Student Athlete of the Week - April 28 - May 4
A.J. Acosta has been named the GoDucks.com Student-Athlete of the Week for the week of April 28 - May 4.
Acosta, a sophomore from Oceanside, CA, posted a historic time in the 1,500 meters this past Sunday in the Payton Jordan Cardinal Invitational in Stanford, running the fastest 1,500 meters by a Duck in 24 years. Acosta's personal best time of 3:40.52 was the third best time in the elite heat. Acosta was the fastest collegian, edging Stanford's Russell Brown by less than half a second. Acosta's 1,500 meter time was the fourth-best in the nation according to Trackshark.com, and was the fastest 1,500 meters by an Oregon runner since Joaquim Cruz set the school record in the event during the 1984 NCAA Championship with a time of 3:36.48.
Acosta and the rest of the Oregon Track and Field team will compete in the last home meet of the season this Friday in the Oregon Twilight at Hayward Field.
The Acosta File
Returns as sophomore on the track in 2007-08 after impressive freshman track campaign in '07 that featured NCAA invitations indoors and outdoors in mile and 1,500m, respectively - UO's first runner to compete in both NCAA events the same year. Ran fastest indoor mile nationally among collegiate freshmen in '07 (4:00.37) with mark that ranks third overall all-time for UO. Also a two-time U.S. junior champion in outdoor 1,500m - only the third ever to repeat the feat in the event. In collegiate debut cross country season, was an All-Pac-10 Second Team selection and ran in NCAA Championships for the national cross country champions. As a prep, was a three-time national high school champion as a senior in 2005-06 ? once in cross country and twice on the track in the 1,500m and 2-mile. California state 1,600m and cross country champion, and added a pair of state runner-up honors in 3,200m and cross country.
Fall 2007: All-Pac-10 Second Team. In first cross country season, was one of nation’s top freshmen and a consistent contributor on the national champions with top-six team finishes his last five races of the season. Made NCAA debut and ranked sixth for the national champions. Opened postseason with All-Pac-10 Second Team honor for his 12th-place league finish (23:24), and also placed 24th in the West Regional (24th, 30:49). Opened season in the Dellinger Invitational (26th, 24:01), then added sixth in the Mike Hodges Invitational mid-season (19:43).
2006-07: All-American (Mile) / NCAA Qualifier (1,500m). Outdoors on track, earned NCAA at-large invitation in 1,500m after he ranked second for team in the Pac-10 Championships (fifth, 3:48.30) and West Regional (ninth, 3:48.43). Sped to a 6.26-second season best in April’s Oregon Invitational (3:42.40) that was the second-fastest time nationally by freshmen and tops overall on the team. Closed outdoor season by defending his USA Junior Championships 1,500m title (3:49.53). A month later in July, finished second (3:56.64) in Pan American Junior Championships, only .01 seconds behind UO teammate Matthew Centrowitz. Indoors, made second-ever NCAA mile appearance by a Duck (13th, 4:06.47). Ranked eighth among collegians in mile at indoor regular season's end with personal best from Husky Last Chance Qualifier (third, 4:00.37). Also was an NCAA provisional qualifier in both of his 3,000m races, and his personal best (8:02.80) was only .74 seconds shy of UO's fifth-fastest all-time indoors (Micah Davis, 8:02.06, 1999) and ranked 43rd among collegians in '07. In early March, ran 1,600m anchor leg on indoor school record distance medley relay at Alex Wlison Invitational (12th, (9:37.95) that was an NCAA provisional qualifier and ranked the squad 14th nationally in '07. Also ran 1,200m opening leg on DMR that ranks fourth all-time for UO in UW Indoor Invitational (third, 9:41.64) and again met NCAA provisional standard (9:45.70). Overall, competed in 23 races, including 19 individual races (outdoors 14 - 800m 1; 1,500m 12; 5,000m 1; indoors - 4 - Mile 2; 3,000m 2), and five distance relays (outdoors - distance medley relay, 4xMile; Indoors - DMR (3)). Redshirted cross country season, and competed unattached in Mike Hodges Invitational and finished sixth overall (4 miles). Personal / Season Bests: Outdoors - 1,500m - 3:42.40 (PR), Oregon Invitational, Eugene (4/20/07); 5,000m - 14:10.47 (PR), Stanford Invitational, Stanford (3/31/07). Indoors - Mile - 4:00.37 (PR), NCAA Last Chance Qualifier, Seattle (3/3/07); 3,000m - 8:02.80, Mountain Pacific Championships, Seattle (2/24/07).
| Week 1 | August 26 - September 1 | Football | Dennis Dixon |
| Week 2 | September 2 - 8 | Football | Dennis Dixon |
| Week 3 | September 9-16 | Football | Jonathan Stewart |
| Week 4 | September 17-23 | Football | Cameron Colvin |
| Week 5 | September 24-30 | Volleyball | Heather Meyers |
| Week 6 | October 1-7 | Soccer | |
| Week 7 | October 8-14 | Football | Nick Reed |
| Week 8 | October 15-21 | Football | Jonathan Stewart |
| Week 9 | October 22-28 | Cross Country | Shadrack Kiptoo-Biwott |
| Week 10 | October 29 - November 4 | Football | Nick Reed |
| Week 11 | November 5-11 | Volleyball | Gorana Maricic |
| Week 12 | November 12-18 | Basketball | Malik Hairston |
Week 13 | November 19-25 | Cross Country | |
| Week 14 | November 26 - December 2 | Volleyball | Sonja Newcombe |
| Week 15 | December 3-9 | Wrestling | Ryan Dunn |
| Week 16 | December 10-16 | Wrestling | |
| Week 17 | December 24-30 | Basketball | Maarty Leunen |
| Week 18 | December 31- January 6 | Football | Jonathan Stewart |
| Week 19 | January 7-13 | Basketball | Malik Hairston |
| Week 20 | January 14-20 | Basketball | Tamika Nurse |
| Week 21 | January 21-27 | Tennis | |
| Week 22 | January 28 - February 3 | Track & Field | Ashton Eaton |
| Week 23 | February 4-10 | Wrestling | Ryan Dunn |
| Week 24 | February 11-17 | Softball | Neena Bryant |
| Week 25 | February 18-24 | Lacrosse | Ilsa van den Berg |
| Week 26 | February 25 -March 2 | Track & Field | Alexandra Kosinski |
| Week 27 | March 3-9 | Basketball | Maarty Leunen |
| Week 28 | March 10-16 | Softball | Neena Bryant |
| Week 29 | March 17-23 | Track & Field | Jamesha Youngblood |
| Week 30 | March 24-30 | Lacrosse | Lindsay Killian |
| Week 31 | March 31 - April 6 | Track & Field | Phil Alexander |
| Week 32 | April 7-13 | Golf | Cathryn Bristow |
| Week 33 | April 14-20 | Track & Field | Marcus Dillon |
| Week 34 | April 21-27 | Track & Field | Andrew Wheating |
| Week 35 | April 28 - May 4 | Track & Field | A.J. Acosta |
