NAMPA, Idaho – A winning start in her first event. Big career bests in the two events that followed.
 
All of that has Hannah Chang positioned for some points in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference women's heptathlon.
 
The Seattle Pacific freshman raced to first-place in the 100-meter hurdles, then had best-ever marks in the high jump and long jump, putting her in fifth place overall after Day 1 of the two-day competition at Northwest Nazarene University's Bohner Track.
 
 

Through four of the seven events, Chang is in fifth place among the 13 competitors with 2,708 points. Meet favorite Jenelle Hurley of Western Oregon is on top with 2,859.
 
Hurley is followed by Wolves teammate Maliyah Thompson (2,834), Western Washington's Matty Lagerwey (2,762), Central Washington's McCall DeChenne (2,746), then Chang. Immediately behind Chang is Western Oregon's Amity Deters (2,659).
 
Hurley, DeChenne, Deters, and Lagerwey went 2-3-4-5 in last year's GNAC hep, won by Elena Cano of Alaska Anchorage.
 
Chang won the 100 hurdles in 14.53 second, just three-hundredths of a second shy of her personal-best 14.50 at the Mangrum Invitational on March 24 in San Marcos, California. Monday's performance started her off with 905 points.
 
Having twice reached 4 feet, 7 inches in the high jump – once indoors, once outdoors – Chang left that way behind with a mark of 4-10½. She cleared her first five bars – 4-3½. 4-4¾, 4-6, 4-7, and 4-8¼ – on her initial try. She needed a second attempt at 4-9½, but made that one, then made 4-10 ½ the first time. She went out at 4-11¾, but still picked up 610 points, tying for fourth. That was 98 more than her previous best of 4-7 would have been worth.
 
Chang kept it going in the shot put, an event she had done just once as a Falcon, throwing 26-3 at the GNAC indoor pentathlon in February. She beat that by 15 inches on Monday's first attempt, marking 27-6. She then went 28-1¾, and finished with a 28-10¼, placing 13^th, but tacking on another 451 points.
 
Then, Chang polished off Day 1 with a 26.64 in the 200-meter dash, good for sixth place and 742 points. She was just slightly off her personal-best of 26.51.
 
The hep concludes on Tuesday with the long jump, javelin, and 800-meter run, with the long jump starting at 10:15 a.m. PDT. Chang has PBs of 16-1 in the long, 99-7 in the jav, and 2:39.62 in the 800. Meeting those marks would be worth another 1,592 points. (And, her overall best in the long jump, an indoor distance of 16-9 ¾, would tack on another 60 points if she could meet that one.)
 
The top eight overall finishers earn team points (10-8-6-5-4-3-2-1) toward the overall GNAC title. The meet is set for next Friday and Saturday, May 12 and 13, at Western Oregon University in Monmouth.
 
The regular season for the Falcons concludes this Saturday in Oregon. The runners will go in the Portland Twilight at Griswold Stadium on the campus of Lewis & Clark College beginning at 3:30 p.m. The pole vaulters will compete at the Linfield Open in McMinnville, with the women starting at 11:00 a.m., and the men immediately following.
 
 
NCAA WOMEN'S TRACK & FIELD
GNAC Multi-Event Championships
Monday, May 1, 2023
Bohner Track / Nampa, Idaho
 
HEPTATHLON
Standings (through 4 of 7 events) – 1, Jenelle Hurley (WOU) 2,859; 2, Maliyah Thompson (WOU) 2,834; 3, Matty Lagerwey (WWU) 2,762; 4, McCall DeChenne (CWU) 2,746; 5, Hannah Chang (SPU) 2,708; 6 Amity Deters (WOU) 2,679; 7, Amariyah Clay (WOU) 2,646; 8, Ellie DeGroot (CWU) 2,633; 9, Nicole Avery (WWU) 2,493; 10, Carlotta Duenninger (UAA) 2,457; 11, Macy Clemens (WOU) 2,437; 12, Sierra Newell (NNU) 1,930; 13, Carley Huber (CWU) 1,813.
 
MONDAY EVENTS
100-meter hurdles – 1, Hannah Chang (SPU) 14.53 (905 points).  No other SPU.
High jump – 1, Jenelle Hurley (WOU) 5-3 ¼ / 1.61m (747 points).  SPU – T4, Hannah Chang 4-10 ½ / 1.49m (610).
Shot put – 1, Amariyah Clay (WOU) 34-9 / 10.59 (568 points).  SPU – 13, Hannah Chang 28-10 ¼ / 8.79m (451).
200 – 1, Maliyah Thompson (WOU) 25.24 (865 points).  SPU – 6, Hannah Chang 26.64 (742).
 
 
NCAA MEN'S TRACK & FIELD
GNAC Multi-Event Championships
Monday, May 1, 2023
Bohner Track / Nampa Idaho
 
DECATHLON
Standings (through 5 of 10 events) – 1, JJ Walker (WOU) 3,548; 2, Steven Schmidt (NNU) 3,509; 3, Gabe Burchfield (WOU) 3,450; 4, Brennen Sorah (WOU) 3,428; 5, Ryan Kenny (WWU) 3,409; 6, Andrew Boyd (StM) 3,326; 7, Austin Seals (WWU) 3,311; 8, Drew Kelin (CWU) 3,246; 9, Shalkar Wilkins (NNU) 2,953; 10, Sam Katsude (CWU) 2,795; 11, Braydon Maier (CWU) 2,492.  No SPU.
 
MONDAY EVENTS
100 – 1, Ryan Kenny (WWU) 11.23 (810 points).
Long jump – 1, JJ Walker (WOU) 22-11 ¼ / 6.99m (811 points).
Shot put – 1, Andrew Boyd (StM) 42-3 ¼ / 12.88m (660 points).
High jump – 1, Steven Schmidt (NNU) 7-0 ½ / 2.15m (944 points).
400 – 1, Austin Seals (WWU) 51.31 (755 points).