FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Oregon’s Ashton Eaton took a commanding lead in the heptathlon after four events at the NCAA indoor track and field championships Friday night.

Eaton, a graduate of Bend’s Mountain View High School and the defending champion in the event, has 3,561 points. The difference between Eaton and second-place R.J. McGinnis of Minnesota is 361 points, which is wider than the gap between McGinnis and 16th place.

Eaton, the two-time reigning champion in the decathlon in the NCAA outdoor championships, posted the best score in three of the four events contested on Friday. He started the meet with the best time in the 60-meter dash at a personal-record 6.71 seconds, one of just three competitors who ran faster than seven seconds.

The Duck senior continued his solid start with the meet’s best effort in the long jump, with a leap of 25 feet, 4 1⁄4 inches. That mark tied the NCAA meet record and was more than a foot longer than his nearest competitor.

Eaton was only eighth in the shot put, one of his weakest events, with a toss of 43-1⁄2 — which nonetheless was a heptathlon PR. He bounced back with the best score in the high jump after clearing a personal-best 6-11. Eaton was the only athlete to attempt to clear 7-1⁄4, but he did not make the height in three attempts.

Oregon is trying to defend its men’s indoor team title from a year ago.