Every University student should know that Eugene is Track Town, USA. Really, every track and field athlete across the country should know this.
The University of Oregon prides itself on an exceptional track and field program not only on the varsity level, but on the club level as well. Oregon draws some of the most talented runners around the country because of its reputation and many of these students would not have considered Oregon as their collegiate choice were it not for its atmosphere and history.
Take Luke Holladay, for example. A freshman from Reno, Nev., who received running scholarship offers from multiple small, private Division II schools. He elected instead to attend the University.@@http://www.uorunning.com/results11.php@@
“The caliber of running on the club team here is much higher than it would be somewhere else,” Holladay said. “Obviously the club team couldn’t compete with powerhouses like Oregon’s varsity and Stanford, but we could definitely compete with some Division-I varsity programs if we were allowed to.”
The club running team is only allowed to compete with junior varsity squads and redshirts, but many club runners are confident they could compete with many Division I programs.
When asked about his decision to pay tuition rather than compete and attend school on scholarship, Holladay said it wasn’t a tough decision.
“The chance to run in the footsteps of Prefontaine, Salazar, Centrowitz — the list goes on and on; for a runner, that’s like the Holy Grail,” Holladay said. “You get to connect with people you idolize. They trained here, competed here and called this place home and now so do I.”
Trent Warren, another freshman runner from Chula Vista, Calif., agrees with Holladay.@@http://www.uorunning.com/results11.php@@
“Olympic athletes have run on this track,” Warren said. “Here, Hayward Field is in your backyard and that’s really cool.”
Warren began running in his junior year of high school after a knee injury halted his basketball career. Before he began running, Warren never thought of attending Oregon. However, once he started running, he reconsidered.
“After learning about the history of Oregon’s track team, I wanted to become a part of it,” Warren said.
Warren received interest mainly from Cal State Fullerton and California Lutheran University but, like Holladay, ultimately elected to attend Oregon in order to become a part of the Oregon running community and attend a larger school.
“Why Oregon? I mean, honestly, because it’s Track Town, USA,” Warren said when asked about his final college choice. “I’ve only been running for a year and a half, so I wanted to go somewhere with the best opportunity to succeed and bloom as a runner, and I think Oregon provides that.”
Ryan Purcell, a freshman from Irvine, Calif., decided to attend Oregon for the same reason.@@http://www.uorunning.com/results11.php@@
“The Oregon running program, coupled with sports business and the whole athletic environment of Track Town, USA, sparked my interest in attending school here,” Purcell said.
Also a distinguished runner in high school, Purcell received offers to run on multiple Division I varsity teams. He, like Holladay and Warren, wanted to become a part of Oregon’s running community.
“I came here because I wanted to try and make the Oregon varsity track team, because it has the reputation of being one of the best in the country,” Purcell said. “If there is any place to make me faster, it’s Oregon because of the environment and competition.”
Purcell is already on his way to achieving his goal after placing 124th of 525 in the men’s 8K club cross country national race earlier this month. Purcell hopes to continue improving throughout the year and wants to try and make the varsity team before he graduates.
The University definitely has much more to offer than just running, but it is clear that the University’s vibrant history and reputation sparks the interest of many high school athletes. To runners, Oregon is the ultimate destination and draws more students and athletes to its campus.
“Even though some of us aren’t varsity material, you still get to call yourself a collegiate runner at the University of Oregon,” Holladay said. “And that is something to be proud of.”
When asked about his thoughts on the draw of the University’s running community, club running coach Tom Heinonen emphasized each individual’s passion for running and said that “part of it has to do with simply wanting to be in an atmosphere where distance running is exciting. Whether they’re in Bowerman’s Pack or competing in club meets, it’s something they’re interested in.”@@http://www.uorunning.com/coach.php@@ @@http://www.runnerspace.com/gprofile.php?mgroup_id=154@@
Heinonen is a huge reason Oregon’s club running team is as vibrant as it is. The eighth-year coach dedicates hours each day to training and practice, and believes that fun should be a key part of the team.
“If it’s not enjoyable, there won’t be a club, so everything I do with the club is about making people want to show up at club every day,” Heinonen said. “And a lot of people do.”
Oregon will continue to add to their vibrant history when the newly resurfaced Hayward Field hosts the 2012 Olympic Trials. This event will surely spark interest and draw even more student-athletes like Holladay, Warren and Purcell to the school.@@http://www.goducks.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=500&ATCLID=1351904@@