Ex-Duck's move up to 800 becomes Scherer's delight.

Byline: Curtis Anderson The Register-Guard

With a business degree in hand, and an entry-level position in management already secured, Matt Scherer was poised to get on with his life when he graduated from the University of Oregon last spring.

What more could he possibly accomplish on the track?

The only thing that stood between Scherer and the school record in the 400 meters was world record-holder and 1960 Olympic gold medalist Otis Davis, whose mark he missed by 0.12 seconds when he clocked 45.19 to win the Pac-10 title at Hayward Field last season.

It was a breathtaking performance.

Yet, with the overwhelming abundance of talented quarter-milers in this country, it still wasn't fast enough to rank him among the top 10 Americans last year. If he wanted to keep running, and Scherer gradually became convinced that his competitive days were not over, he would most likely have to find another event.

`A lot of people told me that I would be a better 800 runner, or even a decathlete, than a 400 runner,' Scherer said. `But I never really had the opportunity to make the switch and try it out.'

Scherer, 23, sought out his most trusted advisers - Oregon coach Vin Lananna and assistant Dan Steele. They laid out his options, spoke frankly about what he could hope to achieve as a professional athlete and then left the final decision up to him.

Scherer, with the luxury of a backup plan in the real world, chose the 800, even though he had run the event only twice in college, posting a PR of 1:50.25 last year. His capacity to handle workouts was legendary within the UO sprint corps, and Steele was one who encouraged Scherer to make the transition.

`Matt used to thrive on longer, harder workouts,' Steele said. `He ate them up and always wanted to do more.'

Scherer's switch to the two-lap race coincided with the arrival of Oregon Track Club Elite, a group of about 20 post-collegiate middle-distance and distance runners coached by Frank Gagliano.

It was a perfect fit.

Not only would Scherer get to stay in Eugene and have his housing and medical costs covered, he would be tutored by one of the nation's most respected distance coaches, and he would be training with some of the brightest young stars on the U.S. middle-distance scene.

`I got a hold of Matt in the fall,' Gagliano said. `He talked to me about staying here and running the 800, and I told him I would be delighted to have him. We had to be very careful with his training because his mileage moved up, but he accepted the challenge and never backed off.'

The local 800 club, led by reigning U.S. indoor champion Nick Symmonds, features seven runners who have run 1:47 or better: Elliott Blount, Kevin Elliott, James Hatch, Courtney Jaworski, Brandon Shaw and Marc Sylvester. Adam Steele is another quarter-miler moving up to the 800.

Most of the OTC Elite athletes, including the distance runners, are scheduled to be in action tonight or Saturday for their long-awaited `home opener' at the annual Oregon Invitational at Hayward Field.

`This is the first time that we're putting everyone on the track that's healthy,' Gagliano said. `It's going to be a great opener for us. Our whole group, whether they're a rabbit or competing, is very excited.'

Symmonds is scheduled to make his outdoor debut in the 1,500 tonight, and Scherer earned a spot in the fastest of Saturday's 800 heats with his 1:48.81 performance at the Mt. SAC Relays last week.

Scherer is also expected to anchor the OTC Elite 4x400 relay at the end of Saturday's meet.

`I was extremely happy with my time,' said Scherer, recalling the third 800-meter race of his life. `My roommate, Marc (Sylvester), took it out, and he knows what he's doing, so I just filled in behind him and had a good kick at the end.

`I'm anxious to get back on the track (Saturday). The rabbit is supposed to take us out a little faster than Mt. SAC, and I'm anxious to see how I handle that.'

It hasn't been a completely smooth transition for Scherer.

After several solid months of training last fall, in which the 6-foot-2 Scherer dropped 15 pounds, he suffered a tear in his right calf muscle. He spent the next eight weeks working out in the pool and missed the entire indoor season.

`It was tough in the beginning, especially the mental part,' Scherer said. `But training with such a big group has been very beneficial to me. ...

"I can go up to any one of these guys and get advice, and if they see me down, they pick me up.'

They can also teach Scherer some of the nuances of the 800. After a lifetime of coming out of the blocks, it was just a few weeks ago that he learned the proper way to approach the starting line.

`To me, it's pretty apparent there are a lot of things I don't know yet,' said Scherer, a nine-time all-American at Oregon.

Shaw, who placed fourth in the 800 at the U.S. Indoor Championships, is expected to be the pacesetter for Saturday's race. Scherer, Jaworski and Sylvester will also represent OTC Elite.

Other entrants are Washington's Ryan Brown ('06 NCAA outdoor champion), Notre Dame's Thomas Chamney (Ireland national champion, sixth-place NCAA finisher), UC Santa Barbara's Tetlo Emmen ('05 NCAA finalist), Australia's Lachlan Renshaw (ninth at '06 World Junior Championships) and Idaho's Driss Yousfi (school record-holder).

`This will be the best 800 field that Matt has ever run against,' Gagliano said.

`I don't know how fast he can run, but I do know he's a great competitor and he does not like to lose.

"If he's there with 100 to go, he's going to give people a run for their money.'

The ultimate goal for Scherer, and his teammates, is to qualify for the U.S. outdoor championships in Indianapolis, June 21-24, and then see how they handle the grueling 800 rounds against America's best.

At least one former coach believes Scherer made the right choice.

`I wasn't surprised to see his 1:48 (at Mt. SAC),' Steele said. `I was happy for him, and I also think there's a lot more there.

"I believe we're just seeing the start of something really exciting with him in the 800.'