Complete Results

CLAREMONT, Calif. -- Christopher Newport University junior Richard Roethel leads by 202 points after five events in the Decathlon at the 2012 NCAA Division III Men's Outdoor Track & Field National Championship. The Captains two-time All-American in the Decathlon won three of the five events on day one.

The first event of the day was the 100M Dash, where Roethel edged defending national champion Ethan Miller (Central) by four one-hundredths of a second. The CNU junior scored a personal record by finishing in 10.85 seconds and putting 894 points on the board for the Decathlon.

After a fifth-place finish in the Long Jump (6.75m), Miller took a 74-point lead in the Decathlon after two events, but Roethel took a stranglehold on the opening day with his next three finishes. Miller picked up just 530 points in the Shot Put with a 12th place effort, while Roethel finished second on a toss that went 12.56m, good for a second place finish in the throwing event. 

WIth two events remaining, Roethel created some distance with a pair of wins. In the High Jump, Miller matched Roethel all the way to 1.99 meters, but was unable to clear the 2.02 jump, while the Captain added three more clears in the event to  pick up over 100 points on the defending champ. He grabbed 878 decathlon points with the 2.08m finish in the High Jump. 

Finally, on a brisk evening in Southern California, Roethel posted another PR, his second of the day, in the 400m Dash. The New York native won with a time of 49.88, picking up 820 points and nearly cracking 4,000 points in the Decathlon on the first day. He finished with 3,987 points, 99 points higher than his day one finish in 2011, and 202 points ahead of Miller in second place. 

Roethel will look to defend his lead when he returns to the track on Friday for the conclusion of the event, with the 110M Hurdles, 1500M Run, Discus Throw, Pole Vault and Javelin Throw remaining. He will also compete in the Men's High Jump Finals, scheduled for 5:45 pm (PST). On the women's side, senior Dira Hansen and sophomore Jenna Elliott will also compete on Friday.

Video of Rich's best attempts for each event (except shot put)

 

100m – 10.85

http://www.runnerspace.com/gprofile.php?mgroup_id=28463&do=videos&video_id=68533

 

Long Jump – 6.75m

http://www.runnerspace.com/gprofile.php?mgroup_id=28463&do=videos&video_id=68543

 

High Jump – 2.08m

http://www.runnerspace.com/gprofile.php?mgroup_id=28463&do=videos&video_id=68540

 

400m – 49.88

http://www.runnerspace.com/gprofile.php?mgroup_id=28463&do=videos&video_id=68540