Blair Establishes Heptathlon Record

(1/25/2012 7:28 AM) Full Results

At the Harvard Multi Event this past weekend, junior Mike Blair became the first ever Tufts athlete to compete in the heptathlon. NCAA Division III recently switched from the pentathlon to the heptathlon adding the 60m dash and PV to the indoor multi event. As a result, Blair set the standard and established a new Tufts school record with his 4346 points. His mark is currently the 3rd best DIII heptathlon in the nation.

Blair got off to a quality start with his 7.70 in the 60m dash. A high jumper by trade, Blair works to minimize lost ground in the open sprints. His new PR of 7.70 gave him a competitive opener to his first heptathlon. From there, the momentum of the heptathlon changed.

Slightly rolling his ankle at the plant of his second LJ, Blair had difficulty planting explosively afterwards. His opening LJ remained his best mark of the day at 6.17m. His strength and explosiveness were still present as evident through his PR in the SP that followed. He improved his mark there to 11.10m, breaking the 11m mark for the first time.

Sadly, the ankle forced the Tufts heptathlete to shift his focus from a potential national qualifying mark to a regional qualifying mark. A relaxed pop up over 6-1 in the HJ gave Blair a conservative yet safe start to event. Day 2 began with a sore ankle but a strong showing in both the 60mH and PV. A 9.10 in the hurdles was followed by a new PR of 12-0 in the PV securing a mark that would easily qualify Blair for the New England Championships.

Competing in training shoes for the 1000m and clocking in at a smooth 3:06 gave Blair is total score of 4346 points. It’s safe to say that Blair can easily find points in each of the 7 events as he looks ahead to his next heptathlon. With the event in its DIII infancy, what mark will eventually qualify for the National Championships remains a mystery. Jumbo fans will keep their eyes on the qualifying lists to see how high Blair can climb.


Full Results