More from goducks.comJanuary 28, 2011
For Immediate Release
Theisen Smashes NCAA Pentathlon Record
SEATTLE, Wash. – Setting personal bests in the high jump and shot put, Brianne Theisen broke the collegiate record in the pentathlon, scoring 4,507 points Friday night at the UW Invitational at the Dempsey Indoor Facility.
In the high jump, the junior from Humboldt, Sask., cleared 6-0/1.83 meters for the first time in her career. That height was tied for the best clearance with Biola’s Natasha Miller. In the shot put, Theisen threw 41-8/12.70m, which was a two-inch PR. That distance was second overall.
She won the 60 meter hurdles, the first event of the day which began at 3 p.m., in 8.45 seconds. After the bests in the high jump and shot put, Theisen won the long jump with an effort of 19-9/6.02m. Just before 10 p.m. – seven hours after the opening event, Theisen set a pentathlon personal best in winning the 800 meters in 2:14.50.
“It’s pretty cool but I’m pretty tired,” said Theisen. “There was some talk around the track going into the 800 and I knew I had to run 2:15, but I wasn’t really focusing on breaking the record. I decided to focus on the first 500 (meters) and then just see where I was after that. So all the work came in the first 500 and once I got there the last 300 was easy.
“We put in a lot of work running this fall, more than I’ve ever done in the past and I think that really paid off in the 800.”
Theisen was also pleased with the personal bests in the high jump and shot put, but said there is still more left in the tank and added that the hurdles – normally one of her best events – may have been her worst Friday night.
“The high jump actually felt a little rusty,” she said. “It felt awkward which is strange to say clearing 6-0. I am really happy with the shot, but I know I can go farther.
“My start in the hurdles was really bad,” Theisen said. “I felt like everyone was two steps in front of me before I finally got going. But scoring 4,507 and breaking the record really gives me a lot of confidence going forward the rest of the season.
Theisen broke the previous NCAA record – 4,496 points in 2008 by Arizona State’s Jacquelyn Johnson – by 11 points. She needed to run 2:15 in the 800 to surpass Johnson, and she beat that time by half a second.
“Not bad for January,” she said.