Pickler moves to tenth in heptathlon at worlds with two events to go...

BERLIN, Germany--With two events left to go in Sunday's heptathlon, former Washington State University All-American Diana Pickler stands in tenth place in the heptathlon competition at the IAAF World Track & Field Championships with 4513 points, thanks to a seasonal best in the long jump.

Pickler jumped 20-5 3/4 (6.24 meters) to place eighth in her group and tenth overall from the two groups, scoring 924 points in that event.

After the end of day one, Pickler was twelfth.

Vancouver's Kara Patterson (left/photo by Paul Merca) finished 14th in her group, and 28th overall in the women's javelin, with a throw of 52.71 meters (172-11).

Afterwards, she said, "I felt awesome today, but I'm frustrated and confused. I'm ready to be more consistent. The fact that I didn't pull it together today is upsetting."

"I had a conversation with (US womens assistant coach Carrie Lane) and told her about what my cues are. I knew what I was doing, but I like to have a little conversation to reinforce what I'm doing. I felt great after that and had my best throw of the day, but it was still pretty bad."

Her first season as a professional has been an experience so far. After a rough travel experience earlier this summer going to the London Grand Prix meet, the Skyview High graduate said, "I now have a better idea on what to expect. I had an awful experience traveling to London (for the London GP), but I'm now ready for anything after that. With experience, things will get easier."

Patterson stated that she'll have two more meets after the world championships, one in Estonia, and another in Great Britain. After the season concludes, Patterson and her boyfriend, national class thrower Russ Winger, will relocate closer to the West Coast from her current base at Purdue University in Indiana, and to her family, once their training situation is established.

For complete results from the IAAF World Track & Field Championships, please go to http://berlin.iaaf.org.