Oregon Ducks sprinter Micah Williams will race in the 100-meter final Friday at the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships, but he will be the Oregon men’s lone competitor that day.
Williams clocked a season-best 10.03 seconds to place third in his semifinal heat and sneak into the final with the eighth of nine qualifying spots. The junior from Portland will be running in his third consecutive NCAA 100-meter final on Friday after finishing seventh a year ago and third in 2021.
The Ducks had a couple of near misses on Wednesday as the NCAA meet got underway in Austin, Texas, with the decathlon and mostly semifinals in the men’s competition.
Oregon steeplechaser Alex Slenning narrowly missed making the final, turning in the 13th-best time of the day (8:44.60) while needing a top-12 finish to advance.
Williams and the Oregon 4×100-meter relay team became the fifth group in school history to break 39 seconds, but the quartet’s time of 38.93 was good for just fifth in their heat and 16th place overall. LSU posted the top time of the day at 38.06, while Arizona State grabbed the ninth and last qualifying spot with its relay team’s time of 38.67.
The Ducks’ Matthew Erickson placed a non-qualifying sixth in his heat of the men’s 800, crossing in 1:49.42.
Rafael Raap of the Oregon Ducks competes in decathlon men’s shot put during the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championship on June 7, 2023, in Austin, Texas. (Photo by C. Morgan Engel/NCAA Photos via Getty Images)NCAA Photos via Getty Images
Through five events of the decathlon, Oregon’s Rafael Raap sits in 16th place, with 3,915 points. Leo Neugebauer of Texas leads with 4,591 points, followed by Georgia’s Kyle Garland at 4,570.
The NCAA meet continues Thursday, when the women will take the spotlight with their semifinals and several finals. Oregon could score Thursday with Alysah Hickey in the long jump, Jorinde van Klinken and Jaida Ross in the shot put, and Shelby Moran in the hammer throw. Meanwhile, Oregon State’s Kaylee Mitchell and Grace Fetherstonhaugh will look to advance to the final in the women’s steeplechase.
The remaining men’s finals are Friday, followed by the rest of the women’s finals Saturday. After the decathlon wraps up Thursday, the heptathlon runs Friday and Saturday.
Here are the results from Wednesday’s action at the NCAA championships.