Diana Pickler wins third USA Indoor Combined Events national title...

Former Washington State University standout Diana Pickler (left/photo by Paul Merca) won her third straight USA indoor pentathlon title Saturday as day one of the USA Indoor Combined Events Championships concluded at the campus of Indiana University in Bloomington.

The reigning U.S. women's heptathlon champion, Pickler had little difficulty in winning her third consecutive USA Indoor Pentathlon crown, making her the first ever to win that many titles in this event.

Pickler began the five-event competition with a win in the 60m hurdles in 8.31 seconds (1,059 points). Bettie Wade won the next two events, the long jump (1.85 meters/6 feet .75 inch - 1,041 points) and shot put (13.67m/44-10.25 - 772 points), before Pickler bounced back with a win in the long jump with a best effort of 6.28m/20-7.25 - 937 points.

2008 Olympic Games high jumper Sharon Day, who finished as the runner-up to Pickler at this event last year, capped off the competition with a win in the 800m in 2 minutes 14.63 seconds - 898 points, with Pickler finishing as the runner-up in 2:15.33 - 888 points.

Pickler's winning five-event tally of 4,544 points easily bettered her previous personal best of 4,442 points. Wade finished as the runner-up with a personal best total of 4,469 points, with Day finishing third with 4,467 points, also a career best.

The 2003 World decathlon champion and two-time winner of this event (2000 & 2002) Tom Pappas leads the men's heptathlon competition with three events to be contested on Sunday. Pappas' win in the shot put (15.90 meters/52 feet 2 inches - 845 points) propelled him into the lead with 3,327 points.

For former Seattle Pacific standout Chris Randolph, the day ended in disaster in the men's high jump, as he no heighted and failed to score.

In the three events that he completed, he ran 7.41 in the 60 hurdles, long jumped 6.53 meters (21-5 1/4), and threw the shot 13.42 meters (44-0 1/2).

According to multi-events guru Frank Zarnowski's excellent newsletter, which you can download here, Randolph tweaked his right leg early in the competition before falling victim to the dreaded no-height and zero points in the high jump.

For more information on the USA Indoor Combined Events Championships, please click here.

NOTE: USA Track & Field contributed to this report.