Siuslaw graduate Joe Dotson tries to get better each day, times 10.

That's what decathletes do.

"His immediate goal is to train and win the NAIA National Championship," Mark Badowsky said.

"It's not something we talk about often when we discuss goals, as we try to focus on the process and improvement in each individual event."

Badowsky is the sprints/hurdles, jumps and multi-events coach for the Southern Oregon University track and field team.

As such, he knows Dotson well.

"Joe will always be seen from a surface level for his accolades on the track," Badowsky said. "The part that people from the outside looking in will never see is the time and mindfulness that Joe has put into his craft.

"In an individual sport (multi-events), Joe has been the ultimate team player. In three seasons, he has placed in 11 events at the conference meet outside of the decathlon.

"As a program, it's things like that which will continue to light the path of what it means to be a Raider."

Dotson has earned five all-American awards competing at the NAIA nationals for the Raiders. He was all-American in the decathlon as a freshman, a sophomore and as a junior.

Dotson now is working for his fourth all-American honor in the decathlon as a sixth-year senior. With his eye on the U.S. Olympic Trials, Dotson took a redshirt year as a senior in 2019, then regained senior status after the 2020 NAIA championships were canceled due to the pandemic.

"The Olympic Trials are definitely something he is keeping one eye on throughout all this," Badowsky said. "But it goes the same as the NAIA National Championship, where it will take the summation of improvements he's made over the last several years to attain that goal."

Southern Oregon has three home meets to start its season, which begins Thursday in Ashland.

The Cascade Conference Multi-Event Championships are April 22-23 in Ashland, the Cascade Conference Championships May 14-15 in La Grande and the NAIA Outdoor Championships May 26-28 in Gulf Shores, Ala.

The U.S. Olympic Team Trials for the decathlon are June 19-20 at Hayward Field in Eugene.

Badowsky has faith in his Raider senior.

"I know when the moment comes for that opportunity," he said, "there's very few out there that are willing to put it all on the line to be successful."

But Joe Dotson is, times 10.