UO release - The Portland, Ore., native ran a lifetime best in Thursday’s first round at Hayward Field.  EUGENE, Ore. — Benjamin Balazs ran a lifetime best Thursday in the 3,000-meter steeplechase to move into the finals of the 2025 Toyota USATF Championships at Hayward Field. The meet continues through Sunday afternoon.  Balazs took nearly two seconds off his previous lifetime best, crossing in 8:22.58 to secure his spot in to Saturday's final. He ran himself into a top-five automatic qualifier with a surge off the final barrier down the homestretch.  The rising junior, and already the No. 2 performer in program history, came into the day with a best of 8:24.46 from his seventh-place finish at the NCAA Championships this past June. With Thursday's effort, Balazs is now within Ken Martin's school record of 8:20.97 set in 1980.  The men's steeplechase final goes off Saturday at 2:49 p.m. (PT) on NBC and Peacock.  Cole Hocker, the 2024 Olympic champion and three-time NCAA champion in 2021 while at Oregon, was the fastest qualifier (3:32.57, SB) in the first round of the 1500 meters. He and former UO standout Sam Prakel (3:33.08, PB) both advanced to Saturday's final. Elliott Cook finished 13th place overall in 3:35.36, just one shy of advancing to the final.  In the opening heat of the women's 800 meters, Raevyn Rogers cruised to a time of 2:01.74 to move on to Friday's semifinal round. She finished second in her heat and 17th overall. Rogers won World silver in 2019 followed by a bronze medal at the 2021 Olympics in Tokyo. Jenna Prandini (10.95w) led a trio of past UO standouts in the first round of the women's 100 meters. She was the sixth-fastest qualifier overall while Jadyn Mays (11.11) and English Gardner (11.12) each earned a lane of their own into Friday's semifinal heats. Mays' time was a season's best.  On the men's side of the 100, Kyree King clocked in at 10.14 to automatically advance.  The women's semifinals go off Friday at 4:20 p.m. followed by the men's heats at 5:10 p.m. The finals will close out the day two schedule, beginning at 7:17 p.m. on NBC.  In other Oregon-affiliated results, Nikki Hiltz won their heat in 4:05.99 and finished as the fifth overall qualifier into the final of the 1500 meters. The women will race for a spot at the World Championships on Saturday at 2:03 p.m. Hiltz's collegiate career began at Oregon before they transferred to Arkansas.  Recent UO signee Peyton Bair is in sixth place after day one of the decathlon with 4,268 points. He was first in the 100 (10.41) and 400 (46.25) meters, bookending his day with wins. He will begin the second day of competition 109 points shy of a top-three spot. Bair (Mississippi State) won the NCAA title in the event this past June.  The USATF Outdoor Championships will serve as the selection event for the upcoming World Athletics Championships (Sept. 13-21, Tokyo) and NACAC Area Championships (Aug. 15-17, Bahamas).