What times do you need to walk onto Oregon's distance team?

I walked on at U of A in 1989 when Dave Murray's XC team placed 5th in NCAA's the previous year. Murray didn't know me from squat.

He asked me what my times were and I told him I ran 31:30 (when I only ran 31:45) and 14:50 (when I was a 15:10). I averaged 75-85mpw at the time. He was fine with that and said I was allwed to attend camp that next week up in Flagstaff. The absolute "time of my life"!

I did everything he asked me to and I ended up 6th man throughout the year and traveled with the team to every single meet and was fortunate to have run with two Kinney National Champions!

Yes, you can be ok and get on the team. There were 5 others that wanted my spot on the traveling squad...but I never let them. Incidentaly, 2 of those 5 had partial scholarships (books etc...)and I had squat! Bitter rivalries...ahh the memories!

I need to clear up a couple things here - the Oregon team does NOT accept just anyone who wants to walk on. They have very strict standards to make the team: 3:56 1500, 31:00 10k. Last year they took one walk-on. I'm the coordinator of the club here on campus, and we have taken on a lot of runners that would be top 3 at many DI schools. The Oregon team isn't the open group that it used to be - they've gotten too big for that.

There are more than a few runners on that team right now that don't meet those standards:

David Bondi

Personal Bests

1,500m - 4:07.06, Oregon Invitational, Eugene, Ore., 4/20/07

3,000m - 8:51.00, Oregon Preview, Eugene, Ore., 3/17/07

Cameron Carter

Personal Bests

1,600m - 4:19

3,200m - 9:29

Mathew Cravens

Personal Best

1,500 meters - 3:58.87, Oregon Invitational, Eugene, Ore., 4/20/07

Ken Scoggin

Personal Bests

1,500m – 4:02.46, Oregon Twilight, Eugene, Ore., 5/6/07

3,000m – 8:47.70, Oregon Preview, Eugene, Ore., 3/17/07

I can also count 5-7 additional runners that are on the roster that barely meet those standards.

Seems like a lot of "walk-ons" for a team that has very strict standards.

You can verify my facts here:

http://www.goducks.com/SportSelect.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=500&KEY=&SPID=243&SPSID=4365

Those people walked on before the standards were instituted.

Some of the people who didn't meet the standards are currently not being allowed to train with the team and have to meet them this spring or be cut, as I understand it.

Aren't they all redshirt freshman?

I don't know where they are as far as eligibility, but they all walked on in 2006.

Hey David, I'm going to Oregon next year and was interested in running on the club team. Is it possible to walk-on to the school (DI) team as a frosh/soph after having run the standards you speak of at open meets, etc. as a frosh/soph?

dgasdfdjgsd wrote:

I think walk-ons DO cost money, not sure how much though. Schools have to pay for insurance for each runner, if nothing else.

I think that's true. I've heard of schools turning down qualified walkons, citing insurance reasons.

I'm definitely not an authority on the specifics of their requirements. If you want to find out exactly how to work your way onto the team, you'd want to talk to Andy Powell (acpowell@uoregon.edu). We have had a few club runners work their way onto the team though. Our club gets to compete in a bunch of college meets, so you would have plenty of chances to run whatever time you're looking for. We had a couple guys in the Relays this weekend, and we have very full track and cross country seasons.

The club's web site is

http://www.uorunning.com

if you're interested.

dgasdfdjgsd wrote:

I think walk-ons DO cost money, not sure how much though. Schools have to pay for insurance for each runner, if nothing else.

Right you are. They also have to get physicals (again, insurance concerns--and not free); their eligibility has to be investigated (support staff's time is not free); they typically receive some kind of workout gear (not free), even if they don't get shoes; that workout gear is often laundered (not free); the walk-ons usually have the same access to the Athletic Department's academic and personal counselors that any other team member has (not free); et cetera, et cetera.

However, an additional concern is that walk-ons use up Title IX spots. Though there is a three-pronged test for Title IX compliance, proportionality is the only prong that will satisfy Title IX enforcers in the long term, and it's the one that most schools work toward. If, as is typical, a school has five female students for each four males, then the total number of male athletes--all sports combined--must be (moving toward) only 80% of the total for the females. If a school has a football team which comprises, say, 100 student-athletes, that puts a lot of pressure on the AD to hold down the number of names on the roster of the other men's sports.

Hence, some schools will welcome all the walk-ons they can get for the women's team, but have severe restrictions on how many walk-ons they're allowed to take on the men's side.

David Reid wrote:

I don't know where they are as far as eligibility, but they all walked on in 2006.

You are correct. They walked on during the 2006/2007 season. I assumed when you said that Oregon only had one walk on last year, you meant last year (2006/2007) not this year (2007/2008).

there arent many high schoolers that can run a sub 9. so i doubt they will cut you if you run a 9:20. and if they look at what you did in high school (ie, 10 miles a week, basically nothing and ran a 9:40), they would probably consider you to see your potential. id rather have an undertrained 9:40 guy than a higher shcooler who ran 100 miles a week and managed a 9:10.

Oregon has at least one potential vacant spot coming available. Perhaps that leaves room for you?

Master of Class wrote:

The standard this year was a 9:00 2 mile, I believe. A lot of guys have gone and joined the club team on campus.

What is the Oregon club team like? I'd imagine they would be pretty fast.

here are the mens club records

100m Michael Phillips 11.74 2007

200m Michael Phillips 25.57 2007

400m Justin Samudio 54.0 2006

800m Ryan Nichols 1:57.55 2006

1500m Carlos Trujillo 3:55.07 2005

3000m Nick Johnson 8:37.75 2007

5000m Nick Johnson 14:57.99 2007

10000m Keith Laverty 31:33.50 2008

Steeple Nick Johnson 9:08.51 2007

4x100m Anthony Broom

Andrew Hoppe

Matt Paquet

Michael Phillips 49.27 2007

4x400m Drew Hennings

Matt Paquet

Justin Samudio

Ryan Nichols 3:38.4 2006

5k road Carlos Trujillo 15:11 2005

8k XC Keith Laverty 24:48 2007

10k road Mike Long 32:34 2005

½ marathon Mike Long 1:11:16 2005

Marathon Todd Braje 2:32:43 2007

Trouble in Eugene wrote:

Oregon has at least one potential vacant spot coming available. Perhaps that leaves room for you?

Who?