Ken Goe of The Oregonian has just reported that Oregon’s Brianne Theisen has withdrawn from this weekend’s Pac-10 heptathlon championships, citing a back injury. That injury has kept her out of the entirety of the outdoor season. Oregon head coach Vin Lananna has downplayed this injury the whole time, saying it was minor, but this indicates otherwise.
Aside from the immediate issue of the Pac-10 Championships, this likely means that Theisen’s college season is over. She does not have a heptathlon score to her credit, and has no further opportunities to get one in the collegiate season. She could conceivably compete in an individual event at the Pac-10, but if she were physically capable of doing so she wouldn’t have withdrawn from the Pac-10.
If the Ducks had any chance of successfully defending their NCAA outdoor championships title completing the indoor-outdoor championship double, I would say they no longer do.
Coaching staff has not yet returned Goe’s telephone calls.
