Photo by Phil Waldstein
Pre—eyes 1976 Olympics.
Track team could improve on NCAA finish
By PAUL BUKKK
Of the Emerald
It must have been quite a scene after all
that had gone on at the XXth Olympiad in
Munich.
Here was Steve Prefontaine shrugging his
shoulders and going out to drink beer with the
British and Finns after his defeat in the 5,000
meters.
The cocky challenger to Europe’s
stranglehold on distance running was fourth
and fading at the finish.
It was a collossal setback for the Oregon
runner. The end of the world? Hardly. There
would be other chances to avenge the harsh
lesson ministered by Finland’s Lasse Viren.
And if you’re 21 years old, fourth place in
the storybook field that lined up in Munich for
the 5,000 is an awesome accomplishment—for
anyone but Pre. “I know I’m better than
fourth in the world.”
The target now is Montreal and 1976. For
the Oregon track team this year, it’s Baton
Rouge, La. and another NCAA championship.
For Pre, who will be ridiculously un
dermatched in most of his races, finding new
collegiate horizons to conquer won’t be easy.
He became the first man to win three
consecutive NCAA long-distance titles last
year when he took the 5,000 meters at
Hayward Field. Before that there were two
straight three-mile crowns. He capped off his
greatest season by blistering 34-year-old
George Young in the 5,000 finals at the
Olympic Trials and set a new American
record of 13:22.8.
When Viren, Tunisia’s Muhamed Gamoudi,
ana Briton Ian Stewart kicked past in the last
180 yards at Munich, it was his first major
defeat since 1970.
For warmups during the Ducks’ regular
season Pre did things like run a 3:59.7 mile.
For warmdowns he ran 3,000 meters and set a
new American record, 7:45.8.
Look at it this way: unless the 23-year-old
Viren enrolls at BYU this fall (he attended in
69-70) no one’s going to get so much as a
glance at Pre’s track shoes in the last lap.
Quite naturally, wifn this to build around,
and help coming in the form of decathlon
super-prep Craig Brigham, Bill Bowerman’s
charges will be good.
Last year the Ducks boasted NCAA point
potential in shotputter Pete Shmock, hurdler
Ivory Harris, discus thrower Mac Wilkins and
speedster A1 Hearvey. Pre was given an
automatic 10 points when Hayward Field
hosted the NCAA for the first time since 1964.
Nothing else was automatic and Oregon
was left with its pants down. UCLA, USC, and
UTEP saw that the Ducks couldn’t triple
jump, steeplechase or throw the javelin and
ran away and hid with the lion’s share.
Biggest disappointments were Russ
Francis, the national prep record holder in
the javelin, Bob Daniel, another spear
chucker, and Todd Lathers.
Francis and Daniel, both freshmen, didn’t
score any points and Lathers, nursing a
season-long foot injury, was blanked in the
steeplecl»~\
Oregon^) Jed with 32^^nts and fourth
place, a notch lower than its final finish in the
Pac-8 meet at Stanford a few weeks earlier.
There were many who said the Ducks would
win that one. Final score: USC 140, UCLA 124,
Oregon 86.
Shmock isn’t around this year but the rest
of that supporting cast to Pre is. And writing
off the ‘72 season as a disaster wouldn’t be
accurate.
Not when Bowerman and four members of
the team were in the Olympics and 13 in all
from Oregon. Doug Chapman, Ross Black
man and Bob Martin all made the Canadian
national team. With Bill roaring his disap
proval of this and that around the Olympic
village, and Ducks or former Ducks around
every corner in Munchen, it looked like a
giant twilight meet.
A tough act to follow. But Bowerman’s
university team will get to the blocks on time
and should be stronger this season even if
eight NCAA points are gone (Shmock).
For starters the Ducks return Wilkins,
fourth in the NCAA and school record holder
at 195-11. Then there’s sophomore-to-be Steve
Bence, who cmnes off a brilliant freshman
year that produced a personal best 1:48.6.
Little A1 Hearvey, who went out for Dick
Enright’s football team this fall as a wide
receiver, has shed his “pixie” image once and
for all.
The Californian should move up to star
status as a sprinter. Al, who loves to run in
searing temperatures, went through a yo-yo
regular season, didn’t place in the NCAA.20.9
and 10.2 men were a dime a dozen. Then
Hearvey turned into a lion, sweeping a classy
field in both sprints in the Rose Festival and
finally he made it all the way to the semifinals
at the Trials. “It’s the competition,” he says.
“It gets me keyed up.”
Whatever it was he held his own against the
likes of Chuck Smith, Larry Black and
Harrington Jackson and just missed a spot in
that Olympic Trial final. His problem has
been acceleration in the last 30-40 meters of
the 200—his best race. At that juncture, A1 is
generally in the lead or close. If he closes that
gap, his personal bests of 10.2 and 20.9 will go
down.
Another Duck sprinter made banner
headlines during the summer when he
covered 100 yards in 9.2 during an all-comers
meet at Hayward Field. It was the high point
of John Mays’ emergence as a genuine
contender in the dash. The Portland senior’s
previous best was 9.5 and he’s still comir j.
Oregon speed in the spring relay (sixth in
the NCAA) returns in Ross Blackman, Vince
Buford, May and Hearvey. And the mile relay
quartet that was second to UCLA in the big
meet is back in its entirety.
The field events find Bowerman searching
for a shotputter, and hoping that Francis and
Daniel find maturity on the javelin runway.
Of course there’s no guarantee that Russ will
throw come spring—he’s pure football player
and the pressures of track were a hassle last
year.
The world’s fastest 18-year-old
steeplechaser two years ago was Todd
Lathers. After that it’s been a steady decline
because of injuries but if the St. Helens
product gets himself together he can score in
any meet.
Intermediate hurdler Paul Wilkinson could
improve on his 51.6 best. All he needs is more
ure t. the bit races.
The Ducks art secure in the quarter mile
with Buford (46.6) and Vance (46.9). The real
speedster here could be Ross Blackman, who
turned in fantastic legs in the NCAA mile
relay semifinal and final.
Now throw in the super-frosh.
Oregon went after Brigham, just around the
block at South Eugene, like survival
depended on it. They got him.
He moves up as the team’s top pole vaulter
immediately (16-4) and will be tough in the
high jump, where he’s gone 6-8.
Brigham’s exploits are well known. The 6-2,
195-pounder led South to the AAA track title
by scoring 36 points—himself. He brings
marks like 183-2Vi (discus) and 57-8V* (shot)
to Hayward Field. And the kid’s had big meet
experience, he was in the Olympic Trials’
decathlon.
What would Oregon recruiting be without a
top miler? This time it’s Gary Barger of St.
Helens who won the AAA title in 4:11.1 and
was second in the 880.
Other candidates are two-miler Bob Grubs
of Washington high in Fremont, Cal. (8:53.2)
and sprinter James Holloway of North Salem.
Holloway was second in the AAA 220 and 440
and owns 9.8 and 21.8 credentials.
If this team doesn't come on like instant
excitement, Hayward Field will. It’s just a
matter of time before those dilapidated old
grandstands give one final heave and collapse
in a heap.
If the seats just hold together through the
dual meet season and the Pac-8 cham
pionships, help is on the way in the form of a
fund drive.
For the Ducts, help has -DDare-Uv ..-rived.
Cross-Country
NCAA champs almost didn’t show
Bill Dellinger told last year’s Oregon cross
country team they wouldn’t be going to the
NCAA meet in Knoxville unless they won the
Northern Division championship.
They didn't, but Steve Prefontaine won the
individual title and was the defending NCAA
champ. He wouldn't go to Knoxville unless the
whole team went.
So what happened? The Ducks flattened the
field and won their first NCAA title with a 1
12-19-22-29 point performance. Pre won his
second straight NCAA crown and Dellinger
admitted later “we were so far ahead we
could have won it without him.”
It’s a good thing. The team won’t have Pre
this year. He’s taking a rest after his hectic
season which culminated with a fourth-place
finish at Munich in the 5,000 meters.
But back this fall is Randy James, who
earned all-American ranking with his 19fh
place finish last year in the NCAA meet. The
other scorers, Pat Tyson, 31st place, Mike
Long 35th, and Rick Ritchie 48th, also return.
Todd Lathers, the Ducks’ star steeplechaser,
will add depth.
Oregon’s 83-point total was far ahead of
WSU’s 122. Penn was third with 158. The finish
came after the Ducks had taken runner-up
honors in both 1969 and 1970.
This year’s Northern Division meet comes
Oct. 29 in Seattle, with the PAC cham
pionships two weeks later. The national meet
is in Houston this year.
Other candidates for team positions include
mile recruit Gary Barger of St. Helens, and
Bob Grubs, a California high school champ in
the two-mile.
Bill Dellinger
Todd Lathers
Photo by James Link
Craig Brigham
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