Thursday, May 26, 2016
by Mark Moschetti, Seattle Pacific Sports Information

BRADENTON, Fla. – Cody Thomas knows that day one of a decathlon is the one when he really has to be on his game.
 
On Thursday, the Alaska Anchorage senior was very much on his game.
 
Thomas won the long jump and the 400-meter dash, will take a 168-point lead into the final five events on Friday. His total of 4,087 points was a personal best through the first five events and has him ahead of Azusa Pacific’s Shakiel Chattoo (3,919) and third-place Tanner McNutt of Pittsburg State (3,885).
 
“I’m a first-day guy, so I try to get as many points as I can, and then try to hold on,” Thomas said. “Every event was a little competition in itself trying to stay near the top – and it turns out it kind of worked.”
 
Thomas’ winning long jump mark of 24 feet, 8.5 inches – which he hit on his third and final try – was a personal best, and put 942 points into his account. That came after a third-place finish in the opening 100-meter dash (11.12 seconds/834 points).
 
He was eighth in the shot put (39-1.75/602 points), and tied for second in the high jump (6-6.25/794 points). Thomas then bolted to an early lead in the second and final heat of the 400, and posted the day’s top time of 47.78 seconds, matching his multi-event career best.
 
“The 400 never feels good,” he said. “It was kind of rough, but it was a good 400. It’s stinking hot out there, so it’s kind of straining, so it was good to run a decent time.”
 
The final five events on Friday will include the 110-meter hurdles, discus, pole vault, javelin, and 1,500 meters.
 
“Vault and hurdles are probably the two big ones for me,” Thomas said.
 
ROULEAU BRINGS THE HEAT IN THE HEAT
Competing as he does for Simon Fraser, Marc-Antoine Rouleau is used to running in Pacific Northwest weather conditions – often cool, often cloudy, sometimes wet.
 
So he didn’t mind the 80-degree temperatures during his heat of the 1,500 meters on Thursday, which he won in the fastest time of the night, 3:49.32, to earn the top seed in Saturday’s finals.
 
“It’s really hot, but it’s better than Vancouver,” he said. “It’s been cold these days – windy, rainy – so it’s really good to be in the heat. We’re lucky to be here.”
 
Rouleau surged into the lead going around the final curve.
 
“I just stuck in the back and made a good move with a quarter to go, and was feeling great,” he said. “I’m looking forward to Saturday for the final. I know Oliver Aitchison (of Adams State) is still the best guy out there. (Aitchison and Rouleau glanced at each other as they came across the line; Aitchison was just .06 behind.) I think everyone is going to wait for his kick, so I hope to react to him and challenge him in that last stretch.
 
AND HE’LL HAVE SOME GNAC COMPANY, TOO
A quarter of the 12-man field in Saturday’s 1,500 final will be from the GNAC. Rouleau will be joined by the Western Oregon tandem of Sam Naffziger and David Ribich, who were third and fourth in that same preliminary heat. Naffziger clocked 3:49.87; Ribich as a 3:49.90, meaning the entire top four, led by Rouleau’s 3:49.32, was within six-tenths of a second.
 
“Having three GNACs in the final, that’s good – that’s exactly what we wanted to do,” Ribich said. “I was just keeping a head count during the race. We were all sitting around fourth the whole time, which is automatic (qualifying).
 
Like Rouleau, the two Wolves are adjusting to the higher temperatures in Bradenton.
 
“We got off the plane, and it was a little bit of a shock,” Naffziger said “I’m grateful we came down on Tuesday and got a little acclimated yesterday and today. … Having an extra day off (before finals) will be good.”
 
LAST TO START LINE, BUT FIRST TO FINISH
Seattle Pacific senior Lynelle Decker kept waiting and waiting for the call to come out to the track for Thursday’s 1,500-meter preliminaries.
 
Finally, she stopped waiting – and it was a good thing she did.
 
“They never called us over to walk onto the track. So I almost missed the start,” she said.
 
Once she got there and started racing toward her time of 4:27.34 that was the fastest in the prelims, it fully validated her decision to double up in this year’s meet, adding the 1,500 meters to her usual 800.
 
“Initially, I think the reason I was so nervous about doing the 15 is because I also was going to the 4-by-4 relay,” she said. “Doubling is a different thing, but tripling is a much harder thing, especially with one of your three races being a longer distance.”

But when the Falcons decided not to declare their relay, “I was able to give myself the comfort of being able to double really well.”
 
IT’S ALL ABOUT FAMILY FOR EGGLESTON
No question that the 3,000-meter steeplechase is one of the most grueling races on the track. But when Central Washington senior Dani Eggleston runs it, she’s never alone.
 
“My strategy is to dedicate each lap to a family member or someone close to me who really helped me get here,” said Eggleston, who finished an automatic-qualifying fourth in her heat in 10:26.12 and will be the No. 7 overall seed in Friday’s final. “During those hard times, I just thought of them and how much time and effort they put into me getting here.”
 
And when there are more close supporters than there are laps, “I had to put two people into some of those categories,” she said.
 
LYLE PICKS HERSELF, DUSTS HERSELF OFF, KEEPS RACING
Della Lyle could have called it a night after going down in the water pit on lap two. She could have mailed it in after tripping over a barrier on lap four.
 
Instead, the Montana State Billings senior just kept going, stayed with the lead pack, and ran a fast enough time to make the 3,000-meter steeplechase finals.
 
“I think I always think of myself as a comeback kid sort of,” she said. “That’s always been fuel for the fire after a fall or getting a setback in a race somehow. I also had a good song in my head: “You might knock me down, but I’ll keep trying. I think maybe that helped a little bit, too.”
 
Lyle, whose 10:26.88 earned her the third of the four wild cards and the No. 11 seed overall, is thrilled that Central’s Dani Eggleston will be on the track with her on Friday.
 
“She’s a nice, calming figure for me,” Lyle said. “I was having a little bit of a mental torment before the race (Lyle was in the first heat, Eggleston ran the second). It was great to see her, and it calmed me down a little bit. I sure do miss my team – they were great this season – but anyone from the GNAC is nice, too.”