Sentiment for restoring men’s track at Oregon State has been building for a couple of years, and that process will take a symbolic step on Saturday at the Husky Classic indoor meet in Seattle.
Obum Gwacham competing in the high jump for Ayala High School in California
Six members of the Oregon State football team – including All-American James Rodgers – will compete in the meet, representing the Beavers. The men’s track and field program at Oregon State was killed in 1988.
School officials caution this is not the beginning of men’s track at OSU and that once spring football drills start in March all of these players will be fully engaged with the sport that brought them to Corvallis in the first place.
But it’s also something to indicate that men’s track is on the minds of people like athletic director Bob DeCarolis and football coach Mike Riley.
“You’d have to be blind not to think it’s at least a precursor,” OSU women’s cross country and track coach Kelly Sullivan said. “We are definitely several steps away from getting track back officially and it being a full-fledged thing.”
Sullivan said it has been a long, and sometimes slow, process. But there is movement.
Step one was in the decision by OSU athletic officials to reinstate women’s cross country and track instead of another sport, such as tennis.
Next came the push to raise money for a track and field facility at OSU. That phase is currently in progress.
The next stage would be the expansion of the women’s program to include other events.
An announcement in the fall of 2007 by DeCarolis indicated that he was open to the return of men’s track and field if enough money could be raised to endow the program. Presumably, some in-roads have been made here as well.
Jordan Bishop, a state champion in the long jump at West Salem High School, has led the charge among the athletes who want to see track return to OSU. He has expressed his interest to Sullivan to be the first male track athlete at the school since 1988.
Bishop, who posted a personal best in the high jump of 6 feet 10 ¼ inches as a junior at West Salem, will high jump on Saturday. A gray-shirt freshman, Obum Gwacham, will join him. Gwacham placed second in the high jump at the California Interscholastic Federation meet as senior, going 6-11.
Four other athletes – Rodgers, Keynan Parker, Markus Wheaton and Rashaad Reynolds – will compete in the 60-meter dash.
Each of them brings impressive track credentials. Parker competed for his native Canada in the 2007 World Youth Championships. Wheaton was a back-to-back national champion in the 400 at the youth level and has a high school personal best of 47.38.
Sullivan said Nike was making uniforms for the athletes but that the new jerseys wouldn’t be ready until next week.
No one is quite sure what happens after Saturday’s meet. There could be another appearance at the Last Chance meet in Seattle, and there is a possibility of competing in the spring during a time that doesn’t conflict with football practice.
“We’ve all agreed to do things one day, one meet, at a time,” Sullivan said. “We’ll use (Saturday’s meet) as a test run.”
Sullivan said that the first time he attended a track workout with the football players he had it taped.
“I felt like history,” he said. “These guys have embraced it. Men’s track was shut down before they were born, but they are very appreciative of this opportunity. None of this would be happening without Bob DeCarolis and (President) Ed Ray.”
Sullivan said he was uncertain whether performances this weekend would be valid for OSU’s record book, buried deep somewhere in the archives.
“I hadn’t thought about it but I don’t see why not,” he said.
Abby Chesimet and Laura Carlyle, will also compete Saturday for the Beavers, in the mile.
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{ 1 comment }
Oh god,That is a good news for the Oregon State football team.nBest of luck James Rodgers and all the team members.nThanks for this nice post.