Tuesday, April 28, 2015

LACEY, Wash. - Northwest Nazarene freshman Payton Lewis won the decathlon with the fifth best point total in GNAC history in the GNAC Multi-Events Championships Tuesday at Saint Martin's University.

Lewis posted a provisional national qualifying score of 6,595.  Also posting PNQs were Jaysen Yoro of Saint Martin's, who finished second with 6,541 points and Travis Turner of Alaska Anchorage who placed third with 6.372 points.

Lewis, who had the best marks Monday in both the long jump (6.39 - 20-11 3/4) and shot put (13.34 - 43-9 1/4), had two more top marks Tuesday setting the pace in the discus (41.19 - 135-1) and pole vault (4.60 - 15-1 1/4)to open up an 189-point lead going into the 1500 meters, the final event of the grueling 10-event competition.

He finished sixth in a time of 5:08.42, but earned enough points to fend off Day 1 leader Yoro, who ran a time of 4:45.41.  Central Washington's Justin Peterson, who finished fourth with 6,172 points, won the race in a time of 4:42.09.

Tuesday's other two events were won by Turner, who turned in a time of 15.12 in the 110 meters and Northwest Nazarene's Andrew Galbraith, who threw the javelin 162 feet, 6 inches.  Galbraith finished eighth overall with 5,842 points.

The multi-events were the first events of the GNAC Track and Field Championships.  The remainder of the meet will be contested May 8-9 at Western Oregon University.

Northwest Nazarene earned the most team points in the decathlon tallying 13.  Saint Martin's is in second place after one event with 11 points.

Decathlon -Northwest Nazarene 13, Saint Martin's 11, Alaska Anchorage 6, Central Washington 5, Western Washington 4.  Individuals - 1. Payton Lewis, NNU,  6595; 2. Jaysen Yoro, SMU, 6541; 3. Travis Turner, UAA, 6362; 4. Justin Peterson, CWU, 6172; 5. Michael Stralser, WWU, 6031; 6. David Durden, SMU, 6026; 7. Micah Spatz, NNU, 5957; 8. Andrew Galbraith, NNU, 5842.