Hayward reopens for Premiere meet

The new Hayward Field will reopen to track and field competition Friday as the Oregon Ducks play host for the Hayward Premiere meet.

Reconstruction of the revered venue at the University of Oregon began in June 2018. Work was completed in June 2020, and the total price tag on the overhaul has been estimated at $270 million.

No meets have been held at Hayward Field for the past nine months amid the pandemic. But with the start of the 2021 outdoor track and field season, Hayward’s reopening has arrived.

The Ducks will compete against more than a dozen other track and field teams at the Hayward Premiere. Oregon State, Portland, Portland State and Washington State are among the participating schools include.

Field events for the Hayward Premiere start at 3 p.m. Friday, with the first running event starting at 5:30 p.m. On Saturday, the field events begin at noon, with the first running event at 1 p.m. The meet will be livestreamed on runnerspace.com.

UO is currently allowing only guests of players and coaches to attend events at Hayward Field.

The Premiere is the first of four meets the Ducks will host at Hayward before the NCAA championships return to the venue from June 9-12.

The West Coast Classic is set for April 17, followed by the Oregon Relays on April 23-24 and the Oregon Twilight on May 7.

Hayward Field is scheduled to host the U.S. Olympic trials for track and field from June 18-27, ahead of this summer’s Tokyo Olympics. The 2022 World Athletics Championships are coming to Hayward in July 2022.