Petsch leads MWC decathlon

Richard Anderson photo
Wyoming junior Jay Petsch competes in the long jump (decathlon) on Wednesday during the Mountain West Conference Championships at the Louis S. Madrid Sports Complex.

MWC decathlon results

By Bobby Abplanalp
Special to Wyoming Sports.org

A solid overall performance has Wyoming junior Jay Petsch leading the decathlon after day one of the Mountain West Conference Outdoor Track and Field Championships Wednesday at the Louis S. Madrid Sports Complex.

Petsch finished with 3,671 points after the first five events, with BYU’s Meelis Kosk right behind him with 3,589 points.

Petsch, who was seventh in last year’s event and is competing in his first decathlon this season, was first in the 100-meter dash in 11.00 seconds, second in the long jump at 22-feet, 2 1/4 inches, second in the shot put at 36-0, second in the high jump at 6-1 1/4 and first in the 400-meter dash in 50.04.

“Jay was very good. Our performance today will spur the home crowd and the rest of the team to do a good job later on in the week,” UW assistant coach Quincy Howe said.

It was a typical spring day in Laramie, with the sun shining and a cool wind howling, but the UW athletes are used to adverse weather conditions.

“The wind was a factor, but we coach our athletes to persevere through those elements, so we should be okay,” Howe said.

The men’s 400-meter dash was the final event of the day, with Petsch coming from behind to take the win.

“The 400 (meter) is my favorite race. It’s just an all-out race with everything you got,” Petsch said. “I’m a little winded after all the high jumping that I did today, so my legs weren’t underneath me. But I just ran as hard as a can and I won that race.”

The high jump is something Petsch has struggled with recently. The junior was pleased with his high jump efforts and his overall performance.

“Yeah, I’m really happy,” Petsch said. “This is the first time in the last couple months that I really gotten over six feet, so I’ve been really happy with it.”

“I’m really pleased with the shot put, but the long jump I could have done a little better, but with everything I’ve done I’m really pleased.”

Petsch will begin the second half of the decathlon on Thursday (12:30 p.m.) with the 110-meter hurdles, followed by the discus throw, pole vault, javelin throw and the 1,500-meter run.

There are a few events that Petsch looks forward to and one in particular that he isn’t crazy about.

“The 110 hurdles is my specialty race. The javelin, I’ve actually been throwing it straight this year,” Petsch said. “I’m not looking forward to the 1,500, it’s too long.”