It took Phillip Bailey just one day to deliver a strong message to the NCAA decathlon community: Don't sleep on the Chico State decathlon squad despite the loss to graduation of three All-Americans, including three-time National Champion J Patrick Smith.
Phillip Bailey takes flight on the way to his
Provisional Qualifying Mark in the long jump.Bailey blistered the competition on the opening day of the 30
th annual Chico State Multi-Classic Thursday, scoring 3,854 points, seven
Scott Pater unleashes his PR in the shot put.more than Smith scored on last season's first day. The junior college transfer will attempt to secure an NCAA Championship Automatic Qualifying total of 7,100 points in tomorrow's second day of competition.
Bailey's teammates, sophomores Scott Pater and Lane Andrews, put up impressive numbers as well while notching Day One personal records (PRs).
Pater is in fourth place with 3,508 points, exactly 100 more than his best first-day total from last season.
Andrews' 3,403 points is more 147 more than his best from 2014. He finished the first day in sixth place out of 12 competitors.
Any score of 6,202 or better would put Pater and/or Andrews on the NCAA Provisional Qualifiers list.
Bailey's PR is 6,873, Andrews' is 6,069 and Pater's is 6,047.
Only eight Wildcats have ever broken the 7,000-point barrier.
Bailey's day was buoyed by his NCAA Provision Qualifying leap of 7.30 meters in the long jump. It's a new PR for him and the eighth
Lane Andrews enjoying a moment during his PR day. longest in school history. He was the top finisher in the 100 meters (11.07 seconds), long jump and 400 meters (49.06).
Pater notched PRs in the shot put (10.36 meters) and high jump (1.86 metres and finished third in the 100 meters (11.24 seconds) and long jump (6.79 meters).
Andrews dropped PRs in the high jump (1.86 meters), long jump (6.57 meters) and matched his PR of 11.55 in the 100 meters.
The second day of the decathlon "A Group" competition begins Friday at 12:30 at University Stadium with the 110-meter high hurdles. The athletes will then compete in the discus, pole vault and javelin before wrapping up the event with the 1,500 meters. That race is expected to start at approximately 6:30.
DAY ONE RESULTS
