Dan Maton continues family talent tradition
Make no doubt about it: a sub-4 minute Mile is the paramount objective this track season for Maton
By Logan Stanley, MileSplit Correspondent
Each time Camas High School senior Daniel Maton steps out on the oval, lofty expectations follow.
But when you come from a family with a storied past in the sport of running, the bar is set high.
What makes the Matons unique is their lineage. Dad, Jim, was the 1988 NCAA champion in the indoor 800 meters at Eastern Illinois University. Mom, Michelle, was born and raised in South Africa and hails from a family of runners. It even extends deeper: Michelle's father, Deon Dekkers, was the South African cross country champion in 1969 and owns a personal best of 4:00 in the Mile.
Michelle, known for her barefoot style of running, went on to become an All-American at Indiana University and won the 1988 NCAA individual cross country championship.
The success didn't stop with Michelle and Jim and continued on with their children, first in Ashley and Matthew, both whom featured as prep standouts at Bend High School and later on at the University of Oregon in the mid 2010s.
Next in line is now Daniel, an 18-year-old senior at Camas High School in southwest Washington and the two-time Class 4A champion at 800 and 1600 meters.
He's fresh off a summer that saw him run 1:50.79 in the 800m at the USA Junior Outdoor Championships in June and is one of the leading candidates in the nation among high school boys to break 4 minutes in the Mile this year - just like his older brother Matthew did in 2015 (one of only 10 U.S. HSers),
"Those conditions [in June] were okay," Maton said of USA Junior Outdoors. "The race got delayed due to thunder, I was sick that day. It was definitely a huge confidence booster."
And Maton's final track season at the high school level - he's a University of Washington signee - is now here.
Continue reading at: milesplit.com
