Steele Tabbed Regional Assistant Coach of Year for Men's Sprints
EUGENE ? The United States Track and Field Association (USTFCA) recently announced that University of Oregon assistant track and field coach Dan Steele was tabbed its West Regional Assistant Coach of the Year for Men’s Sprints/Hurdles/Relays.
The fifth-year Duck assistant coach picked up his second honor after winning the same award in 2005, thanks to a strong championship run by his fresh-faced sprint corps.
In the NCAA Outdoor Championships last week in Sacramento, junior Marcus Dillon claimed All-America honors in the 400m (ninth-semifinal, 46.18) with a .13-second personal best that moved him up one spot to fifth all-time for UO and far outdistanced his pre-meet seeding (24th).
In days prior in the collegiate finale, Dillon ran in the 4x100m relay prelims with junior Phil Alexander, sophomore Jared Huske and freshman Ashton Eaton, and in the 4x400m relay prelims with Alexander, Eaton and freshman Chad Barlow. Both relays placed 14th overall - two places better than their pre-meet seedings - in times of 40.77 and 3:07.24 ? the latter of which was a 1.50-second season best that ranked 14th in school history. The men's 4x400m relay made its fifth straight NCAA meet appearance, and the 4x100m relay claimed its third straight honor.
In the West Regional finale in Eugene at the end of May, the 4x100m and 4x400m relays both finished third (40.26 / 3:08.79). Individually, Dillon ran a then-personal best in the 400m (second, 46.31) and Huske advanced to the 110m hurdles final (sixth, 14.25, w:1.5).
In the Pacific-10 Conference Championships in mid-May, the Duck relays both placed top four (4x100m, third, 40.63; 4x400, fourth, 3:09.93). Individual event finalists included Alexander (100m, 10.80w, w:3.0 ? injured), Dillon (200m, sixth, 21.41, w:1.1; 400m, third, 46.62) and Huske (110m hurdles, seventh, 14.11, w:1.3; 400m hurdles, eighth, 52.64). UO's top-four Pac-10 relay placings were its sixth and seventh the past four years ? a stretch that has included one win (4x100m, ’06) and four runner-up honors (4x100m, ’05; 4x400m, ’04, ’05, ’06).
All of the aforementioned athletes, except Huske, were championship newcomers in '07 ? and their points helped Oregon score its sixth straight Pac-10 Championships top-two team finish ? a span that has also included three Pac-10 team titles.
Other Ducks besides Dillon that made appearances on UO’s all-time outdoor top-10 lists in ?07 included Alexander (200m, 10th, 21.07) and Huske (110m hurdles, eighth, 14.02).
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