By August Howell
Jessica Hull and the rest of the Oregon track and field team looked at the clear blue sky in Eugene late Saturday morning and crossed their fingers, hoping the conditions would stay pleasant for their races.
It did not last.
A steady rain poured for most of the meet, soaking athletes, officials and fans alike. Pieces of the east grandstand roof began to fall off in winds of 20 mph with gusts to 49 mph, but the 2018 Pepsi Team Invitational continued throughout the day at Hayward Field.
“It didn’t matter where you were in the pack, it didn’t matter who was leading,” said Hull. “Wherever you went you were going to feel a headwind down the homestretch. … It was definitely a factor for everyone.”
Anna Camp, a sophomore from Brigham Young University, outkicked a talented field in the homestretch to win the women’s 1,500 meters in 4 minutes, 23.88 seconds. This was Camp’s first race since setting a personal best of 4:21 at the Stanford Invitational a week ago. “It felt really good — it played out exactly how I hoped it would,” Camp said. “I was happy with the time.”
The athletes consisted of multiple All-Americans from cross country and track, as well as a freshman from Serbia who had not run a 1,500 before. Hull led the pack from the starting gun, with teammate Lilli Burdon right beside for most of the race. Camp made sure to stay in the lead group the whole way, never allowing Hull and Burdon to get too far ahead.
This season, Camp ran the fastest 800 meters (2:07.27), and mile (4:44.13) for BYU. For this race, she made sure to trust her coach’s advice. Most the of runners began kicking with 300 meters left to go, but Camp was prepared to go sooner. “I actually was thinking of going with around 350 to go, but then I heard my coach say ‘Wait, wait!’” Camp said, laughing. “So I stayed there, and just before the 100 I started to go.”
That final 100-meter stretch featured Washington senior Amy Eloise-Neale, the runner-up at the NCAA Cross Country Championships. Eloise-Neale finished second Saturday in 4:24.47 in her first race since the 3,000 meter at the indoor NCAA championships, where she placed 12th.
The wind and rain challenged more than a few competitors during the race. Burdon, a junior from Australia, finished third in 4:24.60. Burdon also raced the 800 meters two hours later, and she said her goal for the meet was to use it as a training day. “I was a bit boxed in, so I didn’t race super tactically,” she said. “I just wanted to have a good practice with racing while being tired.”
Hull ran 4:26.31, good for fourth place. Though neither Hull nor Burdon won their races, their results did count for the team scores in the win for the Oregon women.
“It’s OK if it’s not perfect — it’s all a building process,” Hull said. “It’s a long outdoor season.”
