Multi-event debuts kick off busy week in California for Oregon track and field athletes

A month into the outdoor season, Oregon will finally unleash its multi-eventers.

Seven of the Ducks’ decathletes and heptathletes are entered in the Bryan Clay Invitational set for Wednesday and Thursday at Azusa Pacific University in Azusa, California.

It’s just the start of a busy week in Southern California for Oregon, which also will have a large crew at the Mt. SAC Relays for the first time since 2019.

Among the four decathletes entered in the Bryan Clay is two-time all-American Max Vollmer, the Pac-12 champion in 2019 and 2021.

The redshirt junior is sixth all-time at Oregon with a personal-record of 7,964 points. The last Duck to surpass 8,000 was Dakotah Keys in 2014 when he scored 8,068. The only other Oregon decathlete to do it in the past 30 years was Ashton Eaton, who set the school record of 8,457 in 2010.

Also entered are Jett Kinder, Nathan Poff and Arthur Katahdin.

Second-year freshman Taylor Chocek appears primed for a breakout season in the heptathlon. She set a personal record of 3,701 in the pentathlon in her last indoor meet of the season at the end of February, and during the Hayward Premiere meet at Hayward Field earlier this month, she set PRs in the 200 (25.30 seconds), 100 hurdles (14.18), long jump (17 feet, 9 inches) and shot put (40-8¼).

She scored 4,681 during the 2021 Pac-12 championships in her only heptathlon last season.

Making their Oregon heptathlon debuts this week are freshman Colleen Uzoekwe and Gianna Bullock.

Ducks looking for fast times

The Mt. SAC Relays is traditionally a meet geared toward speedy times on the track, and Oregon's top sprinters and hurdlers are hoping to take advantage.

The Duck with the top national ranking is freshman Shana Grebo, who has the sixth-fastest time in the 400 hurdles from when she ran 56.28 in San Diego at the end of March to break a 39-year-old school record.

Grebo is entered in the 400 hurdles as well as the 100 hurdles during the Thursday-Saturday meet at Hilmer Lodge Stadium in Walnut, California.

Jayden Mays (22.80) and Iman Brown (22.92), who rank seventh and ninth, respectively, in the women’s 200, are entered in that event as well as the 100.

School-record holder Micah Williams is entered in the men’s 100 and Kemba Nelson is expected to make her season debut in the 100.

No more off events for jumpers

Three-time NCAA triple jump champion Emmanuel Ihemeje is entered in his signature event for the first time this season, as are Dominique Ruotolo and Alysah Hickey.

Ihemeje, the reigning NCAA outdoor champion, hasn’t competed since winning his second NCAA indoor title on March 12. He’s expected to make his season debut Friday at the Mt. SAC Relays.

Ruotolo, the 2021 Pac-12 triple jump champion, is entered in that event for the first time this season. She set a PR in the long jump (19-2½) during the Hayward Premiere and also has competed in the high jump this season.

Hickey is the reigning Pac-12 champion in the long jump who also finished fifth at NCAA outdoors last season and fourth at NCAA indoors in March. She'll make her long jump debut Friday after spending the the first month of the season competing in the 100 and on a 4x100 relay team.

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

This article originally appeared on Register-Guard: Oregon Ducks multi-event athletes kicking off loaded week of track