Conditions were right for a big performance by George Fox University junior heptathlete Charity Arn at the NCAA Division III Outdoor Track and Field National Championships last week in Ohio.
The Woodland High School graduate took advantage of the opportunity.
“It was humid and sunny, which is perfect,” Arn said. “That’s exactly how I like it. I love humid weather, so it was good. Warming up, you can just feel it — your muscles warm up so much faster, and everything just feels good. In the cold, it’s hard to get your muscles to relax and warm up how you want them to — so it was nice to have it in the heat where you stay warm and don’t have to keep warming up. You save a little bit of energy that way.”
Heptathlon consists of seven events in both track and field — the 100-meter hurdles, 200 and 800 meters, high jump, long jump, javelin and shot put — contested over two days, with times and distances converted into point values which are then totaled for each athlete’s score. Point values reflect the time or distance, not accounting for placing.
Arn garnered All-America status by placing fifth, her total of 4,896 points a personal record by 186 points that puts her second in the Bruins record book. Alexis Arnold won the 2012 NCAA-III championship with 4,980 points.
Carleton College sophomore Amelia Campbell claimed the national title with 5,221 points. Each of the top four finishers eclipsed 5,000 points.
Although Arn and teammate Maria Green — who placed ninth, with 4,706 points — only competed in the full heptathlon once during the season, they both compete in a variety of events during the season.
“We were hoping we could do well,” Arn said. “We only had one heptathlon this year, where before we’ve always done a few more, so it was a little bit nerve-wracking, but we had a good indoor season. I think it was difference because there’s a confidence that got it done. We knew that we could. I knew those things could come together. We’ve been doing them in regular meets. They just had to come together in one meet.”
When the competition began Thursday at nationals, Arn started off strong.
Arn was fourth in the 100-meter hurdles, her time of 14.75 seconds a personal record in heptathlon competition and just 0.02 seconds off her best in the event, worth 875 points. She followed that by topping the 22-athlete field in the high jump with a personal record of 5 feet, 6.5 inches for 842 points.
She placed 13th in the shot put (33-9.5, 549 points) and 18th in the 200 meters (26.98 seconds, 713 points) on Thursday.
On Friday, Arn tied for eight in the long jump (16-9.75, 592 points) and placed seventh in the javelin (114-2, 568 points) and 11th in the 800 (2 minutes, 24.98 seconds; 757 points).
“There were actually a lot of bad events, but there were a couple of really good events, too, so it worked out,” Arn said.
Following injury last year, Friday’s javelin competition marked the first time Arn has been able to throw the implement with her right arm.
“I did get to throw javelin with my right arm, so that was fun,” she said. “That was probably one of the most exciting things. My elbow was messed up last year, so I had to throw with my left arm at nationals, and I haven’t thrown with my right arm for a while. It was fun getting to actually throw.”
Arn placed 15th as a sophomore with 4,444 points, including a left-handed javelin throw of 76-10 for 353 points. A javelin score last year like this year’s would have moved her up to ninth.
Arn said she is “definitely not one of the fastest out there,” but the area where she has most significantly improved has been her speed.
“I’m definitely not one of the fastest out there, but my coaches have really been working on speed,” she said. “We do a lot of speed training, because every event it just relays. It helps in every event to get faster, so that’s good.”
With room still to improve, Arn looks ahead to her final collegiate season next year with goals including a heptathlon score of 5,000 points that would put her atop the school record list.
“I didn’t exactly reach the goal I wanted, but I felt good about it because I did my very best,” Arn said, and as a senior next year, she “just want(s) to get better all around. I want to do the best I can. I think I have some pretty high goals.”
Women’s track & field
GFU’s Turner just misses NCAA-III finals
George Fox University senior Alyssa Turner posted the ninth-fastest time in the preliminaries of the 400-meter hurdles at the NCAA Division III Outdoor Track and Field Championships.
The Hudson’s Bay High School graduate ran a time of 1 minute, 1.63 seconds. The winner of each of the three heats plus the next five fastest times advanced to the finals.
Turner was All-America in the event with a sixth place finish in 2012, missing last season because of injury.
Men’s track & field
Washington helps Concordia make relay history
Concordia University senior Andre Washington helped the Cavaliers to the highest finish in a relay event at the NAIA Outdoor Track and Field Championships in school history.
The Hudson’s Bay High School graduate teamed with Jordan Reeher, Edgar Vazquez and Demetrius Rhodes to place fifth in the 1,600-meter relay with a time of 3 minutes, 13.13 seconds on Saturday in Gulf Shores, Ala.
Washington, Reeher and Vasquez were all part of the previous highest finish for Concordia, eighth place in 2012.
The same quartet set a school record of 3:12.91 in Friday’s preliminaries. Concordia still would have finished fifth in the final by matching that time.
Washington also ran in Concordia’s 400 relay, which was 13th in preliminaries Friday.
Women’s track and field
SPU’s Decker misses final of NCAA-II 800
Seattle Pacific University sophomore Lynelle Decker placed 14th in prelimiaries of the 800 meters at the NCAA Division II Track and Field Championships on Friday in Allendale, Mich.
The Mountain View High School graduate was clocked in 2 minutes, 10.82 seconds. It was her second-best time of the season, behind the 2:10.58 she ran on April 5 to claim her invitation to nationals.
Although she did not advance to the final, Decker has competed at NCAA-II nationals in all six of her seasons in cross country and both indoor and outdoor track and field.
A video interview with Decker discussing her race is at http://tinyurl.com/mr36mms online.
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