Oregon's Max Vollmer joins exclusive club with Bryan Clay Invitational decathlon performance

Chris Hansen, Register-Guard
·3 min read
Oregon's Max Vollmer, seen here acknowledging the crowd at the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships at Hayward Field last June, won the decathlon during the Bryan Clay Invitational Thursday.
Oregon's Max Vollmer, seen here acknowledging the crowd at the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships at Hayward Field last June, won the decathlon during the Bryan Clay Invitational Thursday.

Oregon decathlete Max Vollmer is the newest member of the 8,000-point club.

The junior’s impressive two-day run through 10 events ended with a personal-record score of 8,022 as he secured the win during the Bryan Clay Invitational in Azusa, California, on Thursday.

Vollmer, a two-time all-American and two-time Pac-12 champion, became just the sixth Duck to surpass 8,000 points, and first since Dakotah Keys reached 8,068 in 2014. Ashton Eaton is the UO record-holder at 8,457.

Vollmer’s previous best was 7,964.

Along the way he also set PRs in the long jump (23 feet, 6¼ inches) and 400 meters (47.84 seconds).

Vollmer had 7,308 points going into the 1,500 final and needed to run, at worst, 4:38.92 to score 692 points to reach 8,000. He ran 4:34.68 — just off his PR of 4:34.57.

Oregon’s Jett Kinder was also competing with Vollmer in Group A and finished in fifth place with a score of 7,327, a 582-point PR.

Kinder set event PRs in the long jump (23-4¾), 400 (53.21), 110 hurdles (15.79) and 1,500 (5:06.69).

Oregon’s Nathan Poff set a big PR with 7,318 points as he placed second in Group B, which also included Arthur Katahdin, who was sixth with 6,665 points.

Poff, whose previous best was 6,807, set PRs in in the shot put (42-0), high jump (6-3¼), discus (128-8) and 1,500 (4:22.22).

Taylor Chocek, shown here competing at the Hayward Premiere on April 1, turned in a dominating heptathlon performance during the Bryan Clay Invitational on Thursday.
Taylor Chocek, shown here competing at the Hayward Premiere on April 1, turned in a dominating heptathlon performance during the Bryan Clay Invitational on Thursday.

A winning performance for Oregon's Taylor Chocek

Taylor Chocek recorded Oregon’s best heptathlon score in a decade Thursday in her winning performance at the Bryan Clay Invitational.

Chocek set five event personal records en route to 5,514 points as she came away victorious out of her group, which included 25 finishers.

The second-year freshman from South Eugene became the Ducks’ No. 5 performer all-time in what was just her second collegiate heptathlon, as she improved by 833 points from her debut at the Pac-12 championships last spring.

The four heptathletes in front of her on the Ducks’ all-time list are Brianne Theisen (6,440), who set her record in 2012; Kelly Blair (6,038 from 1993); Kalindra McFadden (5,821 from 2009); and Camille Jampolsky (5,516 from 1987).

Chocek started Thursday in second place with 3,338 points, trailing Oregon freshman Colleen Uzoekwe, who scored 3,368 on Wednesday through the first four events.

But Chocek moved into the lead after Thursday's opening event when she went 18-7¼ inches in the long jump, the first of three PRs Thursday.

Chocek also threw 123-11 in the javelin and finished the 800 in 2:21.69. She also set PRs in the high jump (5-5¾) and shot put (42-8) on Wednesday.

Uzoekwe, who dominated Wednesday in 100 hurdles (14.46), high jump (5-5¾), shot put (44-1¼) and 200 (25.08), struggled in Thursday’s final three events and ended up in 15th place with 4,752 points.

Freshman Gianna Bullock finished seventh with 4,752 points in her collegiate debut.

Follow Chris Hansen on Twitter @chansen_RG or email at chansen@registerguard.com.

This article originally appeared on Register-Guard: Oregon's Vollmer, Chocek shine at Bryan Clay Invitation track meet