Ally Hammond '26, a two-time NCAA Division III indoor track and field runner-up in the 60-meter hurdles and the 2026 NCAA outdoor third-place finisher in the 100-meter hurdles, has been named the Sport Oregon Female Small College Athlete of the Year.
Hammond will be recognized at the annual Oregon Sports Awards on Nov. 10 at the Patricia Reser Center for the Arts in Beaverton.
"I want to thank Sport Oregon and everyone involved with the Oregon Sports Awards for this honor," Hammond said. "Being recognized alongside so many incredible athletes from across this state is something I never imagined."
Hammond is just the second Pacific athlete to receive the honor. Pacific Athletic Hall of Fame inductee DeeDee Arnall '06, a women's basketball and track and field All-American, won the award in 2005.
The 2026 award winners also include Portland Trail Blazers forward Deni Avdija, Portland Thorns forward Sophia Wilson, Oregon State baseball player Dax Whitney and University of Oregon women's golfer Kiara Romero.
A four-time All-American in indoor and outdoor track and field and the second-fastest 100-meter hurdler in NCAA Division III history, Hammond graduated from Pacific in May with a degree in environmental science with concentrations in toxicology and chemistry.
Hammond, a five-time Northwest Conference champion, was recently named the 2025-26 NWC Female Athlete of the Year. She holds 12 Pacific school records and was named the 2023 NWC Women's Rookie of the Meet and the 2026 NWC Women's Athlete of the Meet.
"On behalf of all of Pacific Athletics, I want to congratulate Ally for this tremendous honor," Pacific Director of Athletics Keith Buckley said. "She has embodied all that a student-athlete is and should be at the Division-III level, and we are proud of her and all of her accomplishments."
For Hammond, the award represents more than her own accomplishments. It also recognizes athletes competing at small colleges across the state.
"Running track for Pacific University in Forest Grove meant competing for a small school in a small town," Hammond said. "There were no packed stadiums or television cameras at most meets. Most days it was my teammates, a few parents and plenty of Oregon rain.
"When you compete at a small college, you learn pretty quickly that nobody is going to hand you anything. You show up because you love it. You train in the same weather, run the same distances, and clear the same hurdles as athletes at the biggest programs in the country. The difference is that a lot of people never see it."
The award, she said, speaks to something bigger than her own results.
"It's not just about my races. It's a reminder that what happens in small towns and at small schools matters, too," Hammond added. "The early mornings in Forest Grove count just as much as the ones in Eugene or Portland. I hope there's a kid somewhere in a town like mine who hears about this and realizes they don't have to be at the biggest program, or from the biggest city, to compete with the best. You can do it from right where you are."
Hammond credited former Pacific head track and field coach Ryan Huntersimms, her teammates, family and the entire Pacific community.
"I'm honored to represent all of them," Hammond said. "I've always tried to give 110 percent and make the most of the opportunities I've been lucky enough to have. This award is a reminder of how lucky I've been, and of all the people who made it possible. Go Boxers."