The weather didn’t cooperate at the Pepsi Team Invitational, but the results made up for it.  Texas A&M’s Henry Lelei got the day off to a fast start in just the second track event of the day, smashing the Aggies school record in the 3000m steeplechase, finishing in 8:32.94, the fastest time in the world this year.

Oregon’s Jillian Weir also had a career day, turning in a personal best finish in the discus and winning the women’s hammer throw.  Multisport athlete Liz Brenner finished third in the women’s javelin, just over a foot behind second place.

From the start the team titles came down to perennial track powers Oregon and Texas A&M with both the mens and the women’s points races coming down to the last few events of the afternoon.

Brenner wasn’t the only multi-sport athlete on the track for the Ducks. Football players De’Anthony Thomas, BJ Kelley and Dior Mathis also competed–just hours after finishing their first week of spring practice at the Moshofsky Center. Thomas acknowledged it can be physically hard to balance football and track, but said it at the end of the day it’s a matter of heart.

Thomas anchored the Ducks second place 4×100 meter relay team and finished third in the 100 meters. Much of the sprinting events, however, were dominated by Texas A&M,  with the Aggies finishing 1-2 in both the mens 100 and 200 meter races. The Ducks had sweeps of their own, however, taking the maximum points in both the men’s and women’s 800 meters, as well as the women’s 1500 meters.

With just two events left both the men’s team races were tied with the Ducks and Aggies battling for first entering the 5000 meters.

The Texas A&M women added another 1-2 finish in the 5000 meters, good enough to lock up first place in the team rankings, but on the men’s side it was the Ducks locking up both first and second to clinch the men’s team title with both the mens and women’s 4×400 meter relays still to be contested.

The Aggies won both the men’s and the women’s 4×400 meter relays but the team rankings were already decided.

In the women’s competition Washington edged out Washington State for third with the Cougars taking third in the final women’s team rankings.