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Welcome
to Eugene
and the
1984 NCAA
Track & Field
Championships
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I Ducks the favorite,
says WSU coach
By DOUG LEVY
The men’s team race at this
week’s NCAA track and field
championships should come
down to the same two teams
that battled for the Pacific 10
Conference title two weeks
ago — Washington State and
Oregon. The Cougars easily
won the conference title
(157V3-98), but the Ducks are
expected to make a stronger
run at Washington State in the
NCAA meet. If Oregon should
falter, SMU could finish in the
runner-up spot. Following are
profiles of Washington State
and SMU. For a profile of
Oregon’s NCAA chances, see
page 11.
WSU
Washington State Universi
ty has not lost a track and field
dual meet since 1980. The
Cougars won their second
consecutive Pac-10 Con
ference Championship two
weeks ago. And by all indica
tions, WSU is the team to beat
at the NCAA Championships.
But anyone who mentions
that to ouspoken WSU coach
John Chaplin is sure to get the
you've-got-to-be-crazy
treatment.
“I don’t think I’m the
favorite — I think Oregon’s the
favorite,” Chaplin says quick
ly. “I don’t see how we’re the
favorites.”
Track and Field News does.
The publication has the
Cougars winning the meet
with 114 points, safely ahead
of Oregon’s 93.
“But that’s without realizing
that my distance runners may
not double, that Tore Gustaff
son is out for the year, that
one of our triple jumpers isn’t
jumping... the Ducks have
everybody healthy, and they
don’t have to double anyone to
win. That makes a lot of
difference.”
Chaplin is famous for being
overly pessimistic about his
own team and overly op
timistic about his opponent,
but he has a point. If the
Cougars are to win NCAA
gold, it will mean double time
for a trio of talented foreigners
— Julius Korir, Richard Tuwei
and Peter Koech.
Sophomore Korir, ranked
ninth on the 1983 world list in
the steeplechase with an
8:20.11 best, is picked to win
that event. He is also doped
out for third in the 5,000 (he
was fifth in 1983), but may not
be around to run it.
Junior Tuwei was third in
the NCAA steeple (he has a
best of 8:18.2) and eighth at
5,000 a year ago. He is doped
for second in the steeple and
ninth at 5,000. Again, doubling
back is no guarantee.
Koech may have the most
demanding double of the
three. He is marked to finish
fifth in the 5,000 and second in
the 10,000, but hot weather
would make those selections
tough to live up to.
“The reality of the matter,”
says Chaplin, “is that we’d
have to double those three to
win, and it may not happen.
Oregon has sure points in the
5.000 (Jim Hill, picked first),
10.000 (Chris Hamilton),
steeplechase (neither Matt
McGuirk or Harold Kuphaldt
are predicted as top-12
finishers), pole vault (Kory
Tarpenning) and javelin (Brian
Crouser). And they have the
Pac-10’s great athlete in Joa
quim Cruz.”
In addition, Chaplin is will
ing to tell everybody that
Oregon has the big advantage
with the meet being held on its
own Hayward Field.
“Traditionally, being at
home is worth 25 points,” he
says. “I know it, you know it,
everyone knows it. So you can
say what you want, and if
Oregon wins you can say, ‘Oh,
what an upset.' But if you did,
it would be a bunch of
garbage.
“Look at the record,” con
tinues Chaplin. “Oregon’s
athletes are 25 percent better
at home. They perform better,
and they’ve got thousands of
fans going crazy. Which is
nice. I admit I’m jealous. It
would be nice to run in front of
10,000 fans. It’s a big advan
tage for Oregon, but that’s
life.”
Despite Chaplin’s near
outrage at being called a
favorite, the Cougars are load
ed to the hilt. Korir, Tuwei and
Koech have doubled often
enough in the past; they’ll like
ly double again.
Joseph Taiwo, picked se
cond in the triple jump, is nur
sing an injury, but Francis
Dodoo is a point-scoring
replacement; Gabriel Tiacoh
means points in the 400; Omar
Ortega will score in either the
800 or 1,500; Brent Harken
(7-61/2) is picked to win the
high jump, and teammate
James Cunningham is the
Pac-10 champion in that event;
sophomore Dimitrios Kout
soukis is a comer in the shot
put; Jan Johansson is a top-10
certainty in the javelin; and
freshman Carlos Gambetta
may get a point or two in the
decathlon.
That’s a lot of points for
WSU, especially when one
considers that Chaplin’s
foreigners have the stamina to
double. But Chaplin bristles
Continued on Page 9
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