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COLLEGE STATION, Texas – With a stellar performance in his best event, George Mason junior
John Seals ended his first day at the NCAA Division I Indoor Track & Field Championships with momentum.
Seals heads into day two of the heptathlon in 10th place after he finished third in the high jump on Friday at Gilliam Indoor Stadium on the campus of Texas A&M. After four events, Seals sits in 10th – out of 16 – with 3,168 points. The second day begins at 1 p.m. (EST) on Saturday with the 60-meter hurdles, continues with the pole vault and concludes with the 1,000-meter run at 4:45 p.m.
"John had a very solid first day across the board," Mason head coach
Andrew Gerard said. "His 60-meter run and long jump were right there and he notched a good PR in the shot put. We would have liked one more height in the high jump but 2.10 was very credible and kept him right in the mix."
In the last event of the day, Seals cleared 2.10 meters (6 feet, 10 ¾ inches). A three-time Atlantic 10 indoor champion in the event, he cleared his first two jumps – at 1.95 and 2.01 meters – before failing to clear for the first time at 2.7 meters. He then sailed over the bar on his next jump and needed only one attempt to leap higher than 2.10. Only Kentucky's Tim Duckworth and Illinois' Jonathan Wells jumped higher, both clearing 2.16 meters.
Seals, a native of Springfield, Va., began his first trip to the national meet by placing 12th in the 60-meter run with a time of 7.13 seconds. He then jumped 6.97 meters (22 feet, 10 ½ inches) in the long jump to finish 14th. He set a personal best in the shot put with a heave of 12.35 meters (40 feet, 6 ¼ inches) for 15th.
He entered nationals seeded 11th thanks to 5,794 points, converted from an Atlantic 10 and school-record 5,770 points due to track size. With 3,168 points after four events, he is just 53 points behind seventh-place Steven Bastien of Michigan (3,221).
"He came in seeded 11th and finished day one sitting in 10th place with three guys close ahead within striking distance," Gerard said. "It will be an exciting second day for sure."
