Michigan State University decathlete Ryan Talbot performing at the NCAA Championships in Eugene, Oregon. Photo courtesy of Logan Hannigan-Downs of Michigan State Athletics.
Michigan State's Track and Field decathlon standout Ryan Talbot finished his season strong last week, earning Second Team All-American honors after a successful performance at the NCAA Championships in Eugene, Oregon.
The 23-year-old graduate student finished in ninth place with a total of 7,759 points at the championships. He had an impressive second half of events, setting personal bests in the 1500-meter run and discus throw as well as improving in the rankings after the 110-meter hurdles.
Talbot, a native of Fenton, MI, said competing in the NCAA Championships at the renowned Hayward Field on University of Oregon's campus was “the biggest college meet” he’s ever been to and the atmosphere was equally exhilarating and competitive.
“Everyone is very serious, everyone is locked in,” Talbot said. “Being at Hayward Field has a little bit of a magical aura to it.”
24 decathletes competed, including Talbot, who placed the highest of anyone from the Big Ten. Talbot said it was “really cool" to be surrounded by so much talent, all of whom “deserve to be there,” no matter how they finished.
Talbot will stay in Eugene for a little longer, as his great success has led him to compete in the USA Olympic Trials to be held from June 21 to June 30 in the city.
What made this season more successful for Talbot than years past was his ability to stay focused and have a clear mindset throughout the season, something that took some time to really sharpen.
“It’s always a goal to do well, but if you’re so focused on the future, you’re never going to really be able to focus on the present moment,” Talbot said. “I’m a big dreamer… but sometimes my expectations are very high and if I think I’m going to miss my expectations, that’ll definitely negatively affect my mindset. So, I think that focusing on one event at a time, being really present and just competing to the best of my ability at that moment will lead me into everything culminating together into the bigger picture of success.”
While June 21 awaits, Talbot said he is going to take the down time to “recover and train” for the trials. On the other hand, he realized the trials will be a way to meet more people and see what he can improve on in his future.
“It’s such a great opportunity to get my name out there, meet people, make connections,” Talbot said. “It’s a chance to set yourself up for better things in the future.”
Stats and results from the trials can be found here. Both Talbot and MSU decathlete Heath Baldwin will compete.
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