Eaton, Theisen Share Multi-Event Leads After First Day at Sacramento Meet
SACRAMENTO, Calif. ? University of Oregon?s Ashton Eaton
and Brianne Theisen both benefited from consistent performances as the pair own
shares of the lead after the first day of the decathlon and heptathlon,
respectively, in the Sacramento State Nike Elite Invitational Thursday at the
Alex G. Spanos Sports Complex.
Eaton, who
encountered a tough first day in the heptathlon in the NCAA Indoor Track &
Field Championships before rebounding to finish sixth in the seven-event
competition earlier this month, displayed few effects from that outing as he posted
personal bests in three of five events in his first decathlon of the season.
The
Not to be outdone
was Theisen, who was competing in her first multi-event completion of her
collegiate career. The Canadian freshman turned in a PR in the shot put and finished
no worse than third in any of the four phases of the heptathlon to end the day
with 3,252 points. The automatic NCAA qualifying standard in that event is
5,500 points as she approaches her final three events of the competition
Friday.
“Ashton was
much more composed today, and it helps that this is a relaxed atmosphere and a
low-key meet,” Oregon Associate Head Coach Dan Steele said. “He (long jump) jumped
well and it’s nice to see more consistency. He’s capable of jumping 25 feet
every time.
“We tried
not to put too much emphasis on this meet and see if we might be able to get a
qualifying mark. You really have to have the right frame of mind (in the
decathlon) and he took a business-like approach. He had a great first day and
if he can have a good day tomorrow, we will really be pleased.”
Steele was
equally impressed with Theisen, if for no other reason because she was
competing in only her second outdoor track meet as a collegian.
“She had a
great day and it’s only March,” Steele emphasized. “This time of the year, you
don’t expect a lot of PRs. She was a bit of a surprise but a pleasant one.”
Eaton
enjoyed his greatest success in the long jump despite benefiting from an aiding
+5.0 tail wind. He jumped 25-feet, three-quarters of an inch to score 970
points in one of his two events where he posted the highest score. He concluded
the day with a time of 47.00 seconds in the 400, with his two-second advantage
and 958 points allowing him to pull even with the former
Eaton also
recorded a PR in the high jump at 6-5 as he aims to better his personal
decathlon best of 6,977 points set last season in Tucson, Ariz.
Theisen
made her outdoor debut at Hayward Field less than a week ago, winning the
100-meter hurdles and long jump, while finishing third in the 200. But Steele
couldn’t have expected the freshman to do so well in her first heptathlon at
the collegiate level. After finishing with the third-best mark and 920 points
in Thursday’s 100 hurdles, the Humboldt, Saskatchewan standout cleared the top
height (5-7) in the high jump, set a personal best of 36-9.75 in the shot put
while finishing with the second-best score (610 points), and turned in the
fastest time in the 200 (25.22).
Her
first-day score stands 112 points ahead of second-place Dani McNaney (3,140
points), and 161 points ahead of the Ducks’ Kalindra McFadden (3,091).
“All of the
kids did a good job and are competing well,” Steele said. “The young ones want
to set a PR in every event but that’s
not realistic. Basically, we just wanted to get our feet wet and prepare
ourselves for big things ahead.”
First-Day Decathlon Results
T1. Ashton
Eaton,
100 ? 1. Darius Draudvila, Unatt., 10.73
(922); 2. Ashton
Long Jump ? 1. Ashton Eaton,
Shot Put ? 1. Tom Pappas, Nike, 52-10.25
(858); 2. Darius Draudvila, Unatt., 47-2.25 (752); 3. Justin Taylor, Wich.
High Jump ? 1. Darius Draudvila, Unatt., 6-7.5
(822); 2. Tom Pappas, Nike, 6-6.25 (794); 3. Ashton
400 ? 1. Ashton
First-Day Heptathlon Results
1.
100 Hurdles ? 1. Dani McNaney, Unatt., 14.01w
(977); 2. Moira Robinson, Sac.,
High Jump ? 1. Brianne Theisen,
Shot Put ? 1. Bridget Johnson, Team XO, 30-5
(662); 2. Brianne Theisen,
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