Iowa Western, South Plains locked in a DI heptathlon duel
May 17, 2013
STEVE CARPENTER, HUTCHINSON COMMUNITY COLLEGE
HUTCHINSON, Kan. – If the second day of the 2013 NJCAA Women’s Division I Outdoor Track and Field Heptathlon was anything like the first, Iowa Western’s Tatiana Silva and South Plains’ Ashley Johnson will likely go down to the final lap of Friday’s 800 meters.
Only 50 points separate Silva from Johnson after 4 of 7 events on the opening day of competition at Hutchinson Community College’s Gowans Stadium. Silva has 2,952 points. Johnson has 2,902 points with the long jump, javelin and 800 meters set to conclude the competition on Friday.
Silva set the early pace in the 100-meter hurdles, outscoring Johnson by 56 points. Johnson took the lead after two events by 14 points after the high jump. Silva regained the lead, bettering Johnson by 89 points in the shot put. Johnson chipped away at the end of Day 1 and pulled within 50 points after the 200 meters.
Silva didn’t win an event of the first four contested on Thursday. Silva was second in the high jump (5-1 ¾); second in the shot put (35-10); third in the 100 hurdles (14.95) and third in the 200 meters (25.82).
Johnson won both the high jump (5-4 ¼) and the 200 meters (25.54), was third in the shot put (31-4 ¾); fifth in the 100 hurdles (15.38).
Lurking in third place is Neosho County’s Sharae Bates at 2,847 points. South Plains’ Jasmine King is fourth at 2,829 points.
There were two individual championships decided on Day 1 on Thursday.
Johnson County’s Monet Jackson captured the women’s hammer national championship with a throw of 169 feet, 4 inches.
Iowa Central’s Ebeissa Nyandwi and New Mexico Junior College’s Dalia Lopez were locked in a good duel in the women’s 10,000 meters, but the Triton distance runner pulled away late for a 10-second victory to repeat as national champion. Nyandwi won with a time of 37:59.76. Lopez’s time was 38:09.73.
Iowa Central and Johnson County lead the team race after Day 1 with 14 points each.
Day 2 will feature the completion of the Heptathlon, finals in the triple jump, shot put, pole vault, 4x800-meter relay and the 3,000-meter steeplechase as well as preliminaries in all other events.
A live videostream will be available on NJCAATV beginning at 11:55 a.m. CT.