Wheating Named USTFCCCA West Region Track Athlete of the Year
DES MOINES, Iowa ? Oregon sophomore Andrew Wheating was selected as the West Region men’s track athlete of the year by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA), that organization announced Tuesday.
Undefeated in nine races this season, Wheating won the 800 meters at both the Pacific-10 Conference and NCAA West Regional championships. He is seeded fourth in the upcoming NCAA Championships and will run his first preliminary heat Wednesday night at Drake Stadium.
Wheating opened the season by winning the 1,500 meters at the April 5 Pepsi Team Invitational (3:47.11). He followed that with a victory in the 800 (1:48.83) to help the Ducks win the April 19 Oregon-UCLA dual meet.
His season picked up with a thrilling 3:58.16 run in the mile to win the race April 25 at the Oregon Relays. In doing so, he became the first person from Vermont to break the 4:00-mile.
He then won the 800 at the May 4 Cardinal Invitational (1:47.82), before running a riveting final 200 meters to win the 1,500 at the May 9 Oregon Twilight, crossing the tape in a personal best 3:38.60. That mark is the sixth-best time in school history.
In the championship season, Wheating won his 800 preliminary heat at the Pac-10 championships (1:48.39) and then came back to win the title in a personal-best 1:46.83, a mark that is fifth all-time at Oregon.
Last week, after winning the NCAA West Regional 800 prelim, he became the regional champion by running first in 1:47.93.
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