It seemed almost natural for Mike Simmons to become a Duck.
He wanted a school on the West Coast. Oregon has a strong tradition in the javelin. He had friends at Oregon, including several throwers already on the team.
The only thing he needed was the comfort level of being ready for a four-year university.
“A lot of it was a transition based on how I felt academically, what I could handle,” he said. “I didn’t think I could handle a four-year school right off the bat.”
After spending two years at Clackamas Community College where he twice won the Northwest Athletic Association of Community Colleges javelin title, Simmons felt he was ready.
Mike Simmons
Year: | Junior |
Major: | Sociology |
Event: | Javelin |
Career best: | 226-8 at UCLA dual meet (sixth all-time at Oregon) |
Career Highlights: | 2006, 2007 NWAACC javelin champion; 2005 Oregon State 4A runner-up (lost to current teammate Alex Wolff by five inches) |
He had interest from several schools, including Arkansas, but it came down to Oregon and Fresno State.
“I got to know Coach (Lance Deal) and he seemed like a really good guy to be around and I also knew Alex (Wolff),” he said. “It’s also funded by Nike, which is always a plus. They take good care of you as far as the apparel. I saw the training facility and that was just incredible.”
He had also been in touch with Ryan Brandel, the 2007 Pacific-10 Conference javelin champion for the Ducks, who he had been friends with since they were league rivals in high school.
“He talked to me a little about the program,” Simmons said. “I kinda fed off him a little bit, so him talking to me gave me even more of a reason to come here.”
Now that he’s at Oregon, he’s already made his mark on the team.
“He’s been a big part of the team since he got here,” associate head coach Dan Steele said. “He’s very well liked, he fits in perfectly into our program and he meshes with the personalities on the team.”
He’s also comfortable with school.
“I’m really happy with the way everything has gone and academically things are going well too, so I’m just trying to stay on top of that now,” he said.
Going into this weekend’s Pac-10 Championships in Tempe, Ariz., Simmons and Wolff currently rank fourth and eighth, respectively. Simmons is confident the two of them will step up at the right time.
“I definitely hope to score as much as possible and I know Alex will have a big day,” he said. “He always does great at the end of the year. Right down through these last couple meets it will be a good time for us to both step up and shine.”
Simmons knows firsthand Wolff’s ability to come up with a big throw at the right time.
At the 2005 Oregon high school state championships, when Simmons was a senior at Clackamas High School and Wolff a senior at Newberg High, Simmons took what he recalls being a 10 or 12 foot lead to the final throw of the entire competition with a throw of 213 feet even.
On that final throw, Wolff uncorked a throw of 213-5 to just edge Simmons.
“At the end of the season he comes to play,” he said. “I can rely on that as far as a teammate that’s going to go out and get it.”
The wild card coming to the end of the season is a series of nagging injuries.
Earlier this year, he said he tore his groin and upper adductor muscle and has been having a recurring problem with his forearm. Depending on how he feels, he expects to have a big end of the season.
“I’m feeling pretty confident,” he said. “I usually do well after a good 8 to 10 days rest, and going into this I have a lot of rest. I’m a lot stronger and I think the only thing that’s been holding me back is injury, so if I can get down really warm, get fast and just feel good, there’s no reason why I can’t throw further.”
USC’s Corey White has the farthest throw in the conference this year, 30 feet better than second-ranked Jon Jeffreys of Washington State and more than 40 feet better than Simmons’ best, a toss of 226-8 at the UO-UCLA dual met in April that ranks sixth all-time at Oregon.
While he knows it isn’t likely he’ll find himself atop the winner’s podium, he’s not ruling it out.
“On any day of the week, anybody can throw far and that’s the way I try to look at it,” he said.
Steele said Simmons has the potential to follow in the steps of Brandel and the three other Pac-10 javelin champs the Ducks have had since 2001.
“This is a kid who’s really focused,” he said. “When you watch him train and watch him compete, I think he’s going to have a very good career while he’s here. I see him as being another in a long line of very talented throwers.”
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