After Alli Cash missed the indoor season while rehabbing an injury, she wasn’t going to let a little wind and rain dampen her spirits upon returning to competition at Hayward Field. The UO track and field programs hosted the Pepsi Invitational on Saturday, and swept the men’s and women’s team titles. The Ducks did so despite less than favorable conditions, which couldn’t dampen Cash’s spirits after she completed a 3,000-meter race. “It was good; I was really excited just to get back out there,” Cash said. “Our team just does a great job of saying, ‘We’re the Ducks. This is us, this is Oregon.’ ” Hayward Field magic might have appeared in liquid form Saturday, but it appeared nonetheless. The UO women built a strong base of points in the field events and throws, then got a sweep of the 100 and 200 from junior Venessa D’Arpino. On the men’s side, Tristan James overcame the elements to win both the long jump and triple jump for Oregon, and Sebastian Barajas busted the form chart with a win in the shot put. James and Barajas helped the UO men amass 171 team points, outdistancing Brigham Young (160), Washington State (157) and Washington (153). The UO women won even more easily, with 185 team points to separate from the second-place tie between WSU and BYU (152), and also UW (112).
