Track and Field
- Title:
- Director of Operations
Returning for his fourth season with the Ducks, Skip Pickens enters his third year in one of its most vital functions, director of track and field operations.
The Beaverton, Ore., native and Eugene resident helps oversee administrative, recruiting, and student- athlete relations, and event planning and travel.
In 2001-02, Pickens joined the program as a men's volunteer distance coach, and assisted head coach Martin Smith. The cross country squad made its 27th NCAA appearance and improved on a 14th-place pre-meet ranking with a 13th-place finish among the 31-team field. Earlier in the year, the squad claimed third-place Pac-10 and West Regional finishes against fields that boasted five and seven top-25 ranked teams, respectively. On the track, 10K runner Jason Hartmann notched his second top-four NCAA finish (fourth) and was second among collegians in the USA Championships (eighth, 28:46.76), and five others - Adam Bergquist (3,000, 8:10.35), Eric Logsdon (5K, 14:04.85), John Lucas (5K, 14:16.40) and Noel Paulson (mile, 4:04.31) registered NCAA provisional marks indoors or outdoors.
The Beaverton, Ore., native possesses a diverse array of knowledge of endurance training, kinesiology and physiology, while the Ducks will also tap his extensive background in teaching and computer programming.
Before joining the Duck staff, Pickens assisted area post-collegiate coach Dr. Richard Brown, who has guided several Olympic distance runners. Earlier in his career, Pickens also served as an advisor to former Eugene resident Steve Plasencia, an Olympian and World Championships qualifier in the 5,000 and 10,000.
Other professional experience includes work as a P.E. instructor at Oak Hill School and the Fun Times county youth program.
In 1998, he earned a master's degree in exercise physiology from the University of Oregon, with a graduate thesis on endurance training and its effect on calcium uptake in skeletal muscle.
He received his undergraduate degree from Oregon State University in physical education in 1986, and served as a teaching assistant in the respiratory dynamics lab. He has had various articles published on training, including one in the Medicine and Science in Sport and Exercise journal.
He began his initial association with the University of Oregon as a graduate and undergraduate computer instructor from 1987-93 in statistical, physical education and writing courses. Afterwards, he continued to serve as an instructor in the University's Continuation Center for Microsoft Word, Excel and Works classes.
Off the track, he has worked as an independent computer consultant, assisted LEAP, Incorporated, a personal fitness software application, and has served as a computer instructor for the Willamalane Park and Recreation District.
As an athlete, Pickens competed in the 5,000 and 10,000 meters from 1984-1992, and still trains recreationally.
