From Owatonna to NCAA DI All-American
Ryan Gregory crosses the finish line in the 110-meter hurdles leg of the decathlon event for Long Beach State University at the NCAA Track and Field Championships in Eugene, Oregon. Gregory placed 14th in the decathlon to earn himself All-American honors. Submitted photo
Three years ago, Ryan Gregory was running around the streets of Owatonna with the goal of becoming a state champion in the hurdles for the Huskies track and field program. Earlier this month, he became an NCAA Division One All-American in the decathlon for Long Beach State University (LBSU) in California.
Gregory earned his status by taking 14th place in the event at the NCAA Division One Track and Field Championships in Eugene, Oregon.
His biggest moment of the 10-event competition required a speedy performance in the final race – the 1,500-meter – where he went on to record a personal-best time of 4:25.06.
“I knew I needed a really speedy time on that final race. My coach told me that 4:30 would probably earn me the All-American… When I crossed the finish line and saw my time, I was just like, ‘Holy crap, I can’t believe I just ran that fast.’ I was looking at my coach and he was looking back at me in awe,” said Gregory.
His time earned him fourth place – the best finish he had recorded so far in the championships.
Making up the decathlon are 10 total events comprised of the 100-meter dash, long jump, shot put, high jump, 400-meter race, 110-meter hurdles, discus, pole vault, javelin and the 1,500-meter.
His placements at the championships were as follows: 100-meter (10.76 – sixth – 915 points), long jump (22 feet, 5.25 inches – 15th – 776), shot put (37 feet, 9.5 inches – 21st – 577), high jump (six feet, six inches – 11th – 785), 400-meter (48.87 – ninth – 867), 110-meter hurdles (15.03 – 13th – 846), discus (130 feet, nine inches – 13th – 662), pole vault (14 feet, 9.5 inches – 12th – 763), javelin (181 feet, two inches – sixth – 666) and the 1,500-meter (4:25.06 – fourth – 777.)
Gregory admits he did not enter college with the mindset that he would take on the event. In fact, his college career shaped out quite differently from what he had imagined as a senior in high school.
“I initially was planning on going to Colorado State University, but I bailed out last minute because I didn’t feel like it would be the right fit. I decided then to go to Santa Barbara City College (SBCC) to run track,’ he said.
Two years of training and competition at the junior-college level, running by the oceanside and learning new events like the pole vault resulted in Gregory expanding his horizons.
“While I was at SBCC, I made some friends who were pole vaulters and I just found myself hanging around the event because the coach was so cool. Our head coach was a decathlon athlete in college as well, and he suggested I try it out,” he said.
The switch was an immediate success as Gregory’s times and marks were consistently improving.
After two years in Santa Barbara, the rising junior decided to take his talents south to LBSU University and achieve his dream of becoming a Division One athlete.
In his first season, Gregory would go on to set the school record in the decathlon (7,898) and become the school’s first decathlon All-American since 2001.
“It’s pretty important to me. I came here with one goal: to make a name for myself. I feel like I’m doing that pretty well,” said Gregory.
With one year of eligibility left, Gregory said he’s hopeful to make a return trip to Eugene and continue building on his career marks.
“The decathlon is tough on the body so I’m going to take some time off for the summer before I focus on getting back into my best shape in August. Ill be working on technique, but focusing on my strength, since it’s so important for the decathlon. I’m going to be prioritizing my health and my diet to make sure I’m in peak shape so I can come back next year and win this thing. I know I have a lot left in the tank,” said Gregory.