K-State’s Akela Jones leads NCAA heptathlon; WSU’s Nikki Larch-Miller seventh

Kansas State junior Akela Jones led after the first day of the heptathlon Wednesday at the NCAA Championships in Eugene, Ore., with Kansas senior Lindsay Vollmer fifth and Wichita State junior Nikki Larch-Miller seventh.

Jones’s 4,023 points was 219 ahead of second-place Kendell Williams of Georgia; Vollmer had 3,621 and Larch Miller had 3,515.

Jones set the collegiate record for a day one point total, besting the record set by three-time Olympic gold medalist Jackie Joyner-Kersee of 3,942 points in 1985.

Jones, a 6-2 junior from St. Michael, Barbados, had the second best time among the 24 competitors in the 100-meter hurdles (13.10 seconds), the best high jump (6 feet, 1/2 inch), the best shot put (48-8 3/4) and second-best 200 (23.45).

“Arguably though, the most impressive showing of the day, in my book, was the 200,” K-State coach Cliff Rovelto said. “That’s the fastest she’s ever run in her life and to do that out of lane one in a heptathlon is unbelievable. I thought, under decent conditions in an outside lane, she would be in the range of 23.40-23.50, which she ran, but I never thought she’d do that out of lane one with how tall she is.”

Larch-Miller ran the fastest 200 (23.26) and fourth-best hurdles (13.15). She high-jumped a personal-best 5-5 1/4, a mark that was 18th-best in the event, while her shot put (34-6 3/4) was 21st.

Vollmer, the 2013 NCA champion, was steady, with the sixth-best marks in three events and 11th in the shot put.

The heptathlon concludes Thursday with the long jump, javelin and 800.

In other events Wednesday, WSU’s Weston Cottrell placed 21st in the hammer throw (204-6). In the pole vault, Kansas’ Jake Albright finished 10th and Nick Meyer was 13th. Bother cleared 17-4 1/2. K-State’s Ifeanyichukwu Otuonye was 11th in the long jump (25-2 3/4). KU’s Michael Stigler had the fastest qualifying time in the 400 hurdles (48.88), and K-State freshman Terrell Smith failed to advance in the 200 (20.88).

With the exception of the decathlon and heptathlon, the men’s and women’s events have been divided for the four-day meet with men competing on Wednesday and Friday, the women on Thursday and Saturday.

This story was originally published June 10, 2015 at 9:49 PM with the headline "K-State’s Akela Jones leads NCAA heptathlon; WSU’s Nikki Larch-Miller seventh."