ALLENDALE, Mich. – The 2021 NCAA DII Outdoor Track & Field Championships opened for Saginaw Valley State University Thursday in Allendale, Mich.
The Cardinals dominated day one of the multis, with freshman Cheyenne Williamson leading the heptathlon after four events and senior Sam Black pacing the decathlon after five events.
Williamson is first in the heptathlon with an even 3,500 points, 272 better than the next closest athlete. She started the day winning the 100-meter hurdles in a school-record time of 13.59 seconds. She tied for the win in the high jump at 1.69m, followed by a fifth-place finish in the shot put at 11.28m. Williamson closed the day with another school record, taking first in the 200-meter dash in 23.73 seconds.
Black got off to an equally strong start, winning the 100-meter dash in 10.73 seconds. He was fifth in the long jump (6.92m), third in the shot put (13.81m), and fourth in the high jump (2.00m). Black hit the halfway point in the decathlon with a first-place finish in the 400-meter dash, crossing the line in 48.29 seconds. He has 4,132 points, 125 more than the next athlete in the field.
Williamson continued her day with an All-American showing in the long jump. She set her third school record of the day with a leap of 6.24m finishing third for the Cardinals.
Several preliminary rounds included Cardinal athletes including Alona Olshevska qualifying for the finals in the 400-meter dash (55.44s), finishing sixth overall. Lauren Huebner qualified for the finals in the 400-meter hurdles, finishing third overall with a time of 59.94 seconds.
The 4x100 women's relay team of Angelina Debosque, Huebner, Olshevska, and Williamson, qualified for the finals with a time of 46.22 seconds.
Morgan Fuerst finished the 1,500-meter run preliminary in 15th place with a time of 4:33.54.
The NCAA DII Outdoor National Championships continue with day two Friday in Allendale with the conclusion of the multi events followed by a full slate of competition.
