WSU's Alissa Brooks-Johnson leads Pac-12 heptathlon at the break...

CORVALLIS, Oregon—Washington State’s Alissa Brooks-Johnson (left/photo by Paul Merca) along with teammate Liz Harper are 1-2 in the heptathlon at the Pac-12 Multi-Events championships after the first day of competition Saturday at the Whyte Track & Field Center on the campus of Oregon State University.

Brooks-Johnson, the 2015 champion in this event, holds a 52-point lead over Harper at the break, as she placed in the top three in a trio of events.

She got the day started with a personal best 14.06 in the opening 100 hurdles, while Harper ran 14.16. Brooks-Johnson then was in a 4-way tie along with Harper for first in the high jump, clearing 5-6.5 (1.69m).

Brooks-Johnson then threw the shot 38-2.5 (11.65m), while Harper threw 37-7.75 (11.48m). The 2015 champ then finished the day with a second-place finish in the 200 in 24.83, while Harper was fourth in 25.13.

The third Cougar in the competition, Lindsey Schauble, is in 11th at the break with a first day score of 2857 points.  She opened with a PR in the 100 hurdles of 14.93, then high jumped 5-1.75 (1.57m), threw the shot 33-2 (10.11m), and ran the 200 in 26.34.

In the decathlon, Washington’s Cole Jensen sits third at the break with a five-event score of 3892 points, as Colorado’s Isaiah Oliver leads with 4006 points, while Oregon’s Mitch Modin is second at 3896.

Jensen opened with a personal best 10.87 in the 100, and just missed a personal best in the long jump at 22-4.75 (6.83m).  In the shot put, he threw 41-1.25 (12.53m), then won the high jump at 6-5.5 (1.97m). He then finished his day with a 50.04 clocking in the 400.


In Seattle, Washington’s defending Pac-12 champion Liz Quick tied the Husky Track facility record in the pole vault to highlight competition at the Ken Shannon Invitational Saturday, winning with a mark of 13-9.75 (4.21m).

Western Washington’s Anna Paradee, the reigning GNAC indoor and outdoor champ, finished second in that competition with a personal best 13-1.75 (4.01m) to earn an auto qualifier to the NCAA Division II championships.

Saint Martin’s Mikel Smith tuned up for his NCAA title defense by winning the high jump at 6-11 (2.11m), defeating Seattle University alum Shaddye Melu, who cleared the same height.

Washington’s outstanding wide receiver Dante Pettis won the long jump with a wind-aided mark (3.0mps) of 24-3 (7.39m).  The Huskies’ Jose Padilla was a double winner, taking the shot (54-0.5/16.47m) and the discus (170-10/52.06m).

UW alum and school record holder Kyle Nielsen of the Vancouver Thunderbirds won the javelin with a toss of 214-5 (65.36m), while 2015 Pan Am Games competitor Melissa Fraser won the women’s javelin on Friday with a clutch sixth round throw of 156-0 (47.55m) to overtake Western Washington’s Bethany Drake (154-8/47.14m).

Cross winds slowed times down across the board in the sprints, with the best race of the day being the women’s 200, as Washington’s All-American Kennadi Bouyer defeated teammate Laura Anuakpado 24.27-24.49.

In a very entertaining women’s 400 hurdles, Megan Champoux (61.25) of the Langley Mustangs defeated Central Washington’s Emily Bland (61.34) and Ali Anderson (61.40), as Bland set a new school record, reclaiming it from Anderson.

Complete results of the Ken Shannon Invitational are available here.

In Los Angeles, Washington State alum Jeshua Anderson won the 400 hurdles at the Occidental College Invitational Saturday, running 50.19.

He also finished third in the 110 hurdles, running 14.30.

Complete results of the Occidental Invitational are available here.

NOTE:  The University of Washington, Washington State University, and the Pac-12 Conference contributed to this report.

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