Atherley, Ellenwood excel despite long layoffs from heptathlon, Nytes holds slight decathlon edge over Mechler, Ziemek

By Erik Boal, DyeStat Editor

Georgia Ellenwood hadn’t competed in a heptathlon since the 2016 NCAA Division 1 Outdoor Championships.

Michelle Atherley had yet to participate in the two-day event during her collegiate career.

But neither multi-event athlete demonstrated any signs of rust Wednesday on the first day of the Bryan Clay Invitational.

INTERVIEWS

Atherley, a Miami (Fla.) redshirt sophomore, relied on the fastest overall times in the 100-meter hurdles and 200, clocking a wind-legal 13.28 seconds and wind-aided 23.96, to produce a significant first-day best with 3,635 points at Azusa Pacific University.

Ellenwood, a Wisconsin fifth-year senior, placed in the top five in all four events, ranking right behind Atherley in the final group by running 13.80 in the 100 hurdles and 24.29 in the 200 to  to accumulate 3,533 points, improving on her previous best first-day effort by three points from the 2016 Division 1 final.

Ellenwood, who took fifth at the 2016 championship meet with a personal-best 5,935 points, has significantly better marks than Atherley in the long jump and javelin. Both athletes have run under 2:15 in the 800, setting the stage for an intriguing final three events Thursday.

Ellenwood placed third in the pentathlon with 4,381 points March 9 at the NCAA Indoor Championships in College Station, Texas. Atherley finished sixth with 4,257.

Akron fifth-year senior Patricia Ortega is in third overall with 3,495 points, on pace to easily surpass her personal-best 5,451 from 2015. Eight athletes in the third and fourth groups had at least 3,400 points.

In the men’s decathlon competition, Wisconsin junior Trent Nytes secured the opening-day lead with 4,261 points, setting the multi-event meet record by clearing 7-2.25 (2.19m) in the high jump.

Nytes also added a PR in the shot put with a 45-8.50 (13.93m) effort, along with a personal-best 49.79 seconds in the 400 to maintain the advantage over Houston sophomore Nate Mechler, who has 4,217 points.

Mechler relied on an improvement of more than two feet from his first attempt in the long jump to his second-round leap to lead all competitors with a wind-aided mark of 25-0.75 (7.64m). He also capped the day with the fastest 400 time in his group at 48.59 to close the gap on Nytes by 57 points.

Mechler boasts significant advantages over Nytes in the pole vault and 1,500 meters Thursday. Nytes has a profound edge over Mechler in the discus, with their javelin and 110 hurdles performances rather similar.

Mechler finished eighth March 10 in the Division 1 Indoor heptathlon with 5,758 points and Nytes placed 11th with 5,706.

Zach Ziemek, a 2016 U.S. Olympian and Wisconsin volunteer assistant, is in third place in the decathlon with 4,210 points and Badgers redshirt freshman Zach Lorbeck is in fourth with 4,114.