COLLEGE STATION, Texas -- After nearly five years of waiting, one NCAA individual championship probably would have been enough for Galen Rupp.

But after dusting the competition in the 5,000 meters to win his first NCAA track title Friday night at the Gilliam Indoor Track Stadium, Rupp led the Ducks’ distance medley relay team to a rousing come-from-behind victory and in the process, became the most honored athlete in University of Oregon history.

After day one of the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships, the Ducks lead with 23 points, followed by Arizona State with 15 and Arkansas and Nebraska with 14.

Meanwhile, the Oregon women, led by Brianne Theisen in the pentathlon, Jamesha Youngblood in the long jump, and the distance medley relay team, have already amassed the second-highest point total in school history, 13.

Back to Rupp, who Friday was simply unstoppable.

In the 5,000, the field settled into a tactical pace and Rupp was content to run between third and fifth for the first nine minutes. At the 9:15 mark, Liberty’s Sam Chelanga picked up the pace as the lead pack began to string out. Rupp bided his time in third, never losing contact with Chelanga.

Then with 800 meters remaining, Rupp put on the defining move of the race, striding out to the lead and begging the pack to follow.

No one could counter.

Rupp increased his lead on each of the remaining laps and cruised to victory in a stadium record 13:41.45. Chelanga was second in 13:44.57. Rupp became the first Duck to win the indoor 5,000 meters. Freshman Luke Puskedra joined Rupp in scoring in the 5,000 with his sixth-place finish in 13:50.82. Oregon’s Shadrack Kiptoo-Biwott was 10th in 14:07.81, while Scott Wall was 14th in 14:24.18.

"I was focusing on that race," said Rupp. " I knew I had to get it done, and execute my race and get a championship."

But he wasn’t finished.

Barely an hour after the conclusion of the 5,000, Rupp was on the track again, this time taking the baton on the anchor leg of the distance medley relay from Andrew Wheating.

A.J. Acosta opened the DMR for the Ducks and had them in sixth place after the first 1,200. Then Chad Barlow ran a torrid 400 meters, moving the Ducks to fourth before handing off to Andrew Wheating for the 800 meters. The 2008 Olympian put the Ducks into second behind Arkansas, setting the stage for Rupp’s anchor leg.

Taking the baton just a step behind Arkansas’ Dorian Ulrey, Rupp held second position, with California and Brigham Young in tow. He then challenged Ulrey with 300 meters remaining, and with just over a lap left, and in an all-out sprint, Rupp pulled away from Ulrey and finished the Ducks’ win in 9:29.59.

"I was dead set against it until (Rupp) did such a great sales job," said Oregon Associate Athletic Director Vin Lananna. "He said ‘just give me the baton in second.’

"We have two choices at a meet like this, go big or don’t do it al all," said Lananna. "Today we had the kind of personnel to make exciting thing happen."

The two wins on Saturday gave Rupp the 10th and 11th All-America awards of his career, making him the most honored All-American in the history of the University of Oregon. On Friday, Rupp passed women’s track standout Leann Warren, who earned 10 All-America certificates from 1980-85.

The UO women were nearly as entertaining.

Theisen broke her own school record in the pentathlon, scoring 4,321 points in a third place finish. Teammate Kalindra McFadden was ninth in a personal-best 4,088 points as both women became the first Ducks to earn All-America honors in the pentathlon.

"If you would have told me before the meet that I would have finished third, I would have taken it," said Theisen, who was ranked fifth nationally coming into the meet. "But I’m the kind off person who doesn’t really settle. I really wanted to win.

"Still, I hit a lot of PR’s and got a really good score, so it was a good day," she said.

Theisen set a personal record - and a school record - in winning the pentathlon’s 60 meter hurdles, running 8.54. She also won the high jump with a clearance of 5-11.25, matching a career best. After throwing 36-7.5 in the shot put, the redshirt-freshman from Humboldt, Sask., set a collegiate best in the long jump with a mark of 19-9, which matched her best effort from high school. She closed the afternoon with a :04 personal best in the 800 meters, clocking 2:17.37.

"The hurdles and high jump was awesome," said Theisen. "I could have done better in the shot put, but it was good to get 19-9 in the long jump which I hadn’t done since high school.

"And the 800 was actually an easy race for me which surprised me," she said. "Coach Steele kept telling me I was going to run 2:17 and I didn’t think I could do it, but I actually felt really good. Kalindra did a great job of pacing and I just followed her and now I’m thinking maybe I could have run even faster."

McFadden, earned the first All-America award of her career thanks to a PRs in the hurdles and long jump. She clocked 8.83 in the 60 meter hurdles and leapt 18-7.75 in the long jump. The redshirt senior from Bozeman, Mont., also used solid marks in the high jump (5-6.5), shot put (41-1.25) and the 800 meters (2:18.37) to top 4,000 points for the second time in two weeks.

"It’s a little bittersweet because I just missed scoring a point for the team, but I put everything I had into it today and it feels great to finally get All-America," said McFadden. "I would have been just as happy without it because I had a lot of fun out there today, but it’s pretty special to be an All-American at Oregon.

"Today was a great confidence booster going into the outdoor season," she said.

Youngblood was a surprise point-scorer in the women’s long jump. Seeded 14th going into the championships, Youngblood leapt a personal best and school record 21-1.25 on her second attempt on Friday to place fifth and score four points for the Ducks.

"It felt really good," said Youngblood, who felt she had a jump that would have won the day on her last attempt, but she scratched by a fraction of an inch." "I’m disappointed right now because I know that foul would have won and I wanted to win, even though I was ranked 14th coming into the meet.

"But I know I have it in me and it gave me some confidence going into the outdoor season."

The great day for the women was capped by a sixth place finish in the distance medley relay. Nicole Blood, Amber Purvis, Zoe Buckman and Alex Kosinski ran a school record 11:02.81.

Oregon’s 13 team points match its effort from the 2003 Indoor Championships, and trail only 1996’s 18 for the highest NCAA Indoor point total in school history.

"I feel pretty good about today," said associate head coach Dan Steele. "The men gave us some momentum heading into tomorrow and women showed they’re ready to compete."

In action that will be completed on Saturday, Eaton won two events and was second in a third to take the first day lead in the heptathlon with 3,250 points. The junior from Bend, Ore., had a 23-point lead on Bjorn Barrefors of Nebraska, and a 40-point edge on 2008 NCAA heptathlon champion Gonzalo Barriolhet of Florida State.

He won the 60 meters in 6.86, which was just .02 off his personal best. He also won the long jump in 24-3 before a conservative throw of 38-4 in the shot put. He finished the day with a clearance of 6-7.5 in the high jump, which was tied for second best among the heptathletes.

Keshia Baker set an indoor personal best in advancing to Saturday’s final in the women’s 400 meters. Her time of 53.27 was the third-fastest among qualifiers and broke her own school record. That time also matched Baker’s outdoor personal best.

Andrew Wheating continued his domination of the collegiate 800 meters, winning his preliminary heat on Friday in 1:49.17 to advance to Saturday’s final.

Matthew Centrowitz will be in Saturday’s final of the men’s mile after tying for the 10th and final spot. In non-laned races, ties are not broken in preliminary heats, thus Centrowitz and David McCarthy of Providence, who tied for 10th in 4:04.72, moved on to Saturday. Oregon fans will remember a similar situation involving A.J. Acosta in the 1,500 meters at the NCAA Outdoor Championships in Des Moines last season. Acosta finished 13th in the mile 4:05.72 on Friday. In the women’s mile, Nicole Blood was 12th in 4:42.88.

Amber Purvis, the only freshman in the women’s 60-meter field, ran 7.39, tying for third in her heat. Overall, she finished 12th in 7.388.

Mattie Bridgmon finished 16th in the women’s 5,000 meters, running 16:20.95. Oregon’s Lindsey Scherf was a late scratch from the race due to an ankle injury.

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