I'll never forget about the heptathlon and decathlon again.
I omitted those two, multi-discipline events from my preview posted earlier today, and they turn out to be two of Buffalo's highlights on a sparse first day in Athens, OH.
Emma Siuciak, who I marked as a contender in the High Jump, is also apparently a force in the heptathlon, tied for the lead with just three events remaining. Siuciak is the defending MAC champion in the event, and has staked her claim to the top spot with a season-best high jump of 5'11 1/4" that was tops on the day, and season bests in the shot put, 100m hurdles, and 200m dash. Four season-bests in four events all in the same day. Not too shabby.
On the men's side, Mike Morgan is halfway through the decathlon and holds a 283 point lead, built on the strength of three first-place finishes in the Long Jump, High Jump, and 400 meter dash. In both jumps Morgan set new career-highs. In addition to Morgan, senior Kevin Enck notched four season bests on his way to a 9th place standing after one day of the 10-event contest.
Zach Ahart managed one point for the Bulls in the 10,000 meter run, knocking a few seconds off his season best and earning an eighth-place finish.
The final highlights for the day came in the field events. Adam Hume notched yet another season best, topping 5 meters in the pole vault to take a fourth place finish. It's the highest finish in program history for the men's pole vault in the MAC Championships.
Megan Patterson was the only member of the women's team to compete in field events, and earned a 14th place finish in the hammer throw. But it was Evan Palmer who brought home the bacon for UB, throwing the hammer nearly 211 feet to take second place and a big 8 points.
With three events in the books for both teams, the men sit in sixth place with 14 points, and the women are yet to record their first. The final two days of competition will feature many more events and opportunities to move up the ladder. Stay tuned and Go Bulls!