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Peyton Bair has won the last three men's combined-event national championships, making him only the second athlete in collegiate history to accomplish such a feat.
But whether he stretches that streak to four straight titles might come down to a decision made off the track instead of his performance on it.
Oregon coach Jerry Schumacher confirmed April 14 that the Ducks' star decathlete might redshirt this outdoor season to preserve a full season of competition in 2027, when the senior Bair would have both an indoor and outdoor season of eligibility remaining. If he competes for Oregon outdoors this spring, he'll have only an NCAA indoor season remaining for next season.
"'So, we're trying to make that decision right now," Schumacher said. "Redshirt, not redshirt?"
Bair is not entered in the Oregon Team Invitational taking place April 17-18 at Hayward Field, the first home meet of the season for the Ducks.
Bair swept the NCAA indoor heptathlon and outdoor decathlon titles in 2025 while at Mississippi State. He transferred to Oregon last summer and went on to repeat as NCAA indoor heptathlon in March, when he broke Ashton Eaton's school record with a 6,503-point performance.
Eaton is the only athlete with more consecutive NCAA combined-event titles than Bair. The former decathlon world-record-holder won five straight between 2008-10 — two in the heptathlon and three in the decathlon.
Schumacher said the season-ending injury suffered by Oregon men's discus world-record holder Mykolas Alekna last month is playing a role in the conversation about Bair's possible redshirt.
Alekna tore his pectoral muscle last month and needed surgery to repair the injury, delivering a blow to the Ducks' chances of contending for a team title when the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships come to Hayward Field in June.
"The ultimate goal is to win a national championship, and national championships are hard to win," Schumacher said. "Obviously the loss of points (due to Alekna's absence) mean's we're looking at our board and trying to figure out what is best."
Getting a healthy Alekna back on a team with a motivated Bair coming off a redshirt would make the Ducks immediate contenders in 2027.
Of course, Alekna, a senior from Lithuania, has not announced his intentions for next year nor publicly expressed any desire to take a medical redshirt and compete collegiately again in 2027.
"We're keeping our fingers crossed," Schumacher said. "He's obviously a superstar on the world level as well, so he's got a lot of options and opportunities. But we'd love to have him come back next year. He likes it here ... him and (Oregon throws coach Brian Blutreich) have a great relationship, so yeah, we're gonna keep our fingers crossed."
Chris Hansen covers University of Oregon football, men’s basketball, track and field, cross country and softball for The Register-Guard. You can reach him at [email protected].
This article originally appeared on Register-Guard: 3-time NCAA champ Peyton Bair may redshirt Oregon's outdoor season
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But whether he stretches that streak to four straight titles might come down to a decision made off the track instead of his performance on it.
Oregon coach Jerry Schumacher confirmed April 14 that the Ducks' star decathlete might redshirt this outdoor season to preserve a full season of competition in 2027, when the senior Bair would have both an indoor and outdoor season of eligibility remaining. If he competes for Oregon outdoors this spring, he'll have only an NCAA indoor season remaining for next season.
"'So, we're trying to make that decision right now," Schumacher said. "Redshirt, not redshirt?"
Bair is not entered in the Oregon Team Invitational taking place April 17-18 at Hayward Field, the first home meet of the season for the Ducks.
Bair swept the NCAA indoor heptathlon and outdoor decathlon titles in 2025 while at Mississippi State. He transferred to Oregon last summer and went on to repeat as NCAA indoor heptathlon in March, when he broke Ashton Eaton's school record with a 6,503-point performance.
Eaton is the only athlete with more consecutive NCAA combined-event titles than Bair. The former decathlon world-record-holder won five straight between 2008-10 — two in the heptathlon and three in the decathlon.
Schumacher said the season-ending injury suffered by Oregon men's discus world-record holder Mykolas Alekna last month is playing a role in the conversation about Bair's possible redshirt.
Alekna tore his pectoral muscle last month and needed surgery to repair the injury, delivering a blow to the Ducks' chances of contending for a team title when the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships come to Hayward Field in June.
"The ultimate goal is to win a national championship, and national championships are hard to win," Schumacher said. "Obviously the loss of points (due to Alekna's absence) mean's we're looking at our board and trying to figure out what is best."
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Getting a healthy Alekna back on a team with a motivated Bair coming off a redshirt would make the Ducks immediate contenders in 2027.
Of course, Alekna, a senior from Lithuania, has not announced his intentions for next year nor publicly expressed any desire to take a medical redshirt and compete collegiately again in 2027.
"We're keeping our fingers crossed," Schumacher said. "He's obviously a superstar on the world level as well, so he's got a lot of options and opportunities. But we'd love to have him come back next year. He likes it here ... him and (Oregon throws coach Brian Blutreich) have a great relationship, so yeah, we're gonna keep our fingers crossed."
Chris Hansen covers University of Oregon football, men’s basketball, track and field, cross country and softball for The Register-Guard. You can reach him at [email protected].
This article originally appeared on Register-Guard: 3-time NCAA champ Peyton Bair may redshirt Oregon's outdoor season
Continue reading...
