Aaliyah McCormick’s journey to success has been a gradual one, but her moment to shine arrived just in time. During last Saturday’s 100-meter hurdles final at the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships, McCormick’s performance mirrored the trajectory of her outdoor career at the University of Oregon. Initially, she blended in with the competition, but by the end, she emerged victorious.
After overcoming injuries and finally healthy for the outdoor postseason, McCormick raced in the familiar surroundings of Hayward Field, where she clinched her spot as the queen of the hurdles. Although she had a slow start and witnessed the runner in the adjacent lane fall early in the race, McCormick stayed focused and surged ahead over the final hurdles, finishing with a time of 12.81 seconds.
Her triumph earned the University of Oregon 10 points, contributing to a total of 20 points scored by the UO women on the final day of the championship meet. Alongside Emily Fitzsimmons’ sixth-place finish in the pole vault on Thursday, the Ducks concluded the meet with 23 points, tying for 10th place in the team standings.
Unlike her quick start in Thursday’s semifinal, McCormick wasn’t particularly fast out of the blocks on Saturday. However, she showcased her strength in the hurdles, echoing the performance of the last Duck to win an NCAA outdoor hurdles title, Devon Allen, in 2016—nobody was better over the final barriers.
Despite the chaos at the beginning of the race, McCormick maintained her composure. Competing in lane six, she witnessed the runner in lane five stumble over the first hurdle, while lane four was vacant due to a scratch, allowing her to run with two open lanes to her left.
The Oregon team also secured nine points in the 1,500 meters, with Silan Ayyildiz finishing fourth and Klaudia Kazimierska taking fifth. Additionally, Ryann Porter earned a point with an eighth-place finish in the triple jump; Annika Williams was poised to score as well but withdrew from the heptathlon before the final event, the 800 meters.
The 1,500-meter race proved frustrating for the trio of Ducks—Ayyildiz, Kazimierska, and Mia Barnett—who were aiming to become the first teammates to all score in the event while competing for the title. Ultimately, none of them could keep pace as Sophie O’Sullivan pulled ahead to claim victory.
Porter achieved her best jump in the triple jump competition right from the start, leaping 43 feet, 4.5 inches on her opening attempt. Although she registered two more jumps beyond 43 feet, she could not surpass her initial mark and finished in eighth place.
