Keys’ PR Powers Ducks at Oregon Relays

EUGENE – Dakotah Keys picked up where he left off during the second day of the decathlon, winning the event with a personal best of 8,027 points and setting the pace for a total of 11 event wins on day two of the Oregon Relays, Friday.

The total for Keys ranks third in the NCAA this season and moves him up to a tie for fourth in Oregon history.

The redshirt junior entered the final event of the day, the 1,500, needing to post a 4:28 to break 8,000 points and top his PR of 8,001 set last year at the Pac-12 Championships. He blew past that time and closed with an impressive PR of 4:24.21 to vault him up the Oregon record book.

"Every time I do this it comes down to the wire,” Keys said. “I had to run a 4:28, and from my training I knew I was capable of that. A PR and a 4:24...I didn't know that was in me.”

While Keys said his training gave him confidence he could set the PR, it was some Hayward Field Magic that pushed him harder.

"Every time I started to kind of doubt myself, my mind would click back on and--instead of just hearing silence and getting drowned out by the running and the pain--that's when I heard the fans,” he said. “I could feel my adrenaline again and felt like I was revived. There's nothing like it.”

Freshman Mitch Modin finished second in the decathlon with a personal best 7,457 points. Modin will have hopes of competing in front of his home fans at the NCAA Championships at the end of the season.

Dual-sport athlete Devon Allen won the 400 hurdles with a lifetime best of 52.56, fresh off the football field. The freshman wide receiver has participated in football practice throughout the week, then made his way across town to Hayward Field and compete, Friday.

The Ducks swept the sprint section of Friday’s competition, with Arthur Delaney winning the men’s 200 in a wind-aided time of 21.05 and Ashante Horsley taking the women’s 200, also with a wind-aided time of 24.28.

The Ducks continued their successful day with six wins in the field events, three apiece for the Men and Women of Oregon.

Sammie Clark tied for first in the women’s pole vault, clearing 12-9.50 (3.90m) while Jillian Weir and Brittany Mann won the throws. Weir won the hammer with a mark of 196-7 (59.93m) and Mann took the shot put with a toss of 50-8.25 (15.45m).

Sam Crouser topped the field in the men’s javelin, logging a mark of 247-4 (75.40m) to end the day, making for four attempts over 70 meters.

The Ducks picked up two more field event wins to close the first collegiate section, thanks to Greg Skipper in the weight throw and Trevor Ferguson in the long jump. Skipper’s first throw of the day held up to take the event with a distance of 224-0 (68.27m) while Ferguson’s last jump was his best, going 24-2.25 (7.37m).

Colby Alexander won Friday’s section of the 5,000 in 14:23.02.

Boru Guyota took second in the 800 as he was edged at the line by Aaron Evans of OTC Elite. Guyota set a season-best in the process, crossing the finish line in 1:49.41.

Daphne Chambers climbed the leaderboard to take second in the heptathlon with 5,251 points. The Springfield, Ore., native was close to finishing at the top of the leaderboard, making up ground in the final event of the day, the 800, and finished just 18 points behind the leader.

In other action, at the Mt. SAC Relays, Trevor Dunbar competed in the 5,000 where he finished second in a time of 13:32.38. The time is a PR for Dunbar and moves him up to ninth on the Oregon all-time list.