Titans’ Renaissance Athlete

Competing in the decathlon came naturally for Cal State Fullerton’s Steve Reh.

“I like the challenge of doing so many different things,” Reh said. “That’s what makes the decathlon fun.”

Reh will compete in the Big West Conference track and field championships this week at Long Beach State. The two-day decathlon competition starts today. .

Reh finished sixth in the event last season.

His strongest events are the high jump, pole vault, long jump and high hurdles. His personal bests are 14 feet 7 1/4 inches in the pole vault, 6-6 in the high jump, 22-3 3/4 in the long jump and 15.16 seconds in the 110-meter high hurdles.

“I don’t really enjoy the discus and shot that much because I’m only 165 pounds,” Reh said. “They aren’t good events for me.”

Reh, a graduate of La Verne High, was primarily a high jumper when he joined the team as a freshman, but Titan assistant coach Ron Kamaka encouraged him to try the decathlon.

“I had injured my heel my sophomore year and it affected my high jumping,” Reh said. “That was when Coach Kamaka told me that maybe I should try some other events. All of a sudden, I had nine more events to work on.”

Kamaka said he thinks the move to the decathlon turned out to be the best thing for Reh’s college track career.

“When he first came to us, he was barely an average Division I high jumper, and now he’s developed into a legitimate decathlete,” Kamaka said. “We thought doing more events would remove some of his stress of competing only in the high jump.”

Titan Coach John Elders calls Reh “a coach’s dream” because of his work ethic. “He’s developed a great deal in all the events, but he’s really improved a lot in the pole vault,” Elders said.

Reh said the pole vault has become a favorite. “I’m still a student of it, but I think I’d like to coach it someday,” he said. “For me, it’s the most fun.”

A senior, Reh also has been a member of the university’s President’s Scholars program, which provides an academic scholarship that pays his tuition and fees and provides a $750 stipend for textbooks. Selection is based on a student’s academic record and involvement in extracurricular activities in high school. The program is sponsored by the President’s Associates, a university support group.

“The only thing that isn’t covered is housing and food,” Reh said. “But it’s not just the scholarship money. It’s a phenomenal program, where we also take part in community service activities and a lot of things at the university as a group.”

Reh has taken advantage of the opportunity, and has a 3.93 grade-point average while majoring in business with an emphasis on finance.

“I’ve had a 4.0 [GPA] every semester but one,” he said. “I got two Bs that semester, but I was balancing a tough schedule.”

That balancing act includes dividing his time between athletics and academics, as well as a part-time job as a tutor.

‘I’m not sure I could be a decathlete if it weren’t for the President’s Scholars program,” Reh said. “Track takes a lot of time. I probably spend around four hours a day on the decathlon, including the weight training. I’m sure I’d need to work more if I didn’t have the scholarship. I still have to make sacrifices, and I don’t go out on weekends as much.”