SEATTLE – Nate Johnson posted personal-best performances in the first two events, and is sitting in ninth place in the men's heptathlon after the first day of the UW Invitational indoor track and field meet.

Johnson (Boise, Idaho) started with a PR of 7.42 second in the 60-meter dash, beating his previous best of 7.50.

Then, he broke 20 feet in the long jump for the first time at 20 feet, 9 ¼ inches. That was more than a foot better than his previous indoor best of 19-8¼, and was five full inches better than his outdoor best. He wound up seventh in the 60 and eighth in the long jump.

Johnson also took 12th in the shot put at 35-4 1/4, and tied for ninth in the high jump at 5-10.

With four of the seven events completed, SPU junior Johnson has 2,541 points.

The heptathlon concludes on Saturday with the 60-meter hurdles, pole vault and 1,000 meters. Johnson will need 2,059 points in those three events to meet the NCAA D-2 provisional minimum of 4,600 points. If he can meet or beat his PRs in all three events, he would have enough to go beyond that total.
 
Former SPU star Chris Randolph, who still owns the school heptathlon record of 5,508 points set in 2006, is leading through four events with 3,022. He now competes with the Skechers club team.


WORTHEN MAKES NCAA PROVISIONAL IN WOMEN'S PENTATHLON
Another week, another NCAA provisional qualifying mark for Seattle Pacific's Ali Worthen.
 
The Falcons senior from Coos Bay, Ore., racked up a career-best 3,729 points to take fourth place in the pentathlon on Friday afternoon on the first day of the UW Invitational indoor track and field meet.
 
Worthen's score at Dempsey Indoor on the University of Washington campus is the third-highest in all of Division II so far this season. The only better totals are 3,885 and 3,852.
 
Sharon Day of the Asics club team won on Friday with 4,430 points.
 
It also was well beyond the provisional minimum of 3,300 points, and obliterated Worthen's previous best of 3,447 set during her freshman year in 2009. The D-2 automatic qualifying total is 3,813, and she'll have another shot at that during the Great Northwest Athletic Conference championship meet Feb. 17-18 in Nampa, Idaho.
 
Worthen already is on the NCAA provisional list in the 60-meter hurdles (8.85 seconds) and high jump (5 feet, 6 inches), both of which she achieved in the season-opening UW Indoor Preview on Jan. 14.
 
Along the way to Friday's pentathlon total, Worthen shattered her PRs in two of the five individual events. She threw 35 feet, 1 ¼ inches in shot put, well beyond her previous indoor best of 31-3, and also beat her outdoor best of 33-3¾. She finished the 800 meters in 2:24.41. That also was better than any previous time indoors (2:28.02) or outdoors (2:24.52).
 
Worthen's best individual placing of the day was fifth in the high jump (5-5 ¼) and a tie for fifth in the long jump (17-10¾).

SPU teammate Katy Gross finished 13th ovearll in the pentathlon with 3,259 points. Gross (Everett, Wash./Cascade HS) also had a pair of personal-bests: 9.35 seconds in the 60-meter hurdles (previous was 9.37), and 35-10 in the shot put (previous was 34-4¼). Gross was 10th in the shot put, 10th in the high jump and 10th in the long jump.

Falcon senior distance runners Heidi Laabs-Johnson (Salt Lake City, Utah) and Natty Plunkett (Bellevue, Wash./Newport HS) both came tantalizingly close to the NCAA provisional standard in the women's 5,000 meters on Friday. Laabs-Johnson took 15th overall (second in her heat) in 17 minutes, 33.14 seconds. Plunkett was 17th (fourth in that same heat) in 17:34.55. The provisional time is 17:32.30. Both, however, made GNAC automatic.

Also making GNAC automatic were senior Terra Schumacher (Sublimity, Ore.) in the women's pole vault and junior Jordan Wolfe (Bend, Ore.) in the men's 5,000. Schumacher tied for sixth by clearing 11-0 3/4. Wolfe was 23rd in the 5K with a time of 15:11.66.
 
 
NCAA MEN'S INDOOR TRACK & FIELD
UW Invitational
Friday, January 27, 2012
Dempsey Indoor / Seattle, Wash.
 
Men's heptathlon (through 4 of 7 events) – 1, Chris Randolph (Sketchers) 3,022. SPU placer – 9, Nate Johnson 2,541.
Heptathlon 60-meter dash – 1, Donn Thomas Jr. (Unattached) 7.08 (854 points). SPU placer – 7, Johnson 7.42 (739).k
Heptathlon long jump – 1, Kersee Lind (E. Wash.) 22-5 / 6.83m (774 points). SPU placer – 8, Johnson 20-9 ¼ / 6.33m (659).
Heptathlon shot put – 1, Randolph (Sketchers) 46-2 ½ / 14.08m (733 points). SPU placer – 12, Johnson 35-4 ½ / 10.78 (533).
Heptathlon high jump – 1, Thompson Jr. (Unattached) 6-6 ¼ / 1.99m (794 points). SPU placer – T9, Johnson 5-10 / 1.78m (610).
200 – 1, Michael Okoro (E. Wash.) 21.98. No SPU competitors.
5000 – 1, Cameron Levins (S. Utah) 13:42.90. SPU placer – 23, Jordan Wolfe 15:11.66!
Distance medley relay – 1, Washington 9:41.17. No SPU team.
 


NCAA WOMEN'S INDOOR TRACK & FIELD
UW Invitational
Friday, January 27, 2012
Dempsey Indoor / Seattle, Wash.
 
Pentathlon – 1, Sharon Day (Asics) 4,430. SPU placers – 4, Ali Worthen 3,729#; 13, Katy Gross 3,258.
Pentathlon 60 hurdles – 1, Day 8.49 (1,019 points). SPU placers – 10, Worthen 9.06 (897); 14, Gross 9.35 (838).
Pentathlon high jump – 1, Barbara Nwaba (UC Santa Barbara) 6-0 ½ / 1.84m (1,029 points). SPU placers – 5, Worthen 5-5 ¼ / 1.66m (806); 10, Gross 5-1 ¾ / 1.57m (701).
Pentathlon shot put – 1, Jaleecia Roland (UW) 42-8 / 13.00m (727 points). SPU placers – 10, Gross 35-10 / 10.92m (590); 13, Worthen 35-1 ¼ / 10.70m (575).
Pentathlon long jump – 1, Day (Asics) 19-6 ¼ / 5.95m (834 points). SPU placers – T5, Worthen 17-10 ¾ / 5.45m (686); 10, Gross 17-7 ½ / 5.37m (663).
Pentathlon 800 meters – 1, Day (Asics) 2:16.27 (875 points). SPU placers – 6, Worthen 2:24.41 (765); 19, Gross 2:49.75 (466).
200 – 1, NyEma Sims (Concordia-Portland) 24.29. SPU placer – 31, Tasia Baldwin 26.81.
5000 – 1, Lisa Uhl (Nike OTC) 15:29.85. SPU placers – 15, Heidi Laabs-Johnson 17:33.14!; 17, Natty Plunkett 17:34.55!
Distance medley relay – 1, Brigham Young 11:13.62. No SPU team.
Pole vault – 1, Cecilia Durocher (Hawaii) 12-6 1/4 / 3.82m. SPU placer – T6, Terra Schumacher 11-0 3/4 / 3.37m.
 
 
# - NCAA D-2 provisional.
! – GNAC automatic.