One thing characterized by big track meets are large, compound events testing every facet of an athlete’s ability. 

In the winter, at the Ken Shannon Last Chance Invitational, the Ducks competed in the Pentathlon, which consisted of 60m hurdles, 800m run, long jump, high jump and shot put. 

However, the outdoor season brings a slightly different scenario.

As winter turned to spring and the season moved outside, the pentathlon became the heptathlon. 

The hurdles are extended to 100m, a 200m run added to the 800m, high jump, long jump, shot put and the final addition, javelin throw. The heptathlon is also a significant mental battle, as it spans over two days, with each event having no leeway to make mistakes. 

Each event is scored for an overall total, which is based on how each competitor did in the event. For example, a 0.20 second difference in the 100m hurdles equates to about a 30-40 point difference between the two athletes.

Over the course of the event, those losses add up and those 0.20 seconds mean a whole lot when it’s the difference between gold and silver. 

That’s exactly where the Ducks excel. 

This weekend marked the final Pac-12 Outdoor Championship, and as history has shown, Oregon is looking to command another heptathlon leaderboard. The Ducks’ team of experienced upperclassmen is both the most successful and the team with the most members. 

While one may think that “TrackTown USA” would obviously host the most heptathletes, that logic is mistaken. Heptathlon is not competed at every outdoor track event. 

Heptathlons require a lot of different infrastructure for a variety of events to be completed. That means that each meet, even the Oregon Twilight meet, may not have the capability to host all of those events to score for a heptathlon. 

At the same time, the team needs to field athletes for every event, and due to their expansive skill sets, there isn’t always room for them to compete in the heptathlon. 

Take heptathlete Colleen Uzoekwe, for example. 

Uzoekwe last competed at the Twilight meet and placed first in the meet’s shot put.

Senior Taylor Chocek placed first in the 100m hurdles and was a part of the winning 4x400m relay team at the Oregon Preview, which also included Uzoekwe and another heptathlete, Gianna Bullock. 

All three of them are currently competing in the heptathlon at the Pac-12 Championship in Boulder, Colo. 

Per usual standards, Oregon currently holds the first, third, fourth and ninth positions out of the 13 athletes in the event. 

There is no sign of stopping as the event wraps up. 

Chocek, the leader, will enter two of her most successful events over the course of both the indoor and outdoor seasons: the long jump and javelin throw. If she falters, there is no doubt that Uzoekwe or Annika Williams will pick up the slack. 

Oregon simply has more chances than the other teams for the heptathlon. 

The athleticism needed to achieve success in all seven events is incredible, and with the unique capabilities of each of the heptathletes, it provides Oregon with a plethora of athletes for any competitive event. 

Being able to slot in any individual event on any given day is a tremendous talent. At the same time, being able to fit into the broad heptathlon category is a tremendous accomplishment. 

Just one athlete competing in the event is impressive, but for a school to trot out four heptathletes and them all to compete at a high level is almost unheard of. 

As the Pac-12 Championship comes to a close, it will almost assuredly be Oregon standing alone at the top, maybe top three or four of the heptathlon leaderboard. 

This team has its eyes on the hometown showcase that will be the NCAA Outdoor Championships at Hayward Field in the first weekend of June. 

This will end up being the real test for these Ducks, as they tend to compete against each other when in more regional competitions. 

As it stands, the Ducks are primed to take at least three out of the top four spots in the conference title and move on to dominate as the season moves forward. All four of Oregon’s heptathletes have the capability to take a top medal in this contest, while the rest of the conference falls behind TrackTown.