The Bell Lap: Keys wins Pac-12 decathlon championship for Oregon

Keys wins Pac-12 decathlon title

The bulk of events may not be until next weekend, but Dakotah Keys got the Ducks going at this year's Pac-12 championships in a big way, winning his third Pac-12 decathlon title on Sunday. Keys won the event with 7,801 points, beating out USC's Viktor Fajoyomi who took second with 7,489 points.

Oregon has dominated the decathlon in recent years, with Keys and former Duck Ashton Eaton winning six of the last seven titles.

Keys had some work to do, as Fajoyomi led by 315 points after the first two events on Sunday. Keys responded with clearing the bar in the pole vault at 15-5 (4.70m) to earn 819 points. Keys then took the lead in the javelin with a throw of 207-6 (63.26m) and clinched the win in the 1500 with a time of 4:30.06.

Also near the top of the standings were Oregon's Mitch Modin and Alec Fellows. Modin took third with 7.310 points while Fellows took fourth with 7,081 points. The trio earned 21 points for the Ducks towards their totals for the Pac-12 championships, Oregon's highest point total in the decathlon since 2004.

In the women's heptathlon, Daphne Chambers finished sixth with 5,135 points, earning three team points for the Ducks.

Ducks wrap up regular season at Oregon Twilight

On Friday night, current and former Ducks competed in the annual Oregon Twilight at Hayward Field, the final home meet of the season before the NCAA championships next month. The athletes braved the rain and wind in the final tune-up before next week's conference championships at Washington State.

In the women's 400, freshman Ashante Horsley finished first in 54.58 seconds. In the women's 1500, sophomore Annie Leblanc beat out former Duck Alexi Pappas, finishing second in 4:18.05. Lauren Crocket and Sammie Clark both took second place in the high jump and pole vault, respectively. Jillian Weir and Lauren Sens finished second and third in the hammer throw while Liz Brenner took second in the javelin throw. Brittany Mann won the shot put while Laura Bobek won the discus throw.

On the men's side, Dior Mathis took the 100-meter race in 11.00 seconds while Jack Galpin and Ben Thiel went 1-2 in the 200, finishing in 21.55 and 21.66 seconds, respectively. In the 1500, Mac Fleet and Trevor Dunbar finished second and third, with Fleet coming in at 3:40.00 and Dunbar right behind in 3:41.45. Former Duck Jordan McNamara took second in 3:39.40.

In the 110 hurdles, Ashton Eaton made his return to Hayward Field with a win, breaking the tape first in 13.47 seconds, breaking his own meet record from 2011. Oregon's Devon Allen and Trevor Ferguson finished second and third behind Eaton in 13.77 and 14.41 seconds respectively. Ben Thiel took the 400 hurdles in 53.57 seconds.

Ducks remain in top 5 heading into conference championships

The USTFCCA released their latest weekly rankings with both the men and women of Oregon coming in at No. 3. The men inched back up to third after dropping to fourth last week. The women held steady at third, their same position as last week. The top of the rankings are loaded with SEC teams. Five of the top 10 teams on the men's side are from the SEC, while six SEC women's teams are in the top 10. Needless to say, that should set up for an exciting meet at the SEC championships.

The Pac-12 championships should also be quite entertaining as four of the 12 men's teams are ranked in the top 25 while six women's teams are among the top 25. The Ducks appear to be in prime position as they go for their sixth consecutive sweep at this year's conference championships.

Be sure to check back next week for a full recap from the Pac-12 championships in beautiful Pullman, Wash.