Central’s Larson second in decathlon
Central College
ST. LOUIS, MO.—Central College track and field athlete Eric Larson (sophomore, Waverly, Waverly-Shell Rock HS) took runner-up honors in the Washington University (Mo.) decathlon Saturday, scoring 6,342 points.
Larson finished just 255 points behind first-place Dan Simon of NCAA Division I Univ. of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Larson’s mark headlines the Division III chart and is 290 points shy of his personal best (6,632) from his 2012 all-American finish. He recorded marks of 15.31 in the 110 hurdles, 96-3 in the discus, 11-6.5 in the pole vault, 125-9 in the javelin and 4:53. 08 in the 1,500 meters.
Freshman teammate Jaemin Powell (Wellman, Mid-Prairie HS) placed seventh with 5,469 points with sophomore Conner Freeman (Urbandale) eighth at 5,245 points.
“This meet was really a chance to get out and compete without a lot of outdoor training and it was good start for us,” associate head coach Jim Fuller said. “I thought Eric ran a good 400 (51.88) yesterday, Conner did well in the high jump (6-3.5) and Jaemin improved in the pole vault (10-2.75) and javelin (140).”
Meanwhile, senior Morgan Sharp (Grinnell) finished fifth in the heptathlon with 3,998 points. The mark ranks 11th in the nation. Sophomore Kaitlyn Gillet (Cedar Falls) took ninth with 3,655 points. Shelby Schaal of Wis.-Milwaukee won the event with 4,900 points.
“Morgan did well in the hurdles (16.64) and high jump (4-11),” Fuller said. “And Kaitlyn showed consistency in her first complete heptathlon.”
Fuller was encouraged by all five performances.
“We have a better idea of where we are and I’m confident we’ll improve as we really get into the outdoor season,” he said.
A full Central squad returns to St. Louis, Mo., for the Washington Select meet April 6.
