Complete Results

Decathlon           Heptathlon

EMPORIA, Kansas (May 25) -- Seattle Pacific University's Chris Randolph got off to a strong start in the defense of his decathlon title, taking an unexpected lead after the first five events at the NCAA Division II Track & Field Championships Thursday at Welch Stadium.

Randolph (Sr., Lone Tree, Co./Denver Christian), who was forced to come from behind a year ago, won two of the five events and finished second in two others. His 4056-point total is 130 more than his previous best at this stage and gave him a 20-point edge on Lincoln's Decosma Wright, the first-day leader last year.

Elsewhere, the Falcons' Kelsey Cooley (So., Missoula, Mt./Hellgate) and Linda Blake (Sr., Richland, Wa.) stood seventh and eighth, following the first four events of the heptathlon, and Brandi McCoy (Jr., Richland, Wa.) qualified for Saturday's steeplechase final.

Each of Randolph's first four events featured personal-best marks, beginning with a time of 11.19 seconds in the 100 meters. His initial long-jump attempt produced a PR of 19 inches at 23 feet, 11¾ -­ ranking No. 3 in SPU history. He then threw the shot 42-3¼ before a string of seven consecutive successful jumps in the high jump. His clearance of cleared 6-8¾ rates No. 4 all-time.

After running the 400 in 49.27 Randolph passed Wright, who held a 347-point advantage at the midpoint in 2005.

Randolph's total is 230 points higher than when he set the Seattle Pacific record of 7621 last month. The decathlon concludes Friday with the 110 hurdles, discus, pole vault, javelin and 1500.

In the heptathlon, Blake broke personal records in the shot put (35-6) and 200 (26.89) and had a season-best 5-5 high-jump while Cooley started off with a PR 100 hurdles (14.53).

TiaNiecia Mosley of Adams State leads the competition with 3202 points. Cooley has 2971 and Blake 2957. Bridget Johnson of Western Oregon is sixth with 3000, 76 fewer than when she defeated Cooley at the GNAC championships.

The final three heptathlon events are the long jump, javelin and 800.

McCoy was seeded 16th out of 16 steeplechasers yet finished fourth overall in the prelim heats. She was timed in 11:16.76. Meanwhile, teammate Karin Rohde (So., Bellingham, Wa./Mount Baker), the No. 7 seed, was eliminated. Her time of 11:36.07 was 38 seconds off her season-best.

In the 3000, Mary Moriarty (Fr., Seattle, Wa./Ballard) was unable to advanced after finishing eighth in her heat in 11:00.68. Moriarty had been clocked in 10:06.03 two weeks ago.