A week after a team mentality gripped the Oregon men’s track and field squad, it’s now back to being individuals again.
Eight Ducks will compete in different events at the Mt. San Antonio College Relays in Walnut, Calif., this weekend. Several of those athletes will be looking to notch NCAA-qualifying times amid the chaos of the West Coast’s biggest track meet of the year.
For starters, decathletes Billy Pappas and Jason Slye were in action Thursday at Azusa Pacific University — next to Mt. SAC — in the decathlon competition. They will conclude the 10-event decathlon today.
On Saturday, the Ducks will hit the track for two days of running madness. Sophomore Ryan Andrus will compete in the 800-meter race and the 1,500. Ross Krempley will also compete in the 800, but because of the large meet, Krempley won’t run the same race as Andrus.
On Sunday, Terry Ellis will run the 110 hurdles, Samie Parker will run the 100, Brandon Holliday will run the 400 hurdles and Micah Harris will run the 110 hurdles, but not against Ellis.
All the track action puts a direct spotlight on the runners and the handiwork of sprints coach Steve Silvey. The first-year assistant coach has already impressed head coach Martin Smith with his ability to mold distance-runner Simon Kimata into a national-title contender in the 800, and also to get personal bests out of several athletes early in the season.
“I think I have two of the finest coaches in the country,” Smith said of Silvey and field coach Bill Lawson. “The athletes really respond to those guys.”
Silvey brings an impressive history to Oregon, especially the 34 Olympians he coached in stints at Blinn College and Arkansas.
Now, Silvey has the task of molding Oregon’s sprinters and distance runners into NCAA champions. This weekend, especially, will be a chance for the Ducks to shine on a large stage at Mt. SAC.
Parker has, perhaps, the best chance to make a California impact. The football player will compete in only his third outdoor meet, and so far he has impressed in his third season on the track squad. He ran a wind-aided 10.47 in March, and ran 10.76 at the Washington Dual on Saturday.
Harris will be looking to land on the NCAA provisional list after matching the minimum time at the Washington Dual. Harris ran in the NCAA Championships last season in the hurdles. Fellow hurdler Ellis is looking to improve his Pacific-10 Championships qualifying time to an NCAA mark.
But of the runners headed to California, the biggest impact this spring was made by sophomore Holliday at the Washington Dual. Holliday ran a thrilling 400 hurdles race and notched a time that was less than a second off the NCAA provisional mark of 51.20.
“For me it’s all about the time,” Holliday said. “I just want to qualify for the NCAAs.”
Holliday qualified for the Pac-10 Championships last season, but didn’t make the trip to Stanford because of the conference’s 24-athlete per team limit.