Two of Oregon’s biggest stars-one regaining his confidence after an injury and the other riding momentum-shined in Palo Alto, Calif. on Saturday, and three more big finishes by Ducks on Sunday helped propel the men’s track and field squad to a team victory in the Pacific-10 Conference Championships. The title is the Oregon men’s third in five seasons.
Senior Tommy Skipper and junior Galen Rupp each picked up individual wins in their respective events on Saturday, which yielded four men’s regional marks and saw the Ducks tied for first with Arizona with 47 points. On Sunday, javelin thrower Ryan Brandel and hammer thrower Brian Richotte each took first to drive up the Ducks’ team-point total.
Before the last event on Sunday, the 4×400 meter relay, Oregon was leading with 109 points, followed by Arizona State (105), USC (100), Arizona (90) and UCLA (88). Though USC won the event (3:07.36), the Ducks’ fourth-place finish of 3:09.93 was enough to clinch the title.
Oregon’s men finished with 114 total points. Arizona State placed second overall with 111 points and USC came in third with 110 points.
Skipper, who made his first clearance since partially tearing a left calf muscle in February, cleared his first attempt and hit a regional qualifying mark of 17-feet, 10 1/2 inches, better than the standard 16-6 3/4.
Skipper, a four-time NCAA champion, easily made his first attempt of 17-2 3/4 and then passed on his attempts at the next bar, which was set at 17-6 1/2.
“It took a lot of weight off my mind after I made that first one,” Skipper said in a press release. “I’ve only been able to practice twice in the past two weeks, so I knew that might be the toughest one. I’ve been so nervous the past week, but once I got out here I felt calmer.”
His first attempt at 17-10 1/2 was a success, while Washington freshman Scott Roth needed two attempts to convert the same height. Both Skipper and Roth missed their three attempts at the final contested height of 18-2 1/2.
The victory marks Skipper’s third in his career at Oregon. With it, he becomes only the second Pac-10 pole-vaulter to win three conference titles. He also won in 2004 as a freshman and in 2006 as a junior. Skipper said he is focusing on the future now.
“It seems like every time I’m hurt, that I learn a greater lesson from it down the road,” Skipper said. “I’m going to concentrate everything I have from now on trying to build towards the Olympic Trials.”
Rupp, who snapped a 25-year-old school record and the American collegiate record at the Cardinal Invitational late last month , broke loose in the same event over the weekend, to claim a first-place finish in the 10,000m in a time of 29 minutes, 7.84 seconds on Saturday. That day, Oregon scored six total top-eight finishes in the 10,000m, steeplechase and long jump.
“I did my best for the team,” Rupp said in a press release. “This track has been good to me lately. I was lucky that we didn’t have to race as hard last night in the 10,000m, because I knew the 5,000m field was too good and someone would put a surge in.”
Running conservatively in the lead pack, Rupp pushed ahead at the 8,000 meter mark and soon built up a 30-meter lead, heading toward the finish line nearly four seconds ahead of the second-place finisher.
On Sunday, Rupp ran for another first-place finish in the 5,000m, finishing in a time of 14:02.00. With the victory, he became the third Duck to ever perform such a feat.
Two more first-place finishes came on Sunday. Javelin thrower Ryan Brandel registered a 235-04, to help Oregon claim its ninth Pac-10 javelin title and its fourth since 2001. It was Brandel’s second best meet of 2007. Last month, he landed a season-best 238-0.
“I love championship meets because the team is counting on every throw,” Brandel said. “Technically I felt pretty good. I wasn’t holding it down like I have recently, although I did try killing it a couple times late.”
Brandel said he knew the team needed the points and he was eager to help provide some.
“After watching the team scrap for points last night in the 10,000, it made me want to go out there and do the same,” Brandel said.
Senior Brian Richotte, a hammer thrower, took top honors with his toss of 222-11. It was a season best, bettering his 218-8 from last month. It is the Ducks’ seventh Pac-10 hammer title and third since 2002. Richotte knew how pivotal his performance was going in.
“The field was great with six guys over 66 meters, so I knew it would be a tough competition and a dogfight for the points,” Richotte said. “Because of that, I focused only on my technique because I knew that if that was on, the mark and place would take care of itself.”
In the 400m race, junior Marcus Dillon finished third in 46.62. In the 4×400, he was told that he had to finish in the top four, so he made that his goal.
“When I got the baton, I immediately sized up where I was at and saw that I was already next to the top five, so that was good,” Dillon said. “With 150m I said to myself that I had better start trying to catch those guys because the last 100m goes by so fast.”
In more 10,000m action, sophomores Shadrack Kiptoo-Biwott and Scott Wall finish third (29:11.66) and sixth (29:23.84) respectively. Freshman Kenny Klotz registered an eighth-place finish (29:50.26), while redshirt junior Pat Werhane contributed his second straight top-10 finish (10th, 30:19.15). The run marked Wall’s and Klotz’s first 10k event.
In the 3,000m steeplechase, redshirt sophomore Chris Winter placed fourth overall and set a regional-qualifying personal best of 8:51.62.
In the field event finals, freshman long jumper Ashton Eaton added more points with a fifth-place mark in the long jump (23-8 1/4). Redshirt sophomore Mark Lewis recorded his second Pac-10 appearance in the shot put, finishing 11th (54-2 3/4).
Oregon’s distance runners also advanced a trio in the 1,500m. Redshirt junior Michael McGrath finished fourth (3:50.04), freshman A.J. Acosta finished fifth (3:50.51) and redshirt sophomore James Withers recorded a 12th-place finish (3:51.64).
Oregon will next compete in the NCAA West Region Championships May 25-26 at Hayward Field.
Team Scores
1. Oregon 114
2. Arizona State 111
3. USC 110
4. UCLA 92
5. Arizona 91
6. Washington 89
7. Washington St. 84
8. Stanford 72
9. California 56