Pac-12 Track & Field: Camryn Rogers, Anna Purchase Lead 1-2-6 Cal Finish in Hammer

Wet weather in Eugene has no impact, as Bears score 21 points in the meet's first event.

Updated

Unfazed by cool temperatures and a steady Oregon rain, Cal’s Camryn Rogers won her third Pac-12 Conference title on Friday, leading a 1-2-6 finish in the women’s hammer throw by the Golden Bears.

Rogers joined former Arizona State star Maggie Ewen (2016-17-18) as the only women to win three conference titles in the hammer. Rogers won in 2019, ’21 and ’22, missing the chance to capture the 2020 crown when the COVID-19 pandemic canceled the meet.

Rogers, who grew up in Richmond, British Columbia, said she was prepared for the elements the athletes faced at Eugene’s Hayward Field. The throwing ring had standing water and temperatures were in the low 50s during the late afternoon competition.

Camryn Rogers wins on a wet day in Eugene

Photo by Isaac Wasserman

“I think one thing that’s helped a lot is growing up in British Columbia, Canada, it rains about half the year,” she told the Pac-12 Network. “Coming into this meet, it’s just about getting the job done and focusing on kind of just the basics and just going with it.

"You can’t have perfect weather every time, and it’s a great learning experience.”

Rogers delivered five throws (out of six attempts) that would have won Friday’s competition. Her winning distance of 241 feet, 10 inches (73.71 meters) was shy of her month-old NCAA record of 248-6 (75.73), but gives her 12 of the top 16 marks in collegiate history.

Teammate Anna Purchase, a junior from Nottingham, England, finished second with a mark of 226-1 (68.91) and Rebecca Tomann, a junior from Berlin, Germany, was a surprise sixth-place finisher with a personal-best throw of 199-5 (60.79), which elevates her to 10th all-time at Cal.

Asked about the team’s ability to score 21 points in the event, Rogers said, “I know we are all absolutely excited. It was a great result across the board. I’m so proud of my teammates.

“This is something we’ve been training for all year. To come out and do it, especially in conditions like this, it shows that we have such a strong team. It’s the support we have for one another that really pushes us forward.”

The Bears reside in second place in the women's team standings with 26 points, trailing Washington, which has 32 points.

Rogers remained unbeaten against collegiate competition in 16 consecutive meets spanning more than three years. Her next competition is the NCAA West Regional meet at Fayetteville, Ark., in two weeks, where she will try to qualify to pursue her third NCAA crown.

She also became just the third Cal track and field athlete of either gender to win the same event three times at the conference meet, and the first to do so in 30 years.

Other Cal athletes who won three times at the conference meet were pole vaulter Brent Burns (1989-90-92) and triple jumper Sheila Hudson (1986-87-90).

Meanwhile, junior Amari Turner finished fourth in the women’s pole vault with a best clearance of 12 feet, 10 3/4 inches (3.93). Cal freshman Tyler Burns was fourth in the men’s vault at 16-1 1/4 (4.91).

The Bears advanced three athletes out of running-event prelims into Sunday’s finals:

— Senior Ezinne Abba had the fastest qualifying time in the 200 meters, winning her heat in in 23.22 seconds.

— Sophomore Garrett MacQuiddy qualified for the finals in the men’s 1,500 meters with a time of 3:41.83, fifth-fastest of the day.

— Sophomore William Sornberger qualified eighth in the 400 hurdles at 52.72, just off his career best.

Cover photo of Camryn Rogers and Anna Purchase by Don Gosney

Follow Jeff Faraudo of Cal Sports Report on Twitter: @jefffaraudo