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Day One of the 2015 USATF Outdoor Championships is in the books, and while only one of UB's four competitors this weekend* has gotten a shot, it's a pretty good start.
*Mike Morgan and Jon Jones are competing in the Outdoor Championships; Mitchell Moore and Devon Patterson in the concurrent Junior Championships
Mike Morgan has now twice been derailed from All-America status in the decathlon at the NCAA Championships. A foot injury in 2014 and a crushing 'no height' in the pole vault in 2015 both ended Morgan's competitions in Eugene before the final event of the two-day competition.
This week, Morgan is back at Tracktown, USA competing against more illustrious opponents and on a slightly bigger stage. Through the first day of competition and half the decathlon's ten events, the UB senior-to-be is sitting fourth, just five points out of third place in the national championships.
Halfway through the Decathlon, Mike Morgan's in pretty good shape at the #USATF Outdoor Championships. pic.twitter.com/03xTKab80Y
— Bull Run (@UBBullRun) June 26, 2015
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UPDATE: It's kind of unclear if Morgan is in fourth, fifth, or sixth at the beginning of Day Two. Two competitors' 400 results were omitted, but it's also unclear if one of those was disqualified. Who knows!
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Both compared to his own standards and the rest of the field, Morgan had a strong day, running a personal-best 10.86 in the opening 100 meter dash. A skilled jumper and vaulter, he was fifth among the field in the long jump (23'10") despite enjoying the weakest tailwind of any competition and third in the high jump (6'5.5").
Shot put is generally one of Mike's weaker events, but his 12.86-meter mark was just a hair shorter than his performance at the NCAA Championships, and while he was middle-of-the-pack and a second slower than at the NCAAs in the 400m dash, he only dropped one spot in the overall standings.
The second half of the Decathlon will be held tomorrow. I'm not sure how many spots get an entry into the IAAF World Championships, and I'm not sure what kind of projection there is for Morgan versus the rest of the field, but it will be nice to see him finish the year regardless.
In addition to Mike, Mitchell Moore will be competing in the 400 meter hurdles and Devon Patterson in the Shot Put in the concurrent Junior Championships tomorrow afternoon. Jon Jones in the Men's Shot Put will compete on Sunday.
Find live results at this link. Go Bulls!