EUGENE -- Andrew Wheating looks more like a potential NCAA champion with each passing week, which says something about his ability to learn on the job.

The 6-foot-5 Oregon sophomore didn't participate in high school track.

"My high school didn't have a track team," Wheating said.

So Wheating ran some cross country, skied, played soccer, basketball and baseball at Kimball Union Academy in Norwich, Vt.

The chain of events that led him to an Oregon singlet, a sub-four minute mile and a likely spot in the upcoming U.S. Olympic Trails is convoluted. And -- for the Ducks -- fortuitous.

After Wheating had a strong senior cross country season, coaches at Kimball Union suggested he look for outside help to develop his running ability.

That pushed Wheating to contact former Nike Farm Team coach Jeff Johnson, working as a volunteer with the track program at Hanover High School in nearby Hanover, N.H.

Johnson has an impressive pedigree.