KEVIN JENISON
GoSycamores.com
CHARLESTON, Ill. - Junior Robert Webb scored 6,608 points to win the Decathlon and sophomore Kelly Steffen scored 4,772 points to place third in the Heptathlon during the Neil Moore Multi's which finished their two-day run today to open the 2012 EIU Big Blue Classic.
"The multi's went well," Angela Martin, Indiana State track & field coach, said. "Bobby, Kelly, and Patricia worked hard and posted some good pr's. All three were working on several of the events events so there was some up and down but they all did really well. The competition was good competition which was nice because it was one of the better multi events we have seen at Eastern in many years."
Webb began the day in second place but quickly gained control of the competition and finished with 6,608 points which is the fifth best point total in Indiana State history. It also broke the Big Blue Classic record of 6,548 points set by Billy Stadele of Lewis University in 2004. Notre Dame junior Dean Odegard was second at 6,297 points with Wisconsin-Milwaukee senior Ben Crogan third with 6,290 points.
Steffen started the day in fifth place but recorded a win and two seconds in Friday's events to move up to third overall and the second collegian with 4,772 points. The point total is the third best in Indiana State history and was just two points shy of former Sycamore Erica Moore who scored a then-record 4,774 points in 2007. Moore still holds the ISU record with 5,553 points scored during the 2010 season with Chris Singer second with 4,825 points in 1981.
Moore's Big Blue Classic record of 4,774 points and the O'Brien Stadium record of 4,904 points set by Charlene Dewey of Bradley in 1982 were both erased by Illinois junior Marissa Golliday who score 5, 019 points to win the 2012 Big Blue Classic Heptathlon title. Kelly Washington competed unattached and ws second with 4,940 points. Illinois junior Kristin Morris was fourth with 4,558 points.
Indiana State senior Patricia Merrion also established a personal best in the Heptathlon this week, scoring a personal best 3,767 points. She finished seventh overall and the sixth collegian in the competition.
Webb began his run to the title with a win in the 110 meter hurdles as the junior ran a personal best 14.80 seconds. After a throw of 91-feet (27.74 meters) to finish ninth in the discus, Webb came back by clearing a personal best height of 13-feet-9¼-inches (4.20 meters) to tie for fourth in the pole vault.
The junior was seventh in the javelin with a distance of 123-feet-5-inches (37.63 meters). Webb rounded out the competition by running a personal best in the 1500 meter run of 4:54.12 to finish second.
Webb won the long jump and tied for first in the high jump on the first day of the decathlon competition Thursday. Webb tied his personal best with a leap of 22-feet-7-inches (6.88 meters) in winning the long jump and was one of three individuals to clear 6-feet-6-inches (1.98 meters) to tie for first in the high jump.
The junior also finished second in the 100 meters with a time of 11.34 which is just a hundredth of a second off his personal best set last year. Webb did establish a personal best in the 400 meters as he was a close second with a time of 50.93 seconds. The fifth event of the day's competition was the shot put where Webb threw a personal best distance of 34-feet-2¼-inches in placing seventh.
Steffen started the second day of the Heptathlon competition in fifth place with senior Patricia Merrion eighth.
Steffen dominated the action Friday as she was had a personal best distance in the long jump of 18-feet-5¼-inches (5.62 meters) to finish second, won the javelin throw with a personal best distance of 114-feet-1-inch (34.78 meters) and ran a personal best 2:25.13 in finishing second in the 800 meters.
Merrion also set a pair of personal bests on the day including the 800 meters as she finished third in 2:25.95 and in the javelin throw where she finished fifth with a distance of 91-feet-2-inches (27.80 meters). She was also eighth in the long jump with a distance of 16-feet-1-inch (4.90 meters) which was just short of her personal best.
Steffen's best finish on the first day of the heptathlon came in the high jump where the sophomore cleared a personal best height of 5-feet-3¾-inches (1.62 meters) in placing second. She was seventh in the shot put with a throw of 29-feet-7½-inch (9.03 meters), seventh in the 100 meter hurdles in 15.52 and seventh in the 200 meters despite running a personal best 26.95.
Merrion was eighth in the high jump by clearing 4-feet-7½-inches (1.41 meters), eighth in the shot put with a personal best distance of 29-feet-2¼-inches (8.91 meters), ninth in the 100 meter hurdles in 18.88, and ninth in the 200 meters in 27.49.
The Big Blue Classic began this evening in O'Brien Stadium on the campus of Eastern Illinois University with a pair of Sycamores taking second in the only field event contested on the day.
Sycamore junior Brandon Pounds had a personal best distance of 208-feet-4-inches (63.49 meters) to finish second but he was the top collegian in the competition as Timothy Morse, competing unattached, won with a distance of 213-feet-1-inch (64.94 meters). Pounds' new personal best is also the second best in school history behind Matt Quinn's 209-feet-2-inches (63.76 meters) set in 1993.
Sophomores Chris Fields and Justin Applegate also set personal bests as Field finished ninth at 173-feet-3-inches (52.81 meters) and Applegate 13th at 150-feet-1-inch (45.76 meters).
Junior Felisha Johnson was second in the women's hammer throw with a distance of 183-feet-6-inches (55.93 meters) with Illinois State's Brittany Smith winning at 209-feet-4-inches (63.80 meters). ISU junior Mary Theisen set a new personal best at 154-feet-8-inches (47.14 meters) to finish sixth while senior Tara Perigo also set a personal best at 142-feet-4-inches (43.38 meters) to finish ninth. Junior Kasey Kahle was 10th overall at 136-feet-6-inches (41.62 meters).
The 400 meter hurdles opened the track events for the meet with junior Stacia Weatherford breaking the one minute barrier for the first time in her career with a time of 59.51 seconds to finish third overall. That is the second best time in Indiana State history.
Weatherford, race winner and 2011 NCAA qualifier Latoya Griffith, and Lincoln junior Miche Cumberbatch each broke the Big Blue Classic record of 59.91 set by Moore in 2009 and the O'Brien Stadium record of 49.50 set by Patty Bradley of Adidas in 1985. Griffith won the event in 58.58.
Sophomore Valerie Burns won the 10,000 meter run for Indiana State in 37:16.59 with sophomore Jessica Zangmeister placing ninth in the 5,000 meter run in a personal best 17:26.87. Sophomore Shelby Higginbottom, junior Leeann Michl, senior Kristy Twitchell, and senior Kaci Smith combined to finish second in the 4x800 meter relay with a time of 9:02.75 which is the third fastest in school history.
Junior Kalli Dalton, senior Kacie Klem, junior Andrea Prusz, and sophomore Hanna Mercer combined to finish fourth in 9:29.68.
Sophomore Max Tuttle ran to a third place finish in the 400 meter hurdles in 53.44 with sophomore Ray Skamay fifth in 54.24 and freshman Arqeil Shaw posting a personal best of 54.98 for ninth. Sophomore Drew Gambill was the only ISU runner in the 5,000 meters and finished 21st in 15:36.40.
Senior Corey Hahn, sophomore Brad Adams, senior Andrew Lepkowski, and senior Jeremiah Vaughan combined for second place finish in the 4x800 meter relay in 7:51.48.
The Big Blue Classic concludes Saturday starting at 11 a.m. (ET).
