For Immediate Release // Tuesday, May 8, 2012

Contact // Natalia Ciccone (nciccone@pac-12.org)

Web Release

Pac-12 Outdoor Track & Field Athletes of the Week

WALNUT CREEK, Calif. -- The Pac-12 Conference outdoor track and field athlete of the week honors for the week of April 30-May 6, 2012:

MenÂ’s Track Athlete of the Week: DeÂ’ANTHONY THOMAS, OREGON (Fr., Los Angeles, Calif.). In his collegiate track debut, Thomas anchored OregonÂ’s 4x100 meter relay team to victory in 40.89 seconds at the Oregon Twilight over the weekend. He also placed second in the 200 meters in 21.60 and third in the 100 in 10.65.

WomenÂ’s Track Athlete of the Week: BECCA FRIDAY, OREGON (Jr., Bellingham, Wash.). Friday ran a personal best 2:05.61 to finish third in the 800 meter at the Oregon Twilight. She was the top collegian in the race, and her time ranks 10th in school history. The time also ranks 23rd in the country this season.

MenÂ’s Field Athlete of the Week: DAKOTAH KEYS, OREGON (Fr., Sweet Home, Ore.). Competing in just his second-career decathlon, Keys posted 7,793 points to win the Pac-12 title. He captured three of the 10 events, including the javelin (207-11/63.38m), high jump (6-9/2.06m) and long jump (23-7.5/7.20m). KeysÂ’ title gave Oregon its eighth decathlon title in the last 12 years.

Women’s Track Athlete of the Week: BRIANNE THEISEN, OREGON (Sr., Humboldt, Saskatchewan). Theisen the Pac-12 heptathlon by scoring a league-record 6,353 points, the third-highest total by a collegian in NCAA history and also exceed the Olympic “A” standard for the Canadian Olympic hopeful. Winning five of the seven events, she broke the mark set by ARIZONA STATE’s Jacquelyn Johnson, who posted 6,307 points in 2008 at the Pac-10 Championships. It is Theisen’s third-career Conference title, winning the heptathlon in 2009 and 2010. She was forced to sit out the 2011 campaign because of injury. She also becomes only the third athlete in the 26-year history of the Pac-12 Track & Field women’s championships to eclipse the 6,000-point mark.

2012 Pac-12 Track & Field Athletes of the Week

MenÂ’s Track: April 10 - Stephen Sambu, ARIZ; April 17 - Tyler Stutzman, STAN; April 24 - Stephen Sambu, ARIZ; May 1 - Chris Derrick, STAN; May 8 - DeÂ’Anthony Thomas, ORE.

WomenÂ’s Track: April 10 - Alex Kosinski, ORE; Turquoise Thompson, UCLA; April 24 - Katie Flood, WASH; May 1 - Deborah Maier, CAL; May 8 - Becca Friday, ORE.

MenÂ’s Field: April 10 - Chris Benard, ASU; Alec Faldermeyer, UCLA; April 24 - Chris Benard, ASU; May 1 - Jake Baertlein, WSU; May 8 - Dakotah Keys, ORE.

WomenÂ’s Field: April 10 - Brigetta Barrett, ARIZ; Brianna Bain, STAN; Alyssa Hasslen, ARIZ; May 1 - Marissa Minderler, USC; MAy 8 - Brianne Theisen, ORE.