University of Arkansas junior Ayden Owens-Delerme started and finished fast to take the first-day lead Wednesday in the decathlon at the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships in Eugene, Ore.
Owens-Delerme ran 10.41 seconds for the fastest time in the 100 meters in the decathlon’s first event. Then in the last of five events Wednesday, Owens-Delerme ran 46.10 in the 400 to set a collegiate record for the decathlon.
Owens-Delerme moved into first place after the 400 with 4,490 points — 49 ahead of Georgia sophomore Kyle Garland.
In other decathlon events at Oregon’s Hayward Field, Owens-Delerme threw the shot-put 49 feet, 61/2 inches, long jumped 23-11 and high jumped 6-7.
Garland is in second with 4,441 points with marks of 10.63 in the 100, 24-73/4 in the long jump, 50-4 /12 in the shot put, 6-91/2 in the high jump and 48.60 in the 400.
Garland set a collegiate record in the decathlon with 8,720 points when he finished second in the USA Championships on May 7 at Arkansas’ John McDonnell Field. He broke the collegiate record of 8,528 points by Owens-Delerme in the Mount San Antonio College Relays in Walnut, Calif., on April 15.
Arkansas junior Daniel Spejcher is 15th in the decathlon with 3,910 points.
Razorbacks senior Amon Kemboi finished 10th in the 10,000 in 28:21.64. Arkansas sophomore Patrick Kiprop was 14th in 28:26.25.
Arkansas State senior Bennett Pascoe posted a season-best 8:34.93 in the men’s 3,000-meter steeplechase semifinal.
Pascoe, of Conway, finished 11th in the same event last year and took first in the steeplechase at the Sun Belt Conference outdoor championships last month. He placed fifth in his 12-man heat, automatically qualifying for the final. Pascoe is the first Red Wolf to qualify for consecutive national finals since Donnie Taylor in 1977-78.
Even with a strong final lap of 1:05.63, Pascoe was 11-plus seconds behind Montana State’s Duncan Hamilton, who led the field of 24 semifinalists. The 12-man final is set for Friday.
Razorbacks junior Tre’Bien Gilbert ran 13.55 in the 110-meter hurdles semifinals and missed advancing to the final by .01 of a second. Arkansas junior Matthew Lewis-Banks ran 14.09.
Arkansas’ 1,600-relay team didn’t advance.