INSTRUCTORS

The 2008 Oregon Track and Field/Cross Country camp will be directed by Dan Steele.

News: Dan Steele named West Regional Assistant Coach of the Year by USTFCA
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About the Director

Few athletes or coaches sport a diversified and international-caliber resume as Olympic medalist and NCAA champion Dan Steele, who returns for his sixth year on the Duck staff - his first year as an associate director of track and field - and will oversee the men’s sprinters and  hurdlers and men's and women's pole vaulters.

The 2005 and '07 West Regional Assistant Coach of the Year for Men’s Sprints/Hurdles has established himself as one of the nation’s brightest coaches, and in his first five years has guided Ducks to four NCAA victories, another NCAA runner-up finish, nine Pac-10 titles, 41 All-America honors, 64 NCAA invites, and 25 school records.

In 2006-07, he deftly managed an influx of new talent, particularly in the sprints, and guided Duck athletes to titles at the Pac-10, West Region and NCAA levels and NCAA invitations. In 2005-06, his men's sprint and hurdle corps and his men and women's pole vault unit confirmed their reputations as some of the collegiate scene's best and added two NCAA titles among their 13 All-America honors and 16 NCAA invitations, four Pac-10 titles, three school record records and one West Regional victory.

[Full Bio]

Mark Rinker enters his first year as Assistant Director of the University of Oregon Track & Field / Cross Country Camps, bringing with him extensive experience in the fields of camp administration and track coaching.
Rinker has been involved with athletic camps for many years, having worked as a counselor at the Brevard Distance Runners' Camp from 2000 to 2004.

An aspiring track coach, Rinker currently assists Coach Frank Gagliano with the administration of the OTC Elite, a post-collegiate track team based in Eugene. Prior to working with Coach Gagliano, Rinker had served as Volunteer Assistant Coach for the James Madison University Women's Cross Country Team.

A 2008 graduate of JMU, Rinker holds a Bachelor's degree in kinesiology, with a concentration in sports management; he also holds minors in business and coaching. A former middle-distance runner himself, Rinker was a three-year letter winner for the Dukes. He is an avid historian of the sport of track and field, and he looks forward to bringing his knowledge and experience to the University of Oregon Track & Field / Cross Country Camps.

For information on other Track & Field/Cross Country staff members, please click here.