Combined Results
Women's Complete Results

ABERDEEN, S.D. – Registering a personal best in the high jump and showing the consistency needed for a day-long competition, Northern State University's Tanya Vassar finished 11th in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference women's pentathlon on Sunday with a mark of 3,109 points, nine points better than the NCAA qualifying standard in that event.

NSU's Laura Smith registered personal bests in three events and finished with 3,062 points, just 38 shy of the NCAA standard of 3,100.  All told, the top 11 finishers in the field of 18 finished ahead of that standard, while the next three finishers were within 62 points of that magic mark.

Vassar, who finished sixth at last year's indoor multis with a mark of 2,928 points, started off the day with a time of 9.12 seconds in the 55-meter hurdles before clearing a personal best 1.59 meters (5-2.50 feet) in the high jump.  Those two events gave the sophomore 1,472 points and a great start to the day, that, combined with near PR efforts in the remaining three events, gave her the boost she needed to surpass the 3,100-point mark.

Smith, a senior, also cleared 1.59 meters in the high jump, while also recording PR efforts in the long jump (4.95 meters / 16-03 feet) and the 800 meters (2:38.05) to close out the day.

St. Cloud State University's Heather Miller edged Kaycie Merrihew of Minnesota State by the slimmest of margins to take the overall victory.  Miller vaulted from third place into the top spot with a 777-point run in the 800 meters to finish with 3,686 points.  Merrihew was second with 3,685 points while Brianna Perry of the University of Mary was third with 3,651.

On the men's side, NSU senior Brady Lesnar sits in third place in a 14-man field through four events of the heptathlon.  Lesnar recorded three personal bests on the day, including a height of 1.79 meters (5-10.50 feet) that vaulted him past Andrew Stueck of St. Cloud State and into the third spot to end the day.  The only event in which Lesnar did not set a new personal best was in the shot put.

Freshman Austin Suther, competing in his second career heptathlon, sits in eighth place after Day 1 of the competition.  Suther recorded a career best in the day-ending high jump with a mark of 1.61 meters (5-03.25 feet) and enters tomorrow's action with 2,372 points.

Bemidji State's Zac Premble, the defending conference champion in this event, leads the field after the first day with a mark of 2,893 points.

The men will finish out the heptathlon competition on Monday beginning at 10 a.m. with the 55-meter hurdles.  They will follow with the pole vault and end the day with the 1,000-meter run.