NORTHFIELD, Minn. -- The 2015 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) Outdoor Track and Field Championships got off to a great start Thursday with the multi-event competitions at Carleton College in Northfield, Minn. Following one day of competition, both the battles to claim the conference titles in the women's heptathlon and men's decathlon are shaping up to be unforgettable.
In the women's pentathlon, a pair of decorated MIAC athletes began an entertaining duel with Carleton's Amelia Campbell a step ahead of St. Olaf's Dani Larson after five events. The men's field is even closer at the top, as just 19 total points separates the top three with St. Thomas' Preston Huddleston leading Carleton's Evan McNeil and Saint Mary's Ross Kinderman by the slimmest of margins after five events.
| HEPTATHLON RESULTS | DECATHLON RESULTS |
Campbell raced out to her lead thanks to a top three finish in each of Friday's four events. She had the top time in the 100-meter hurdles (14.81), finished second in the shot put (36-9) and 200-meter dash (25.91) and took third in the high jump (5-2.5) to result in her point total of 3,004. Campbell is the defending MIAC & national champion in the event and was the 2015 Division III Outdoor Field Athlete-of-the-Year.
Larson, who won the MIAC indoor heptathlon title, is lurking just 134 points behind Campbell with a score of 2,870. Larson finished first in both the high jump (5-5) and the 200 (25.75) and was third in the 100-hurdles and seventh in the shot. St. Thomas' Bailey Cook is in third (2,689) and another Tommie, Laura Eischens (2,566), and Saint Benedict's Megan Sundstrom (2,491) round out the top five.
Halfway through the decathlon, Huddleston sits in first with 3,227 total points, but he holds just a 15-point lead over second-place McNeil (3,212) and a 19-point edge over third-place Kinderman (3,208). Huddleston finished in the top seven in each event, including second in both the long jump (20-9) and 400-meter dash (51.67), fourth in the 100-meter dash (11.73), fifth in the high jump (5-9.75) and seventh in the shot put (34-10.5).
McNeil also had a top-eight showing in each of Thursday's five events. He led the field in the shot (39-10.5), was third in both the 100 (11.67) and long jump (20-7.75), seventh in the 400 and eighth in the high jump. Kinderman impressed with the top mark in the long jump (21-4.75) and 400 (51.55) and he was second in the 100 (11.54), with an eight-place finish in the shot and ninth-place finish in the high jump.
Three other men's athletes, Concordia's Jackson Schepp (3,155), Carleton's Jack Buckner (3,095) and Concordia's Joe Hendrickson (3,003) all racked up more than 3,000 points as well Thursday, and Friday's final five events should be an incredibly entertaining final act.
The action continues Friday, starting with the completion of decathlon beginning at 10:30 a.m., and the conclusion of the heptathlon starting at 12:30 p.m. The top three individuals in each event will automatically earn All-Conference honors, and the 4th-through-6th place finishers will be named All-Conference Honorable Mention.
Though the multi-event competitions kick off the conference meet, the rest of the 2015 MIAC Outdoor Track and Field Championships will be held May 8-9 at Macalester College in St. Paul, Minn. The MIAC has a home page dedicated to the 2015 Outdoor Championships with complete details for next weekend's event.
| 2015 MIAC Outdoor Track and Field Championships |