STANFORD, Calif. – Stanford's Harrison Williams leads the Pac-12 Championships decathlon after the first day of the 10-event competition at Cobb Track and Angell Field on Saturday.
Williams scored 4,071 points to lead second-place Andrew Ghizzone of Colorado by 472 points. Second-day events begin at 11 a.m. on Sunday and Williams will attempt to become Stanford's first conference decathlon champion since 1994, when Travis Clark took the Pac-10 title.
This is the first home decathlon in the collegiate career of Williams, a fourth-year junior and product design major, and the first decathlon at Stanford since the 2007 Pac-10 meet.
"It's weird," Williams said. "I'm about to go eat and go back to my dorm and sleep, which is going to be strange. I've never done that since high school, to sleep in my home and not go back to a hotel room in the middle of a decathlon.
"It's great just to be out here on the home track with all my teammates out here supporting me. That's helped me a lot."
In his second decathlon of the season, Williams was solid in every event. Among 10 competitors, Williams was second in the first event, the 100, and won the next four events – the long jump, shot put, high jump, and 400.
On the second event, fouled on his first two long jumps, including a narrow foul that was unofficially measured at 24-11 (7.59 meters), a personal record by nearly a foot. Instead, Williams took a safety jump on his third attempt that measured 23-8 ¾ (7.23m), pushing him into the lead.
Though Williams did not set any lifetime bests, his shot put of 44-11 ¾ (13.71m) was a personal best during a decathlon. He closed it out with a 48.67 in the 400, good for 877 points, his highest total of the day.
"Consistency is the name of the game for the dec," Williams said. "I'm just taking it one event at a time. Right now, I'm thinking about the hurdles. I'm just going to go home, get some food in my belly, go to sleep as soon as I can, wake up and get after it."
Stanford freshman Jack Herkert was in fourth place through four events, but did not finish the 400. However, he is in eighth (2,764) and in position to score 1 point for Stanford in the team competition. The decathlon and women's heptathlon, also contested, provide the first points for the Pac-12 Championships, which take place at the same site on May 12-13.
Saturday's Results
Pac-12 Championships
At Cobb Track and Angell Field
Men
Decathlon
First day scores: 1, Harrison Williams (Stanford) 4,071; 2, Andrew Ghizzone (Colorado) 3,599; 3, Austin Torres (Oregon) 3,537; 8, Jack Herkert (Stanford) 2,764.
Harrison Williams, by event (event, place in event, mark, points):
100 – 2, 11.06, 847; Long jump – 1, 23-8 ¾ (7.23m), 869; Shot put – 1, 44-11 ¾ (13.71m), 711; High jump – 1, 6-5 (1.96m), 767; 400 – 1, 48.67, 877. First-day total: 4,071.
Jack Herkert, by event (event, place in event, mark, points):
100 – 5, 11.46 (PB), 761; Long jump – 3, 22-1 (6.73m), 750; Shot put – 5, 35-8 ¾ (10.89m), 539; High jump – 2, 6-2 ¾ (1.90m), 714; 400 – DNF. First-day total: 2,764.
Second-day events (in order): 110 hurdles, discus, pole vault, javelin, 1,500.
Women
Heptathlon
First-day scores – 1, Alissa Brooks-Johnson (Washington State) 3,568; 2, Kendall Gustafson (UCLA) 3,563; 3, Lyndsey Lopes (USC) 3,471.
Second-day events (in order): Long jump, javelin, 800.
PB = personal best.
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Sunday's events begin at 11 a.m. at Cobb Track and Angell Field and admission and parking is free. On May 12-13, Stanford will play host to the Pac-12 Track and Field Championships at the same site. Tickets ($10/adult; $5/student, youth, seniors) are required. Fans can save $5 per person by purchasing their tickets online, and in-advance. To secure your tickets for the Championships, visit gostanford.com/pac12track.
