansas State Qualifiers (Fayetteville, Arkansas)
men
800 meters
2. Matthew Erickson – 1:45.93 (PB, UO #2*)
3. James Harding – 1:46.44 (PB, UO #4)
*Already maintain the ranking, improve the score
Oregon DMR rewrites record, climbs to 2nd place in NCAA
BOSTON — The Oregon State men’s distance medley relay team turned in a historic performance at the Battle of Sauconee in Boston on Sunday night, breaking a school record and soaring to No. 2 in the NCAA descending standings.
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Competing at the Boston University Athletics and Tennis Center, the quartet of Simeon Birnbaum, Fuad Omer, Elliott Cook and Tomas Palfrey posted a stunning time of 9 minutes, 14.88 seconds, becoming the second-fastest collegiate DMR team in history.
The Ducks’ time marked a major milestone. Oregon State became just the second program ever to run 9:15 on the 200-meter slope, joining Virginia, which ran 9:14.19 earlier this season. Overall, only four programs in NCAA history have broken 9:15 indoors.
Sunday’s time broke the school record of 9 minutes, 17.57 seconds set at last year’s NCAA Indoor Championships in Virginia Beach. Cook, Omar and Palfrey were also part of the record-setting team, making this latest performance both a breakthrough and a continuation of Oregon’s distance tradition.
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The race proved to be one of the fastest in the country this season. Three of the top five nationally based on times entered into the meet occurred on Sunday, including Virginia Tech’s 9:15.05 and Virginia Tech’s 9:16.75.
That result, two days into Oregon’s Arkansas qualifier, underscores the team’s depth and resiliency heading into a tough weekend.
With the NCAA qualifying window open during conference weekend, the top 12 relays will advance to the NCAA Indoor Championships, scheduled for March 13-14 in Fayetteville, Arkansas. Oregon’s time of 9 minutes, 14.88 seconds puts the Ducks in solid position to make the playoffs.
sunday results
Battle of Saucony Boston (Boston, Massachusetts)
men
distance medley relay
1. Birnbaum, Omar, Cook, Palfrey – 9:14.88 (UO #1, NCAA #2)
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Next
The Ducks will begin postseason play at the Big Ten Indoor Championships Feb. 26-28 at the Indiana State Fairgrounds in Indianapolis.