Vollmer Out to Big Lead on Day One of 88th Kansas Relays

Kansas Relays
Rock Chalk Park // Lawrence, Kan.

Freshman Arnold Dinh competed in the decathlon shot put on Day One of the Kansas Relays.
Kansas Relays – Day 1
RESULTS: Decathlon | Heptathlon
Kansas Results
Heat Sheets: Quadrangular | College Open

LAWRENCE, Kan. – Senior Lindsay Vollmer was victorious in all four events on day one of the heptathlon competition Wednesday at the 88th Kansas Relays at Rock Chalk Park. Vollmer leads the competition by 466 points with three events still to come Thursday.
 
Competing in her first heptathlon competition in her home facility, the 2013 NCAA Champion in the event got out to a strong start Wednesday morning. Vollmer kicked off the day by claiming an easy win in the 100-meter hurdles in what turned out to be a foreshadowing of the success the senior enjoyed the rest of the day. She posted a time of 13.63 to win the event by nearly a second and earn a total of 1,031 points.
 
Vollmer brought her lead up to 200 points following her next event, the high jump. She cleared three bars on the day, her best height a mark of 1.70 meters (5’7″), a leap no other competitor could match.
 
She widened her lead even more in the shot put when she hurled out a throw of 12.08 meters (39’7¾”) on her first trip into the ring. The mark pushed her lead to 355 points as she went to her final event of the day, the 200 meters.
 
The Hamilton, Missouri product ended her day with a bang as she again left the rest of the field in her wake in the 200 meters. She sprinted down the homestretch to post a time of 24.99 with the help of a strong tailwind. The time brought Vollmer’s day one total to 3,440 points, more than 460 points clear of the next competitor.
 
Vollmer’s day-one total has her on pace to possibly make history on Thursday. She needs to collect just 2,301 points in the heptathlon’s final day to surpass the Kansas Relays record of 5,740 points. She is also within striking distance of posting one of the top scores in Kansas history. Her Wednesday point total is the fifth-highest by a Jayhawk heptathlete after the first day of competition.
 
Sophomore Talia Marquez also took to the Rock Chalk Park Track in her first heptathlon competition in front of the hometown crowd. Marquez finished the first day of competition in sixth place with 2,673 points.
 
The final day of the heptathlon will kick off at 9 a.m., Thursday with the long jump and will be followed by the javelin throw and 800 meters.
 
The men’s decathlon also helped kickoff the first day of the Kansas Relays and the Jayhawks saw two representatives take part in the first five events. Freshmen Arnold Dinh and Lucas Shaw didn’t appear fazed working their way through their first-career decathlon competitions. Dinh concluded his day in 11th with 2,957 points with Shaw not far behind in 12th, totaling 2,863 points.
 
The 110-meter hurdles will be the sixth decathlon event, which will kick off day two of competition at 9 a.m., Thursday.
 
 
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