NAMPA, Idaho – There's no instruction manual on how to do a heptathlon. No online video. No Saturday morning clinic.
 
The best way to learn how to do one … is just to do one.
 
Hannah Chang now has done one.
 
 

The Seattle Pacific freshman, who won one event and posted two personal bests on Monday, finished with a PB in the 800-meter run on Tuesday to gain a share of fourth place in the women's hep at the Great Northwest Athletic Conference Multi-Event Championships.
 
Chang totaled 4,253 points for the seven-event test at Northwest Nazarene University's Bohner Track. That tied her with Ellie DeGroot of Central Washington. In the official standings, Chang will be awarded fourth because she beat DeGroot in five of the seven events.
 
"My goal was to get into the top 8 just to score some points for the team. I really had no idea how I would finish," Chang said. "I think I'm definitely going to go into the next one with more confidence, especially since I've got the first one out of the way."
 
Falcons head coach Karl Lerum, himself a three-time All-American decathlete during his college days at Pacific Lutheran and who has produced numerous national-caliber multi-eventers during his 17 years at SPU, knows well that it takes time to get a grasp of the two-day endurance endeavor.
 
 

"It's a first heptathlon, and I'm sure she'll be better prepared in terms of what that entails the next time she does it," Lerum said. "Like every multi event, you wish you had a couple of do-overs, but she definitely will be a better heptathlete for it.
 
"It's hard to understand the multis until you do it," Lerum added, "and understand the idea that you're competing against yourself and racing against the book and not necessarily against other people."
 
Pre-meet favorite Jenelle Hurley of Western Oregon won with 4,803, followed by Matty Lagerwey of Western Washington with 4,495, and Carlotta Duenninger of Alaska Anchorage with 4,281.
 
Chang came into Day 2 in fifth place with 2.708 points. She picked up one-third of those in the meet-opening 100-meter hurdles, which she won in 14.53 seconds, just .03 shy of her career-best. She followed that with best-ever marks in the high jump (4 feet, 10 ½ inches) and the shot put (28-10 ¼).
 
"I was really happy with my hurdles, and the high jump was a very nice surprise," Chang said. "I was not expecting to jump as high as I did. I was just applying everything Coach and I have been working on, and just believing I could jump as high as I needed to."
 
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Added Lerum, "I'm really excited about her high jump. It didn't come naturally to her in the beginning, and she worked hard to be able to jump the mark that she got. I hope she's excited about it. She has a lot of room to grow."
 
On Tuesday, Chang went 15-11 in the long jump, then threw the javelin 87 feet, 5 inches. The jav mark came on her third and final attempt.
 
That left her still in fifth overall heading into the 800. Chang had done that race just once previously, at the GNAC indoor pentathlon in February, when she clocked 2 minutes, 39.62 seconds.
 
She beat that on Tuesday, crossing the finish line in 2:36.53 and picking up the final 613 points of her total. DeGroot won in 2:23.88, collecting 772 points to tie Chang for fourth in the final standings.
 
"I definitely will work some more on middle distance – I need to run faster in the 800," Chang said. "Other than that, it's just keeping my composure."
 
The Falcons picked up 4½ team points, which will go toward their total at the GNAC Championships, set for next Friday and Saturday, May 12 and 13, at Western Oregon University in Monmouth. Western Oregon, which in addition to Hurley's first-place performance got a sixth-place finish from Maiiyah Thompson and a seventh from Amity Deters, collected 15 team points.
 
Although this was Chang's first heptathlon, she did do the GNAC indoor pentathlon in February, with all five of those events taking place on the same day. She finished ninth, just nine points out of the top 8.
 
SPU will wrap up the regular season this Saturday in Oregon. The runners will compete in the Portland Twilight at Lewis & Clark College's Griswold Stadium. Racing begins at 3:30 p.m.; the first event for the Falcons will be at 4:00. The pole vaulters will head to McMinnville for the Linfield Open, with the women's competition beginning at 11:00 a.m., and the men following immediately thereafter.
 
 
NCAA WOMEN'S TRACK & FIELD
GNAC Multi-Event Championships
Monday, May 1, 2023
Bohner Track / Nampa, Idaho
 
HEPTATHLON
Final standings (through 7 of 7 events) – 1, Jenelle Hurley (WOU) 4,803#; 2, Matty Lagerwey (WWU) 4,495; 3, Carlotta Duenninger (UAA) 4,281; T4, Hannah Chang (SPU) and Ellie DeGroot (CWU) 4,253; 6, Maliyah Thompson (WOU) 4,233; 7 Amity Deters (WOU) 4,140; 8, Nicole Avery (WWU) 4,125; 9, Amariyah Clay (WOU) 4,063; 10, Macy Clemens (WOU) 4,054; 11, McCall DeChenne (CWU) 3,738; 12, Carley Huber (CWU) 2,627; Sierra Newell (NNU) DNF.
 
TUESDAY EVENTS
Long jump – 1, Jenelle Hurley (WOU) 18-7 ¾  5.68m (753 points).  SPU – 7, Hannah Chang 15-11 / 4.85m (519).
Javelin – 1, Carlotta Duenninger (UAA) 131-8 / 37.10m (603 points).  SPU – 7, Hannah Chang 87-5 / 26.64m (413).
800 – 1, Ellie DeGroot (CWU) 2:23.88 (772 points).  SPU – 4, Hannah Chang 2:36.53 (613).
 
Day 1 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).
 
GNAC Championships team scores – 1, Western Oregon 15; 2, Western Washington 9; 3, Alaska Anchorage 6; 4, Seattle Pacific 5;  5, Central Washington 4.


NCAA MEN'S TRACK & FIELD
GNAC Multi-Event Championships
Monday, May 1, 2023
Bohner Track / Nampa Idaho
 
DECATHLON
Final standings (through 10 of 10 events) – 1, Steven Schmidt (NNU) 7,047; 2, JJ Walker (WOU) 6,680; 3, Drew Klein (CWU) 6,538; 4, Brennen Sorah (WOU) 6,184; 5, Andrew Boyd (StM) 6,170; 6, Gabe Burchfield (WOU) 6,132; 7, Ryan Kenny (WWU) 6,056; 8, Austin Seals (WWU) 5,546; 9, Shalkar Wilkins (NNU) 4,791; 10, Sam Katsuda (CWU) 4,345; 11, Braydon Maier (CWU) 4,337.
 
TUESDAY EVENTS
110 hurdles – 1, Steven Schmidt (NNU) 15.24 (821 points).
Discus – 1, Braydon Maier (CWU) 126-10 / 38.67m (638 points).
Pole vault – 1, Steven Schmidt (NNU) 15-7 ¼ / 4.76m (837 points).
Javelin – 1, Steven Schmidt (NNU) 179-7 / 54.74m (659 points).
1500 – 1, Austin Seals (WWU) 4:40.55 (677 points).
 
Day 1 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 Katsuda (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).
 
GNAC Championships team scores – 1, Western Oregon 16; 2, Northwest Nazarene 10; 3, Central Washington 6; 4, Saint Martin's 4; 5, Western Washington 3.