Oregon State inches closer and closer to having a real men’s track team again. The NCAA and the Pac-10 Conference have granted OSU’s appeal to permit qualifying male athletes to compete in the 2010 Division I Track and Field (Indoor and Outdoor) and Pacific-10 Conference Championships, according to a release.
The Beavers have eight football players training for several regular season track meets. Sophomore-to-be wide receiver Jordan Bishop high jumped 7-0 1/2 at the Feb. 13 Husky Indoor Classic meet in Seattle to capture the afternoon section. Fellow wide receiver Obum Gwacham competed in the high jump also, while Keynan (Keenan) Parker, James Rodgers and Rashaad Reynolds ran the 60 meters. The Beavers representation at a track meet was the first for male student-athletes since the 1988 NCAA Championships; OSU has fielded a women’s team since 2004.
“It’s exciting to be eligible to compete in three of the very biggest NCAA meets,” OSU track/cross country coach Kelly Sullivan said. “The ruling doesn’t necessarily mean that we will have competitors in the events, but it certainly opens up some great possibilities and goals for these exceptional student-athletes.”
OSU football players Jacquizz Rodgers, Markus Wheaton and Kevan Walker have also participated in track workouts, with possible competition in the future. The next date for OSU men to compete is March 6 at the Washington Qualifier in Seattle. The Pac-10 Championships are May 15-16 at the University of California while the NCAA Indoor Championships are March 12-13 at the University of Arkansas and the Outdoor Championships June 9-12 at the University of Oregon.
