BELLINGHAM, Wash. – A higher-than-ever performance in the high jump has Hannah Chang high in the women's heptathlon standings at the Great Northwest Athletic Conference Multi-Event Championships.
 
Seattle Pacific sophomore Chang got over a 5-foot bar for the first time in her career, clearing 5-0½ on Monday, and is in fourth place overall through four events at Civic Stadium
 
 

Chang completed Day 1 of the two-day competition with 2,718 points. That is just six points away from a top-3 spot on the awards podium.
 
Central Washington's Ellie DeGroot, the GNAC indoor pentathlon champion in February and the favorite to win the outdoor hep, is well out in front with 2,933. Vivien Liessfeld of Alaska Anchorage is second with 2,796 and Emy Ntekpere of Central Washington is third with 2,724.
 
Coming into Monday, Chang's previous best in the high jump was 4 feet, 11¾ inches, that coming on April 11 at the Bryan Clay Invitational heptathlon in Azusa, California.
 
Her 5-0½ mark on Monday was worth 666 points.
 
Chang opened with a time of 14.64 in the 100-meter hurdles, giving her a start of 890 points. DeGroot won with a 14.47 to take the early lead with 913 points.
 
Following the high jump, Chang threw a season-best 26-11¾ in the shot put for 413 points, then finished the day with a 26.56 in the 200-meter dash, tacking on another 749.
 
Her 2,718 point total through four events is slightly ahead of the 2.692 she had after Day 1 of the Bryan Clay hep. She wound up with a career-best 4,346.
 
The second and final day begins on Tuesday at 10:30 a.m. with the long jump, followed by the javelin and 800 meters. Earlier this season, Chang set personal bests in the long (16-3¼ on March 22 in San Marcos, California at the Mangrum Invitational) and 800 (2:30.54 on April 12 at the Bryan Clay hep). Her career best in the jav is 99-7 in 2023; her 2024 best is 89-5.
 
Chang is looking to improve upon last year's fourth-place GNAC heptathlon finish, in which she totaled 4,253 points. She was second to DeGroot in February's indoor pentathlon.
 
 
NCAA WOMEN'S TRACK & FIELD
GNAC Multi-Event Championships
Civic Stadium / Bellingham, Wash.
Monday, April 29, 2024
 
Standings (through 4 of 7 events; final 3 events on Tuesday) – 1, Ellie DeGroot (CWU) 2,933; 2, Vivien Liessfeld (UAA) 2,796; 3, Emi Ntekpere (CWU) 2,724; 4, Hannah Chang (SPU) 2,718; 5, Macy Clemens (WOU) 2,637; 6, Amity Deters (WOU) 2,594; 7, Karma Walker (WWU) 2,504; 8, Carley Huber (CWU) 2,383; 9, Nicole Avery (WWU) 2,356; 10, Sadie Wendring (WOU) 2.093; 11, Cassandra Schulberg (WWU) 1,990; 12, Tess King (WWU) 1,380.
 
100-meter hurdles – 1, Ellie DeGroot (CWU) 14.47 (913 points).  SPU – 2, Hannah Chang 14.64 (890).
High jump – 1, Emy Ntekpere (CWU) 5-7¾ / 1.72m (879 points).  SPU – 4, Chang 5-0½ / 1.54m (666).
Shot put – 1, Vivien Liessfeld (UAA) 35-1 / 10.69m (575 points).  SPU – 9, Chang .26-11¼ / 8.21m (413).
200 – 1, DeGroot (CWU) 25.37 (853 points).  SPU – 3, Chang 26.56 (749).
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