McGrath leaves UO track team.

Byline: Bob Rodman The Register-Guard

Mike McGrath, arguably the most notable of the in-state middle-distance/distance-running athletes secured in Martin Smith's six seasons as the Oregon track and field coach, is leaving the Ducks.

The freshman from Portland said Friday that he would complete spring term at the university, then "go back home and get things situated."

"I want to be a great runner," said McGrath, who led the nation last season as a senior at Portland's Lincoln High with his state-record time of 1 minute, 48.56 seconds in the 800 meters. "I do not feel I can do that in this environment.

"I know my leaving is a pretty big thing. I know I was one of the best recruits coach Smith brought in here."

Smith, who was with the Ducks at the NCAA West Regional meet Friday in Northridge, Calif., said he was disappointed.

"We do not ever want to lose an athlete unless it is for the right reasons," he said. "But I am supportive of Mike's decision. He just did not feel he was evolving as an athlete to the level he wanted under our training system."

The 19-year-old McGrath, who won the OSAA Class 4A 800 title at Hayward Field one year ago, struggled during his first season in a Duck uniform.

His fastest 800 was 1:50.24, clocked during the Oregon Twilight meet on May 1.

While he secured race victories at the Oregon Preview and Oregon Invitational meets, McGrath was unable to advance to the 800 final at the Pac-10 Conference championships two weeks ago in Tucson, Ariz.

The decision for him to not compete in this weekend's regional meet prevented McGrath from attempting to qualify for next month's NCAA Championships at Austin, Texas.

"The Pac-10 meet probably was the straw that broke the camel's back, but my decision to leave Oregon was not made on any one race," said McGrath, a slender, 5-foot-7 athlete who was a silver medalist in the 800 at the USA Junior Championships last year.

McGrath said his relationship with Smith, who coaches the team's distance runners, "is good on a personal level."

"There is nothing political or personal about my leaving," McGrath said. "My frustration was that I did not feel I was getting good enough training to become a good runner here. This is a system that really works for some, but for some others, it does not."

McGrath said that he and Smith had conversations about the coach's training system.

"I talked with Coach about implementing some of the things I did in high school, but he did not feel that was the way to go," McGrath said. "I understand that he does not want to compromise his training program, but with that program, I just cannot meet my needs.

"I feel like we neglected a lot of strength work, and a lot of other work. It let me get soft this year. I have high expectations. I didn't realize the transition to college would be this hard. I was going backwards, and it got to me mentally."

McGrath said he will reconnect with Bob Williams, his coach while running for Lincoln High, when he returns to Portland following the conclusion of the spring quarter early next month.

McGrath said he plans to compete this summer, train with Portland prep superstar Galen Rupp and seek a berth on the U.S. team that will participate in the IAAF World Junior Championships at Grosseto, Italy, in mid-July. He said he probably will enroll at Portland State next fall.

"I want to get back into a comfortable training environment," McGrath said. "In order for me to excel, I have to be under different guidance."

As his freshman season progressed, nearly all of the Ducks' 800 duties landed in McGrath's lap.

Ryan Flaherty, a sophomore from Bend who finished third in the Pac-10 meet's 800 last year, was redshirted. Roderick Dotts, a junior transfer from St. Louis, was injured and competed in only one 800 during the outdoor season. Jeff DeWolf, a freshman from Bend, also redshirted.

Flaherty has a personal record of 1:49.65. Dotts' lifetime best is 1:48.41. DeWolf's PR is 1:53.59. J.K. Withers, a prep senior from Santa Rosa, Calif., who signed a national letter of intent with Oregon this spring, has PRs of 1:53.21 in the 800 and 4:10 in the 1,500.

The loss of McGrath, who was also expected to run the 1,500 next year, delivers a hit to an Oregon middle-distance/distance program that has struggled in recent years.

Smith has recruited only one middle-distance/distance athlete who has won a Pac-10 title - Simon Kimata in the 800 in 2002.

During Smith's tenure, Jason Hartmann has been the highest NCAA meet finisher for the Ducks in the middle-distance/distance races with a third place in the 10,000 in 2001.

"Of course we are disappointed that Mike is leaving, but we can't think of it as devastating to the program," Smith said. "That would be unfair to Mike as well as to the team.

"Any program would be affected if someone of that stature leaves, but he made an athletic decision and everybody must just move forward. This was a personal issue not a program issue."

McGrath said he hopes "people will not think of me as a quitter, someone who betrayed the coaching staff. My intentions are good."

CAPTION(S):

Mike McGrath failed to qualify for the final at the Pac-10 meet.