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Sims sits 20th all-time in heptathlon
Track and field athlete Crystal Sims wins Multi-event Championship
The Advocate
After being track athlete of the week for week seven, sophomore Crystal Sims blew away the field in winning the NWAACC Multi-event Championships at Earl Klapstein Stadium Monday and Tuesday in the heptathlon event.
Sims is now 20th in NWAACC history for most points in a heptathlon competition, scoring 4,305.
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Sims took an early lead on day one of the event and ultimately finished in the top three in six of seven events. She won the competition by 182 points. Spokane sophomore Taylor Cook took second with a total score of 4123.
“Most women never get that high in points,” said Head Coach Matt Hart. “She is definitely the best heptathlon competitor this year.”
“It felt great,” said Sims, “but heading into the second day I was a little shaky because those are not my strong events.”
After the first day, Sims was in first place with 2696 points. She ran the 100-meter hurdles in 15.67, tied for first in the high jump at 1.53 meters and wrapped up the two-day event in the 200, finishing with a time of 25.97.
Clark College’s Brooklyn Holton finished the first day in second place 102 points behind Sims. Holton finished 175 points ahead of Crystal’s sister, Catherine Sims, who was in third after day one.
Day two started with rain pouring down, but it was no struggle for the Sims sisters.
Crystal added to her lead by winning the long jump event with a jump of 5.10 meters.
“I PRed (personal record) in almost everything,” said Sims. According to Hart, Sims is fourth in women’s track and field in the NWAACC and is third in high jump, seventh in hurdles, seventh in the 200 and fourth in the 100.
Catherine Sims began the day in third place and that’s where she finished, 244 points ahead of Holton who was fourth. Cook finished the event in second overall after a shaky first day when she ended in fourth place but picked her performance up the second day when she threw the javelin 34.37m for the best mark of the day.
The Sims sisters and Cook earned NWAACC All-American honors.
No men from the Saints competed in the decathlon that was won by Treasure Valley Community College’s Philip Noble, who had to overcome a 105-point deficit from day one to pass Clackamas Community College’s freshman Dominick Walker to take the decathlon championship.
For the men, Hart is willing to sacrifice the decathalon because he feels his men’s team can pick up points in other events when the team heads to Lane for the Southern Region Championships.
“We were willing to sacrifice this one,” said Hart. “Out of the 22-some events, we just don’t have any men competing in it but we make up for the points in other events.”