Middle-distance standout will have one outdoor season remaining with Ducks, along with Cornell transfer Neumaier, following Ivy League decision not to allow graduate student-athletes to compete next year

By Erik Boal, DyeStat Editor

When Norm Ogilvie announced in April that he would be retiring from coaching at Duke in July after three decades with the program, including the past 20 years as head coach, he indicated that Blue Devils middle-distance standout Matt Wisner would likely be concluding his collegiate track career elsewhere.

Wisner made that official Saturday by posting on Instagram that he would be completing his final outdoor season during the 2020-21 school year at the University of Oregon.

Wisner became the second student-athlete in three days to announce they would be relocating to Oregon, joining Cornell steeplechaser Steve Neumaier, who will join the Ducks as a graduate transfer.

Neumaier’s decision was motivated by the Ivy League deciding to maintain its tradition of not having graduate student-athletes compete, despite the NCAA Division 1 Council voting March 30 to allow seniors competing in all spring sports an extra year of eligibility relief after winter postseason and championship events along with the entire spring athletic schedule were canceled March 12 as a result of the ongoing Coronavirus (COVID-19) global pandemic.

Neumaier, like Wisner, only has one season of outdoor track eligibility remaining.

Wisner was among the 16 qualifiers scheduled to compete in the 800 meters at the NCAA Division 1 Indoor Championships in Albuquerque, N.M., before the event was shut down on the eve of the meet.

Wisner placed 11th at last year’s competition in his first appearance at an NCAA indoor final. He participated in the outdoor 800 quarterfinals the past two years at the NCAA East Regional, but didn’t advance to the championship meet.

Wisner, who secured three career top-three finishes in the 800 at the Atlantic Coast Conference Championships, also boasts personal bests of 1:48.04 in the 800 and 3:49.0 in the 1,500 outdoors, along with 1:20.24 in the 600 and 2:25.15 in the 1,000 indoors.

Under the guidance of Oregon men’s distance coach Ben Thomas, Wisner will have an opportunity to train with fellow national qualifier Luis Peralta, who ran 1:48.10 indoors as a freshman this year.

Charlie Hunter, Cole Hocker and Cooper Teare are also eligible to return for the Ducks, along with William and Mary transfer Miles Owens, giving the Ducks plenty of middle-distance depth, along with Neumaier boasting personal bests of 3:51.21 in the 1,500 and 8:53.15 in the 3,000 steeplechase.

In addition, Oregon has signed a pair of top middle-distance athletes in EJ Holland from nearby Ashland High, along with Michael Abeyta from El Paso Hanks in Texas as part of its incoming recruiting class.