Photo of Harrison Williams at 2016 NCAA Indoor Championships by Spencer Allen/SportsImageWire.com.
LINCOLN, Neb. – Stanford junior Harrison Williams likely has secured an NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships qualifying mark in the heptathlon after his runner-up finish at the Frank Sevigne Husker Invitational Saturday.
Williams scored 5,828 points in the seven-event, two-day competition at the Bob Devaney Sports Center, trailing only Kentucky's Tim Duckworth, who scored 6,006. The top 16 over the course of the season earn passage to nationals March 10-11 in College Station, Texas, and no one with 5,700 or more over the past seven years has failed to get in.
Two big performances propelled Williams, who never led, but the closed the gap considerably over the final day, from a deficit of 444 points to only 181 over the final three events.
On Friday, Williams set a personal record in the shot put of 45-1 (13.74 meters) on his first throw, improving upon his best of 44-1 ¼ from the 2016 NCAA Outdoor Championships.
He also had the competition's best mark in the pole vault – the sixth event overall – of 17-5 ½ (5.32m). It was his personal best for a multi-event competition, though he jumped 17-8 ½ (5.40m) as an open competitior at the UW Indoor Preview on Jan. 14. Williams opened with a make at 15-1 ¾ (4.62m) and cleared five of the next six heights on his first attempt before going out at 17-9 ¼ (5.42m). His 1,010 points is believed to be the most he ever has scored in one event in any senior multi-event competition.
Williams is a three-time All-America, placing fourth and fifth at the past two NCAA Outdoor decathlons and fourth at the 2016 NCAA Indoor heptathlon. Assuming he has qualified for NCAA's, this is probably Williams' last heptathlon until then.
Williams has joined Stanford's women's distance medley relay team as probable NCAA qualifiers. Next will be an important qualifying weekend for the Cardinal, with athletes headed to four meets – the Iowa State Classic, Don Kirby Invitational in Albuquerque, Husky Classic in Seattle, and Millrose Games in New York City.
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Frank Sevigne Husker Invitational
Bob Devaney Sports Complex
(200-meter banked track)
Heptathlon: 1, Tim Duckworth (Kentucky) 6,006; 2, Harrison Williams (Stanford), 5,825.
Williams' results (place in event, mark, points):
First day
60 – 5, 7.05, 865; Long jump – 8, 22-2 ½ (6.77m), 760; Shot put – 1, 45-1 (13.74m, PB), 712; High jump – 6, 6-4 ¾ (1.95m), 758. First day total: 3,095.
Second day
60 hurdles – 4, 8.25, 920; Pole vault – 1, 17-5 ½ (5.32m), 1,010; 1,000 – 7, 2:46.49, 803. Second day total: 2,733. Total: 5,828.
