Santa Barbara, Calif. – After Day 1 of competition Tyler Nelson (USA / UC-Santa Barbara) leads in the Decathlon with 3906 points and Nia Ali (USA) leads in the Heptathlon with 3642pts. Below, we've provided a summary of each event organized by time schedule. The 5th Annual Sam Adams Combined Events Invitational is held on April 1-2, 2016 at Westmont College's Thorrington Field in Santa Barbara, CA. The event is hosted by the Santa Barbara Track Club.
DECATHLON - 100M DASH
The day began with the Decathlon 100m dash won by Toshiki Sakamoto (JPN / Kanoya Sport University) in 10.90 seconds followed closely behind by Santa Barbara Track Club's Thomas Hopkins (USA) also crossing the line in under eleven seconds with a 10.93. They would score 883pts and 876pts respectively to rise to the top of the leader board in the ten-event, two-day competition.
HEPTATHLON - 100M HURDLES
For the women, the 100m hurdles kicked off the seven-event, two-day Heptathlon and was led by 2016 IAAF World Indoor Champion at 60m Hurdles, Nia Ali (USA), who posted a 12.94 and a big score of 1133pts. Ali's mark was a Sam Adams Combined Events record as well as a Thorrington Field record, previously held by Olympian Brianne Theisen-Eaton (CAN / NIKE Oregon Track Club). She had previously competed as a Heptathlete for the University of Southern California and her mark put her on pace to best her 5824pts personal record set in 2009 for the Trojans.
A loaded 100m Hurdles field also saw eight other women score over 1000pts. Jessica Flax (USA / Texas Express Track Club) and Chari Hawkins (USA / Santa Barbara Track Club) ran 13.28 (1083pts) and 13.30 (1080pts) respectively.
DECATHLON - LONG JUMP
In the Long Jump, guest athlete Damian Warner (CAN / NIKE), who trains in Santa Barbara prior to his outdoor season, leaped 7.52m (24'08) to win the event. Sakamoto jumped 7.13m (23'04.50") to secure his lead after two events with 845pts over Hopkins who finished third in the Long Jump with a mark of 7.06m (23'01.75") earning him 828pts.
HEPTATHLON - HIGH JUMP
Hawkins and Ali would lead the Women's High Jump clearing a height of 1.78m (5'10"), good for 953pts. Guest athlete Sharon Day-Monroe (USA / ASICS), a NCAA champion at this event in 2005 for the Cal Poly San Luis Obispo Mustangs, used an abbreviated seven step approach as a pre-season warm-up, clearing 1.75m (5'08.75"). Day-Monroe is also a 2012 Olympian in the Heptathlon and a seven-time U.S. champion.
DECATHLON - SHOT PUT
The Men's Shot Put featured World Record Holder and reigning Olympic gold medalist in the Decathlon Ashton Eaton (USA / NIKE Oregon Track Club), who along with his wife Brianne Theisen-Eaton, leverage the Santa Barbara spring to train for their upcoming outdoor Track & Field season campaign. Eaton, a guest athlete in the competition, kicked off his outdoor season with a toss of 15.06m (49'04.75"), just an inch off his event record set in 2015.
Right behind him in the Shot Put was Santa Barbara Track Club's Derek Masterson (USA) who went for 15.00m (49'02.50") and Patrick Arbour (CAN / Ottawa Track Club) who threw it 14.92m (48'11.25"). Arbour after three events would lead the competition with 2329pts.
HEPTATHLON - SHOT PUT
Focusing on field events to kick-off her outdoor season, Day-Monroe won the Shot Put with a throw of 14.52m (47'07.75"). Amber Metoyer (USA / Texas Express Track Club) and Annette Fleming (GER / Santa Barbara Track Club) would round out the top three with throws of 13.91m (45'07.75") and 13.77m (45'02.50") respectively. Santa Barbara Track Club's Lindsay Schwartz (USA) also had a foot and a half personal best with a toss of 13.67m (44'10.25").
After three events Hawkins was in the lead with 2684pts in a competition separated by only six points amongst the top three. Ali was in second with 2680pts and Jillian Drouin (CAN / Sarnia) was in third with 2678pts.
DECATHLON - HIGH JUMP
In the Decathlon's 4th event Calvin Sullins (USA / Santa Barbara Track Club) and Josue Louis (USA) both jumped 2.00m (6'06.75") to earn themselves 803pts and jump up to 3rd and 4th place respectively in the competition.
UC-Santa Barbara's Tyler Nelson (USA) would be the overall leader with 3041pts, follwed by Arbour who had 3025pts.
HEPTATHLON - 200M DASH
To conclude the first day of the Heptathlon competition, Breanna Leslie (USA / ASICS) would win a close race in 24.17 over Ali's 24.20. Ali's 962pts would catapult her into first with 3,642pts. Hawkins who led through three events came across the line in 24.73 and would finish day one in second place with 3,596pts.
Rounding out the top three in the Heptathlon would be SBTC's Schwartz who would run a 24.32 and score 950pts bringing her within one point of her teammate, closing out day one with 3595pts.
DECATHLON - 400M DASH
Warner would take out the field in the last event of day one winning in 46.64. SBTC's Hopkins would have the second best time of the afternoon in 47.66. UCSB's Nelson set a personal best at 400m with a 48.92 to conclude a successful first day of competition, maintaining his position atop of the leaderboard with 3906pts.
The Sam Adams Combined Events Invitational continues tomorrow with community and youth track events beginning at 8:30am. The Decathlon will begin at 10:30am with the 110m Hurdles and the Heptathlon will begin at 12:30pm with the Long Jump.
Nwaba would kick off the day in the 60m Hurdles with a season's best 8.43 seconds. She would follow this up with a mark in the High Jump of 1.82m (5'11.5ft), less than three inches off of her personal best. In the Shot Put, the third of five events, Nwaba would launch a huge personal best of 15.00m (49'2.5ft) solidifying herself at the top of the leader board in 4th position overall. While she would then set a season's best in the Long Jump at 5.84m (19'2ft), her 11th place showing would drop her two spots overall to sixth place heading into the 800m, the final event.
Playing host to the “World’s Greatest Athletes”, the Men’s Decathlon will feature 2012 Olympic champion and world record holder, Ashton Eaton (USA) and Canadian national record holder Damian Warner. The two athletes are favored to be on the podium in the Rio Olympic finals later this summer. In the Women's Heptathlon, IAAF World Championship medalists Brianne Theisen-Eaton (CAN), and reigning U.S. Outdoor Heptathlon Champion, SBTC’s Barbara Nwaba (USA) highlight the field of competitors.
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I had a decent hurdle race to start off the heptathlon, running a 13.59, a tenth off what I ran at USA Nationals. I was really hoping for a [personal best] since I felt great in practice and was running fast. However I knew there were six more events I had left where I could improve and put together a big score…
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After what had been unseasonably warm temperatures in Eugene for the Decathlon and first day of competition in the Heptathlon, temperatures in the low 70s welcomed the athletes for Sunday's events. Perhaps enjoying the similarity to Santa Barbara's cooler June weather, Nwaba took to the skies in the first event of the morning with a personal best of 6.23m (20'5.25") in the Long Jump; a seven inch personal best and the first time over 20 feet for her. The jump would move Nwaba 36 points ahead of Day-Monroe with two events remaining in the Heptathlon.
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Coming off of a 
