2004 Men's Track & Field Outlook
Life in the ?Conference of Champions’ is never easy, but a bulk of last year’s squad is back and several talented newcomers will help alleviate the graduation of two NCAA champions, two more All-Americans and three Pac-10 victors.
The Ducks are led by a trio of All-Americans ? seniors Trevor Woods (pole vault) and Jason Hartmann (10,000) and junior Eric Logsdon (5,000) ? among their 11 NCAA veterans spread among nine events. At the league level, Oregon returns a pair of Pac-10 champs ? 400 hurdler Brandon Holliday and javelin thrower Adam Jenkins ? and three other former runners-up (Brett Holts, steeplechase; Jason Hartmann, 10K; Eric Mitchum, 110 hurdles).
Keeping with tradition, the ?Men of Oregon’ sport their trademark balance with 17 Pac-10 qualifiers back in all but three of the 19 individual events. At the West Regional level, 16 veterans will again don the Oregon green and yellow, including five, top-five placers.
The Ducks rank third among Pac-10 squads based on returning points, yet the nation’s third-best recruiting class fuels hopes of a repeat league title. St. Louis Community College transfer and junior Leonidas Watson won junior college titles in the triple jump indoors and outdoors last year and was second in the long jump in each. Barton Community College transfer and junior Roderick Dotts ran a 800 personal best of 1:48.41 that would have led the Pac-10 in 2003 and ranked 34th in the U.S. A pair of home-state freshmen ? Mike McGrath and Tommy Skipper ? led the national prep ranks in the 800 and pole vault, respectively, as seniors with the latter tabbed prepster of the year after he upped the national pole vault record to 18-3.
The outdoor schedule resembles years past, and offers a four-meet home slate with the Oregon Preview (3/20), Pepsi Team Invite (4/10), Oregon Invite (4/24) and Oregon Twilight (5/1). The Pepsi Team Invitational drew its second-largest crowd ever in 2003 and welcomes back the same challengers ? repeat Big Ten champion Minnesota, Northwest rival Washington, and one of the nation’s most respected distance programs in Colorado. Several away contests feature the nation’s top talent gearing up for Olympic Trials runs in the Stanford Invitational (3/26-27), Texas Relays (3/31-4/3) and Mt. SAC Relays (4/15-17).
The championship slate kicks off with the Pacific-10 Conference finale in Tucson, Ariz. (5/14-15), then heads to northern Los Angeles for the West Regional at Cal State Northridge (5/28-29). Ten days later, the Ducks return to Austin, Texas for the NCAA Championships (6/9-12). The Olympic Trials make their second stop in Sacramento less than a month later (7/9-18), and the Olympic Games return in late August to their birthplace ? Athens, Greece (8/20-29).
Sprints
Sprints
Returnees - 100 - 200 - 400
Jordan Kent, So. - 100 10.54 - 200 20.99 - 400 47.22
Matt Scherer, So. - 100 10.5 - 200 21.81 - 400 46.87
Travis Anderson, So. - 100 10.72 - 200 21.54 - 400 47.09
Brandon Holliday, Sr. - 400 48.23-i
Newcomers - 100 - 200 - 400
Scott Lamb, Rjr.-TR - 400 47.2
Travis Ramme, Fr. - 100 10.69 - 200 21.73
Caleb Rexius, Fr. - 100 10.88
The Ducks’ investment in the sprints and hurdles paid immediate dividends in 2003 as the freshman-heavy unit contributed 21 points to the Ducks’ Pac-10 team win, and won the West Regional 100 and 200. At season’s end, they capped the year with NCAA trips in the 200 and 400, and the 4x400 clocked a school record and two-second season best (3:06.73).
Although he’ll have a limited practice schedule because of basketball commitments, sophomore Jordan Kent again shoulders the team’s heaviest workload. In 2003, he joined the squad the first week of April, and after 1 1/2 months of practice took top five in the Pac-10 100 (sixth) and 200 (fifth), and followed with a West Regional 200 win and NCAA invite. At season’s end, he ranked as the fastest Pac-10 freshman in both events.
In the 400, sophomores Matt Scherer and Travis Anderson ran fearlessly in the season’s biggest meets. Scherer claimed points in the Pac-10 (seventh) and West Regional (fifth), and then lowered his personal best in his NCAA debut that moved him to sixth all-time for the Ducks (46.47). Anderson took ninth in the Pac-10 prelims ? only .11 seconds shy of the final qualifying spot ? then lowered his collegiate best in the USA Junior Championships final (seventh, 47.49).
Among newcomers, redshirt junior Scott Lamb raced to state 400 runner-up honors as a prep senior at Dallas High School in 2000 (49.25), and won the 2002 NWAACC title for Mt. Hood Community College before he sat out the 2003 season. Freshman Travis Ramme could move up to the 400 or 400 hurdles and placed top four for Eugene’s Sheldon High School as a prep senior in the 4A state 100 (fourth) and 200 (third). Freshman Caleb Rexius was a local prep state placer for Churchill High School in the 100 (fifth) and 200 (eighth) as a senior, and will add duty when possible depending on spring football commitments.
The 4x100 relay graduated half of 2003’s third-place Pac-10 unit ? All-American Samie Parker and Jason Willis ? but still has several options. Sophomores Jordan Kent, Matt Scherer and Travis Anderson and hurdler Eric Mitchum saw frequent work last season and could team with freshmen Travis Ramme and Caleb and Sol Rexius, sophomore hurdler AK Ikwuakor or redshirt junior horizontal jumper Leonidas Watson. The 4x400 welcomes back its entire NCAA unit and West Regional runners-up from last season, and could inject junior transfer Scott Lamb (47.2) into the mix. Last year’s combo of Anderson, Kent, Scherer and hurdler Brandon Holliday improved two seconds from a 25th-place pre-meet national ranking and stood 11th in the prelims with a school record (3:06.73).
Hurdles
Returnees - 60H-i - 110H - 400H
Newcomers - 110H - 300H/400H Sophomore Eric Mitchum vied for top freshman honors nationally in 2003 in the 110 hurdles. The Calumet City, Ill., native led newcomers in the NCAA semifinals (12th, 13.89) and ended with the second-fastest time of the year nationally (13.73w/13.75). The latter clocking ranked second all-time for the Ducks behind recent All-American Micah Harris (13.67) and tops among Pac-10 and West Regional returnees in 2004. At the Pac-10 level, Mitchum may run the 400 hurdles, and last season he missed the league final by one place and .16 seconds with his prelim effort (52.60).
Eric Mitchum, Fr. - 60H 7.86 - 110H 13.73w/13.75 - 400H 52.12
Brandon Holliday, Sr. - 400H 50.73
AK Ikwuakor, So.-TR - 110H 14.14 - / 400H 51.99
Sol Rexius, Fr. - 110H 14.12 (HS) - 300H 38.16a
Senior Brandon Holliday capped his junior season with NCAA appearances in the 400 hurdles and 4x400 relay, and claimed a gutty Pac-10 win as a sophomore. He enters the season ranked seventh all-time for the Ducks and barely a second away from the school record (49.64).
The Ducks could receive immediate help in both hurdles events from sophomore transfer AK Ikwuakor. The Colorado acquisition scored in the 2003 Big 12 finale in the 400 hurdles (fourth) and was a regional qualifier in both events. His 110-hurdle best (14.14) would rank 10th in school history and his 400-hurdle mark is only a half-second away from similar status. Freshman and local product Sol Rexius won the 4A state 110 (14.37) and 300 hurdles (38.16) titles as a senior, and will add duty depending on spring football commitments.
Middle Distances
Returnees - 400 - 800
Newcomers - 400 - 800
Ryan Flaherty, So. - 800 1:49.65
Roderick Dotts, Jr.-TR - 400 47.7 - 800 1:48.41
Jeff DeWolf, Fr. - 400 49.9 - 800 1:53.59
In one of the most challenging events strategically, sophomore Ryan Flaherty raced like a battle-tested veteran in his Pac-10 800 debut (third) and followed with an appearance in the regional final. His freshman personal best (1:49.65) was 2 1/2 seconds faster than his prep best, and less than a second shy of the all-time Duck top-10 list.
Barton Community College transfer Roderick Dotts could add scoring punch in the Ducks’ championship runs. The junior from Barton Community College won 2003 indoor national titles as a sophomore in the 600 (1:18.19) and 1,000 (2:29.36), and his 800 best (1:48.41) from 2003 ranked 17th among American collegians at all levels. Another newcomer, freshman Jeff DeWolf, was fourth as a senior in the 4A state 800 finale and fifth in the 400 for Mountain View High School in Bend.
Distances
Returnees - 800/1,500 - 3K/Steeple - 5K/10K
Newcomers - 800 - 1,500/Mile - 3K/3,200
Jason Hartmann, RSr. - 3,000 7:59.43-i/- 5,000 13:53.53-i / 10,000 28:31.96
Ryan Andrus, RSr. - 800 1:53.91/ 1,500 - 3:46.5 - 3,000 8:01.22-i/- 5,000 14:06.33-i/ 10,000 29:11.04
Eric Logsdon, RJr. - 1,500 3:48.51 - 3,000 8:10.66 - 5,000 3:52.62
Brett Holts, RJr. - 3,000 8:25.75 - Steeple 8:48.81 - 5,000 14:44.42
Noel Paulson, RJr. - 1,500 3:48.21 - Mile 4:04.31 - 3,000 8:18.35
Kyle Alcorn, Fr. - 800 1:57 - 1,600 - 4:14 - 3,200 8:53
Mike McGrath, Fr. - 800 - 1:48.56 - 1,500 3:47.5 - Mile - 4:05.28
Alec Wall, Fr. - - 1,500 3:54.3 - 1,600 - 4:18.34 - 3,000 8:14.77-i
Patrick Werhane, Fr. - 1,500 4:08 - 3,000 / 8:42
The distance corps is one of UO’s most experienced units and will again match up against the nation’s deepest conference and regional. Four Ducks made NCAA outdoor appearances last season, and the quartet has combined for 11 All-America honors in outdoor track and cross country (7XC/4 TF).
Redshirt senior Jason Hartmann will try and become the Ducks’ first four-time All-American in the 10,000, after he finished top four in three NCAA finales and all distinctly higher than his pre-meet NCAA seedings. His personal best of 28:31.96 from the 2003 NCAA meet ranks third all-time for the Ducks, and during the regular season look for him in the 3,000 (7:59.43) or 5,000 (13:53.53) with the team’s fastest current indoor clockings from the 2003 slate.
In 2003, redshirt junior Eric Logsdon lowered his 5,000 personal best by 12 seconds (13:52.62) and dipped under 14:00 in three races, including the NCAA final (eighth, 13:59.00). With another 10-second improvement, he could land on the UO all-time top-10 list (10th is 13:43.82), and is a two-time harrier All-American (29th in ?03, 41st in ?02).
Redshirt senior Ryan Andrus stepped up on the NCAA outdoor oval in 2003 with a 10,000 personal best and missed an All-America nod by only one place and once second (13th, 29:11.04). Indoors, he foreshadowed his success with indoor 3,000 and 5,000 bests and NCAA provisional marks of 8:01.22 and 14:06.33. Another fellow harrier All-American, Brett Holts, looks for an NCAA track return in the steeplechase. The Bend native climbed to second in the Pac-10 steeple in 2003 and his personal best from two weeks before (8:48.81) led the Pac-10 charts. Redshirt junior Noel Paulson was an NCAA provisional qualifier in the mile in 2002 (4:04.31), and the two-time Pac-10 qualifier leads Duck veterans in the 1,500 (3:48.21).
Freshman Mike McGrath led the national prep list in the 800 as a senior in 2003 (1:48.56), and followed with a state title (1:51.27) for Grant High School in Portland, and runner-up U.S. Junior Champs finish (1:49.36). He made a Hayward Field appearance last May in the Oregon Twilight as a prep senior and finished second in the Bill McChesney Jr. Memorial Twilight Mile (4:05.28).
A solid freshman class may redshirt this season to ease the collegiate transition. After running only three prep seasons, Kyle Alcorn was the California 3,200 champion as a junior and runner-up as a senior in the 3,200 and cross country. Portland native Alec Wall ran his 3,000 best early his senior season indoors (8:14.77) and placed top three in the 4A state 1,500 (third, 3:54.30) and 3,000 (second, 8:17.12). In his collegiate cross country debut last fall, Beaverton native Patrick Werhane was the only Duck newcomer to score in three collegiate meets ? not surprising after he took top five in the 4A state harrier meet as a senior (fourth) and junior (fifth).
Jumps
Returnees - HJ - PV - LJ - TJ
Newcomers - HJ - PV - LJ - TJ
Jeff Lindsey, So. - HJ 7-2
Teddy Davis, So. - HJ 7-0 1/4
Trevor Woods, Sr. - PV 17-8 1/2
Jon Derby, RSo. - PV 16-6 3/4
David Moore, RFr. - PV 16-8 3/4
Jordan Kent, So. - - LJ 25-1 1/4w
Derek Strubel, Jr. - - TJ 50-3 1/2w/49-5 1/2
Joseph Reiter, Fr. - HJ 6-11
Leonidas Watson, RJr.-Tr. - LJ 25-8 - TJ 53-0
Steve Green, Fr. - 6-4 - LJ 20-9 - TJ 45-7
Jacob Tolbert, Fr. - LJ 22-10 - TJ 45-7
The Ducks’ rapid ascent to the top of the conference has relied on a strong foundation in the jumps, and this year’s young unit should again make major contributions.
The Pac-10 pole vault should be one of the most exciting events to watch this year. Oregon looks particularly strong with a two-time All-American, several other 17-foot threats, and the 2003 national prep athlete of the year, countered by a league field that features three All-Americans and another top-10 NCAA veteran.
Senior Trevor Woods will set his sights higher after a coming of age junior season. The three-time top-10 NCAA finisher made major adjustments to his technique to increase his top end potential and still came away with a second All-America honor in the 2003 NCAA outdoor finale (eighth). He ranks fourth on the Oregon all-time list based on his sophomore outdoor season best (18-0 1/2), less than a month after he nailed an indoor best of 17-11 3/4 that nabbed third in the NCAA finale.
Redshirt sophomore Jon Derby raised his personal best by seven inches last season to 16-6 3/4 for his first Pac-10 and regional invites. Redshirt freshman David Moore redshirted last season to add speed and strength, and upped his personal best to 16-8 3/4 ? two inches better than his previous best from his prep All-America career. Redshirt sophomore Andy Young could add his name to the Pac-10 qualifying fold after he upped his personal best eight inches as a freshman to 15-9.
Freshman Tommy Skipper carries on the family’s Duck track tradition from older brothers Scott and Art, the latter a former school javelin record holder and NCAA champion. The Sandy High School product broke the national record in his 2003 Golden West win (18-3), and won U.S. junior titles in 2002 and 2003, to go along with a hat trick of state 4A pole vault titles and four state meet records.
The Ducks’ young high jump corps will look to raise the bar with a pair of sophomores with seven foot credentials and another freshman only an inch away. Sophomore Jeff Lindsey popped a best of 7-2 as a prep senior, and led the Ducks as a freshman in the 2003 West Regional (ninth). Fellow sophomore Teddy Davis opened his Duck career indoors in 2003 with a 7-0 1/4 clearance ? a 1 1/4-inch personal best ? and was 10th outdoors in his Pac-10 debut. Freshman Joseph Reiter was a top German prep and owns a best of 6-11.
Redshirt junior Leonidas Watson stands out as a key addition with NCAA potential in both the triple and long jump. A USA Champs triple jump qualifier in 2003, the St. Louis Community College product owns personal bests of 53-0 and 25-9 that would rank fourth and seventh-best all-time in UO history, respectively, and also top-four in last year’s Pac-10 rankings.
After limited long jump duty in 2003, sophomore Jordan Kent may compete occasionally in his former specialty, although his double duty in basketball will significantly limit his preseason training. Last season he long jumped twice in April off limited work, and his season best of 24-0 3/4 was a couple inches shy of his wind-legal prep best.
Junior triple jumper Derek Strubel quietly added to the scoring column in the league dogfight (seventh) last year. This year he’ll chase a third Pac-10 trip, with a spot on the Oregon all-time list in sight (10th is 50-9 1/4).
Several newcomers could add depth or redshirt depending on their immediate potential. Freshman Steve Green won a pair of Montana triple jump state titles, and placed top five in the state high jump (third) and long jump (fifth) as a senior. Freshman Jacob Tolbert hails from San Jose, Calif., and owns bests of 22-10 in the long jump and 45-7 in the triple jump.
Throws
Returnees - SP - DT - HT - JT
Newcomers - SP - DT - HT - JT
Adam Jenkins, Sr. - JT 222-4
Jon Derby, RSo. - JT 189-9
Paul Etter, Jr.-TR - SP 48-4 - DT 153-5 - HT 199-3
Brandon Tower, Fr. - SP 59-9 (HS) - DT 184-0 (HS)
In 2003’s championship run, senior javelin thrower Adam Jenkins came up with two of his best career throws in the Pac-10 (first, 217-9) and West Regional (222-4) ? and missed the NCAA cut by only four feet. This season he looms as the top regional returnee after last year’s top six finishers graduated, and will try to raise Oregon’s Pac-10 javelin win streak to four straight.
Sophomore Jon Derby could lend duty in the dual setting, as the Pac-10 pole vault qualifier chucked the spear once last year at home, and his daily best of 189-9 was less than 10 feet from the Pac-10 and regional standards.
Junior transfer Paul Etter follows his All-America sister Mary Etter’s tracks to Duckville and owns the squad’s top marks in the shot put and discus. The Everett, Wash., native won the NWAACC league hammer title (199-3) in 2003 for Clackamas Community College and was second in the conference discus as a freshman in 2002.
The unit’s only freshman, freshman Brandon Tower won the 2003 4A state title for Beaverton High School in the shot put (59-1) and took second in the discus (182-2), and could add duty in the hammer, but may redshirt.
Decathlon
Returnees - Score
Newcomers - Score
Andy Young, RSo. - Dec 7,017w
Gabriel LeMay, RSr. - Dec 6,832
Ryan Voge, RSo.-TR - 6,448
Ben Looney - 6,014
Bobby Owen, RFr. - NM
The Ducks said farewell to NCAA decathlon champion Santiago Lorenzo in 2003, but still have several other Pac-10 scoring hopefuls back. The Ducks will have their work cut out to repeat a fourth straight Pac-10 title, but they have the depth to continue a string of three, top-nine league finishers every year since 2001. In that stretch, the decathlon has been the Ducks’ biggest Pac-10 point producer with an average of more than 15 points a year.
Redshirt sophomore Andy Young continues to make sizable point gains and leads Duck Pac-10 veterans after he matched his pre-meet rank (fifth) as the youngest of the Ducks’ three, top-five placers in the 2003 league decathlon. Redshirt senior Gabriel LeMay looks to join the scoring column after a April hamstring injury shortened his 2003 season. The area product from Yoncalla, Ore., arrived from nearby Lane Community College with a best of 6,832 points from the 2002 NWAACC conference finale and ranks second in LCC history behind world champion Tom Pappas.
Among newcomers, redshirt sophomore Ryan Voge, transferred from New Mexico and was fifth in the 2003 Mountain West Championships (PR 6,448), and sports solid open bests in the high jump (6-8) and long jump (22-9). Redshirt freshman Bobby Owen owns impressive jump potential with solid prep bests in the high jump (6-8) and triple jump (46-8) to go along with a 400 best of 50.21. True freshman Ben Looney may redshirt with the Ducks’ depth after he took ninth in the 2003 U.S. Junior Championships (5,972). His personal best with international implements (6,014) was tops nationally among preps last season.
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