The Pacific-10 Conference Championships begin this week with the heptathlon and decathlon events, and the No. 2 Oregon men and No. 4 Oregon women hope for a fast start.
Oregon athletes hold the top two marks in both multi-event competitions, with NCAA champion Ashton Eaton the overwhelming favorite in what is considered a weak field in the decathlon. On the women’s side, sophomore Brianne Theisen holds the best heptathlon mark on the year – 5,643 points, more than 100 short of her personal best – and a good chance at a conference title. Theisen was the heptathlon runner-up last year to former Arizona State athlete and Beijing Olympian Jacquelyn Johnson.
In addition to Eaton, Marshall Ackley and Aaron McVein hold the second- and fifth-best decathlon marks in the Pac-10, respectively. The women’s depth in the event is just as impressive, with Kalindra McFadden holding the second-best Pac-10 mark and Erin Funkhouser holding the seventh-best. Should those marks hold true to form, the Ducks would enter next weekend’s Pac-10 events with 22 points for the men and 20 points for the women, a sizeable lead with the Hayward Field crowd behind them.
“Nothing’s going to be given to either of those athletes,” said Dan Steele, associate director of track and field, and coach of Oregon’s heptathletes and decathletes. “If we can pull off the one-two finish in both events, that’s a historic weekend for us.”
The forgotten decathlete
For Oregon to make history, Ackley will have to make his presence felt tomorrow afternoon. The junior from Nyssa, Ore., has competed in Eaton’s shadow for much of his career, but eight points from him for second place could go a long way in helping the Ducks win their third straight conference title.
“He’s going to be a tough guy to beat,” Steele said. “But right now, he’s hovering around that 7,000-point mark and it’d be nice to see him get to 7,100 or 7,200 and get into nationals. Second place, for him, is attainable, but he’s going to have to really work.
“He’s got his mind right, he’s focused, he’s excited. His training is terrific right now. I expect him to continue to improve.”
To this point in his career, Ackley has done just that. He set a new personal best of 6,933 points at the Oregon Relays on April 23, hitting an NCAA West Regional provisional qualifying mark for the first time in his career. His previous personal best was 6,866 points, accrued at last year’s Pac-10 Championships.
“It felt amazing. I felt like I put together a complete decathlon,” Ackley said.
“Marshall is having an unbelievable year,” Eaton said. “In a big competition like this, he has the potential to PR.”
In Nyssa, a small town 12 miles south of Ontario and mere minutes from the Oregon-Idaho border, Ackley grew up living the small-town athlete ideal. He played football and basketball in addition to running track in high school, specializing in the 110m hurdles, 300m hurdles and pole vault. Ackley also engaged in fishing and hunting outside of sanctioned competitive sports.
“I think it’s a bylaw in Nyssa that you have to play at least two or three sports,” Ackley said. “It’s a close-knit town, but they support you whether you do good or bad. It’s a great surrounding.”
Ackley considered attending Western Oregon University or joining the military after his senior year, but a recruiting trip to Oregon during spring break of his senior year sold him. Despite competing in only two decathlons in high school, Steele pegged Ackley for the event early on.
“Honestly, it has kinda taken me a while to get the hang of things,” Ackley said. “I’ve been developing behind (Ashton). He’s so good that it makes me want to be better.”
Specializing in the hurdles and pole vault, Ackley had to adjust to more specialized events such as the shot put, discus and 1,500m run – along with the associated grind with competing in all 10 events during two days.
“It’s a little overwhelming at first, but the coaches are so great with taking it one little step at a time,” he said.
With his recent improvement, Ackley may be in for a big step this weekend.
“I’m shooting for, this weekend, to get a better score,” he said. “Hopefully Ashton and Aaron will push me.”