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Oregon's Marcus Chambers finds his victory in the Pac-12 Championships 400-meter final something to crow about.

(Blaine Ohigashi/Pac-12)

EUGENE - Marcus Chambers kept a low profile for most of his first two seasons with the Oregon Ducks.

The UO sprinter quietly went about his business, not calling much attention to himself on or off the track.

"He's not a very dramatic person," teammate Russell Hornsby said.

Well, not usually.

Without a warning, Chambers went off like a volcano at last month's Pac-12 Track & Field Championships.

He not only won the 400 meters, but also destroyed a personal record that dated to high school by nearly a second, and re-wrote the school's top 10 list with a sizzling time of 45.21 seconds.

"Oh my gosh, I was so excited," Chambers said. "I was shocked. I knew I was going to run 45, but I didn't know where it would be - high, low middle."

The time vaulted Chambers from out of sight to No. 4 all-time at Oregon, behind school record-holder Mike Berry, Olympic gold medalist Otis Davis and nine-time All-American Matt Scherer.

As he crossed the finish line, Mr. Low Key celebrated with a shout of triumph.

"He got dramatic then," Hornsby said. "That's the most excited I've ever seen him, and it was cool to see. It's pretty uncommon to PR by a full second in the 400."

Suddenly Chambers looks like a factor in the NCAA Track & Field Championships, which begin Wednesday at Hayward Field.

The Track & Field News pre-meet form chart pencils him in for fifth place, which would be worth four critical team points.

Oregon is locked into what appears to be a four-way battle for the men's team title with Florida, LSU and Texas A&M.

Distance runners Edward Cheserek and Eric Jenkins, and javelin thrower Sam Crouser figure to do much of Oregon's heavy lifting.

The 400, though, could be just as crucial.

Florida, LSU and Texas A&M all have individual contenders in the 400. If Chambers does better than expected, he not only will score additional points for the Ducks, he could take away points from Oregon's three rivals.

Factor in that Chambers anchors both relays, and he could wind up being one of the most important guys in an Oregon uniform.

"The 400 is pretty stacked," Chambers said. "I'll have to be ready, and be ready for a fast time.

"Honestly, I want to win. But my goal is to just go out there and compete, score points for our team and set a PR."

He will be keeping some fast company, including Texas A&M's Deon Lendore, who won The Bowerman for 2014 as college track & field's best male athlete, and 2015 NCAA indoor champion Vernon Norwood of LSU.

It may take a personal record for Chambers to keep up.

"When you think about times too much, like, 'Oooh, I should hit this time,' I think it throws you off," Chambers said. "I know my training has been good. I just want to go out there and see what comes.

"But I definitely think a 44 is on the way."

Berry's school record is 44.75. Chambers has noticed, partly because he followed in Berry 's footsteps out of the Seattle-Tacoma area.

Both ran for a club team coached by former NFL player Eric Metcalf.

They bonded last year when Berry was a senior and Chambers a freshman.

Chambers turned to Berry, now a Seattle-based, post-collegian, as he struggled with the adjustment to college.

"I didn't have the year I wanted," Chambers. "I don't know why I didn't run fast. Mike definitely helped me out, talked me through it and tried to make me stay positive. He was a big mentor for me, and still is."

After the season Chambers sat down with UO coach Robert Johnson to discuss what went wrong in 2014, and how to fix it.

"We talked about his sophomore year, and said this could be a breakout year," Johnson said. "He's done awesome so far. He's been 100 percent better."

It hadn't shown on the stopwatch before the Pac-12 final at UCLA.

Johnson knew Chambers was on the verge.

"I saw the PR coming," he said. "But that size of a PR? Not in a million years."

This week, the stage gets larger and the stakes get bigger. It's no time for a low profile.

And just in case he needed a reminder, Chambers received a text from Berry.

"He just told me it's not over," Chambers said. "He told me, 'Don't be satisfied. You still have to go to nationals and do something there.' "

-- Ken Goe

kgoe@oregonian.com

503-221-8040 | @KenGoe