University of Oregon
NCAA Outdoor Championships
Courageous Captains Show Oregon?s Heart
06/12/10 | Track and Field
EUGENE, Ore. -- Oregon team captains Ashton Eaton, Andrew Wheating and Marshall Ackley thrilled the crowd with record-setting races and one inspirational act of perseverance Friday at the NCAA Track & Field Championships. Meanwhile, the women picked up 14 points to move into the overnight lead.
"The women's team race is going to be close now," said Lananna. "We might have to defy the odds."
Eaton set NCAA Championships, Pac-10 and Oregon records in winning the decathlon by scoring 8,457 points. He became the first person in NCAA history to win three decathlon national titles in a row.
He set the tone for the day by running an American decathlon collegiate best 13.68 in the 110 meter hurdles. That was also an NCAA decathlon meet record. He followed that with a throw of 136-10 in the discus, which was the fourth-best effort on the day before clearing 15-5 in the pole vault.
The senior from Bend, Ore., then threw 171-11 in the javelin before winning the 1,500 meters in 4:21.85 to break those three records.
"This is bittersweet," said Eaton. "It's never going to be like that for me again in an Oregon uniform.
"It's difficult to describe," he added. "I'm not an artist, a poet or a writer so I can't put it into words like some people could. But, it is the ending of something I never wanted to see the end to."
Eaton, who will compete in the long jump on Saturday, finally surpassed Pedro daSilva's 1992 school record of 8,176 points with a wind-legal score, and also broke the NCAA Championships record of 8,276 points, set by Tennessee's Brian Brophy in 1992, and the Pac-10 record of 8,322 points, set by Mike Ramos in 1986.
"It was fabulous," said Lananna of Eaton. "He is fantastic."
In the men's 800 meters, Wheating didn't have to come from the back of the pack to win his second straight NCAA 800 meter title thanks to the brisk first lap pace set by UCLA's Cory Primm. The runners quickly lined up single file behind Primm, with Wheating keeping in touch in fourth or fifth through the first 600 meters. He began to move up with 200 meters to go and then dropped the hammer with a vengeance off the Bowerman Curve and was clear of the field with 50 meters remaining.
The senior from Norwich, Vt., won in a seasonal-best 1:45.69, more than a second faster than runner-up Robbie Andrews of Virginia (1:46.83).
"I put my full foot on the pedal and didn't look back," said Wheating, who will run the final of the 1,500 meters tomorrow. "Last year I came off the track with an injury feeling lucky to win. This year I was looking to dominate.
"At home in front of all these Ducks fans – they erupted in the last 100," he said. "That crowd pushed me over the last 100 meters."
Wheating became the first Duck to win back-to-back NCAA 800 meter titles since Joaquim Cruz in 1983-84. He also became the first back-to-back NCAA champ since Tennessee's Jose Parrilla in 1992-94.
"He was flawless in his execution," said Lananna. "No words were exchanged on strategy, he just nailed it."
Eaton and Wheating gave Oregon 20 team points, which was good for a tie for fourth with Arizona State and Louisiana State. Defending champion Texas A&M led the men's race with 36 points, while Florida was second with 28 points and USC third with 26.5.
In the men's hammer junior Jordan Stray missed scoring by three inches. His best of 212-4 was still good enough for ninth on Friday.
On the women's side, Alexandra Kosinski, Keshia Baker and Anne Kesselring got in the scoring column for the Ducks.
Kosinski ran an inspired 5,000 meters to finish a surprising third in 16:02.90. She trailed only Lisa Koll of Iowa State's 15:23.80 and Marie Louise Asselin of West Virginia's 15:53.93.
"It was really windy, I just wanted to to stay in the pack and get a good kick," said the junior from El Dorado Hills, Calif. "I didn't know what the pace was but I felt pretty good.
"We're going for the team championship so to get any points always helps."
Senior Nicole Blood, in her last race as a Duck, finished 23rd in 16:41.84, after taking third in a taxing 10,000 meters Wednesday night.
Baker, a senior from Fairfield, Calif., added another five points to the Ducks' total by finishing fourth in a brilliant women's 400 meters.
Francena McCorory of Hampton won the race in 50.69, with Texas A&M's Jessica Beard finishing second in 51.02, Joanna Atkins of Auburn taking third in 52.01 and Baker running fourth in 52.34.
Kesselring rounded out the scoring with a sixth-place run in the 800 meters in 2:05.41.
"The race went out really, really fast and I was kind of expecting that," said the freshman from Nurnberg, Germany. "I didn't run it the best tactically, but I hung in there.
"It's awesome to have a team," she said. "I can't even explain how much it helps. And it's not just the team it's the community. Track Town, USA."
The women almost added points from Meliss Gergel in the women's pole vault, as the white flag went up on her attempt at 14-1.25. But moments after she landed in the put, the bar came off, perhaps caused by a gust of wind, and the red flag came out to indicate a foul. Instead, the junior from Glenwood, Ill. settled for 10th-place at 13-9.25. The clearance at 14-1.25 would have been good for at least fourth place, and five team points.
As is was, the Duck women led with 30 points, with Iowa State fourth with 28 and Texas A&M lurking with 26.
One of the biggest ovations on the day from the Historic Hayward Field crowd of 11,972 went to the inspirational last place finisher in the decathlon, Ackley.
After opening the day by running 14.86 in the 110 hurdles and throwing 120-10 in the discus, he severely injured his left hamstring while warming up in the pole vault, and then further aggravated it on his first attempt for a no height in the event.
But instead of dropping out of the competition at that point, the senior from Nyssa, Ore., drug his injured limb on a short approach in the javelin for a respectable mark of 168-2, and then limped four laps around Hayward Field in the 1,500 meters, crossing the finish line to a rousing standing ovation in 7:04.56.
Ackley placed 22nd with 5,883 points, but all that mattered Saturday was that he finished.
"It's my last meet as a Duck so to go out that way is extremely disappointing but to finish is something that I'm very proud of," said Ackley.
"He is tough," said Eaton of his teammate and training partner. "I know he wanted to finish his last decathlon as a senior, and I think it was very special."
Lananna also noted the poignancy of the moment for both his senior decathletes.
"You know I'm not a big emotional guy but Ashton winning and Marshall finishing, just spectacular," he said. "That act probably exemplifies all the hard work this class of seniors has put in."
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