Taiwo finishes heptathlon with world leading score of 6156 points...
NAMPA, Idaho--University of Washington senior Jeremy Taiwo (left/photo courtesy University of Washington) won two of three events and six of seven overall to score a school record 6156 points to win the heptathlon at the Boise State Team Challenge meet at Jacksons Track.
Taiwo, who set a heptathlon world record in the high jump of 7-4 1/2 (2.25m) to wrap up day one Friday night, began day 2 with a strong 8.08 clocking in the 60 hurdles, worth 962 points, 2/100ths better than the personal best of 8.10 he set on January 12th at the UW Preview meet.
He then took a very conservative approach in the pole vault, only clearing 13-11 1/4 (4.25m), worth 688 points, to finish third, then finished the two days of competition by winning the 1000 in a time of 2:34.44, worth 936 points.
Taiwo's mark is the best in the world so far this season, topping Eduard Mikhan of Belarus' score of 6145 points set on January 23-24. It also makes him the seventh best American performer all time, behind Ashton Eaton, Dan O'Brien, Bryan Clay, Tom Pappas, Steve Fritz, and Trey Hardee. He also laid claim to the third best mark by an American collegian, behind only Eaton and Hardee.
Back in Seattle at the Husky Classic, seven men broke 4 minutes in the mile, led by Andrew Bumbalough's winning mark of 3:56.12, edging OTC Elite/Portland teammate and 2012 steeplechase Olympian Evan Jager (3:56.14).
Bellingham resident and fellow US Olympic team steepler Donn Cabral was third in 3:56.41.
The other heat of the men's invitational mile was won by OTC Elite/Eugene's Ben Blankenship, as the University of Minnesota alum ran 3:58.66 for the win.
Four time world champ, and reigning Olympic long jump champion Brittney Reese opened her 2013 season by jumping 21-6 (6.55m) using a shorter than normal approach, a mark that tied the Dempsey Indoor facility record set by Grace Upshaw back in 2004, and set a new meet record.
In the women's mile, Olympian Geena Gall of OTC Elite/Eugene took the win in 4:31.75, while Husky senior Christine Babcock, who has had a snakebitten track career, set a personal best of 4:37.57 in 11th place.
In the other section, freshman Maddie Meyers bounced back from a seventh place finish at last week's USA junior cross country championships in St. Louis, as she ran a personal best 4:41.72 to take sixth in her heat.
Another Husky, Baylee Mires, took second in the first section of the invitational 800 meter run, as the member of last year's national championship distance medley relay squad ran a personal best 2:06.73.
Sunday, the Huskies will host the UW Open meet back at the Dempsey Indoor beginning at 9 am, featuring primarily Division II and top high schoolers, with some Division I and post-collegians thrown in that competed at the Husky Classic.
In Albuquerque, New Mexico, Washington State's Stephan Scott-Ellis jumped 52-0 1/2 (15.86m) to take second in the triple jump at the Don Kirby Open meet hosted by the University of New Mexico behind Joshua Honeycutt of Phoenix Eiite, who had a winning mark of 53-1 1/2 (16.19m).
In Friday night's Don Kirby Elite meet, Scott-Ellis squeezed out a victory in the long jump with a best of 24-11 1/4 (7.60m).
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