Youngberg Wins Long Jump at U.S. Paralympic Trials; FitzSimons, Jr. 14th in Decathlon at U.S. Olympic T&F Team Trials

Lexi Youngberg awaits selection for 2016 Olympic Paralympic Games in Rio; SBTC's FitzSimons, Jr. first SBTC athlete to compete at U.S. Track & Field Olympic Team Trials in Eugene, OR; defending U.S. national champion Barbara Nwaba along with teammates Lindsay Lettow and Lindsay Schwartz set to begin competition in the Heptathlon in Eugene on Saturday, July 9

U.S. Track & Field Paralympic Olympic Team Trials - Results

U.S. Track & Field Olympic Team Trials - Results

Youngberg Earns U.S. Long Jump Title

Charlotte, NC—23 year old Lexi Youngberg (T44), who recently joined the ABEO / Santa Barbara Track Club became the squads latest U.S. national champion after clinching the Long Jump title at the U.S. Paralympic Team Trials in Charlotte, N.C. Youngberg leaped out to 4.31m / 14' 1.75" on her second of six jumps. She also competed in the 100m finishing 5th in 15.01 seconds as well as the 200m where she finished sixth in 31.66.

Youngberg's jump of 4.31m gave her an AQS Qualification mark for the 2016 Rio Paralympics and is awaiting selection.

FitzSimons Finishes 14th in Decathlon

Eugene, OR—ABEO / Santa Barbara Track Club's Thomas FitzSimons, Jr. fought strongly during the ten-event, two-day Decathlon competition finishing in 14th place with 7392 points at the 2016 U.S. Track & Field Olympic Team Trials. Just off his best in a couple of his events, FitzSimons, Jr. logged a personal best in the Shot Put tossing it 13.12m / 43' 00.50". One of the best 1500m runners in the Decathlon field FitzSimons, Jr. would also finish third in the final event in 4:23.16.

Ashton Eaton (OR / Oregon Track Club) who trains periodically in Santa Barbara claimed his fifth U.S. Outdoor Decathlon title with 8750 points. He will look to defend his Olympic title in Rio later this summer.

SBTC Heptathletes Set to Compete

A trio of SBTC Heptathletes will begin competition on Saturday, July 9 also in Eugene, OR. Barbara Nwaba enters the seven-event, two-day Heptathlon ranked number one and will seek to defend her 2015 U.S. national title while also earning first Olympic roster spot. Lindsay Lettow (#10) and Lindsay Schwartz (#13) join Nwaba with not only their Olympic dreams on the line, but coveted Team USA roster spots for international competitions later in the summer.

Additional Santa Barbara Notables

2007 UCSB graduate, Stephanie Rothstein, finished 20th in the 10,000m final in 34:27.48. 2012 UCSB graduate, Ryan Martin, fighting injuries did not advance out of the first round in the 800m. 2007 UCSB graduate, Amy Haapanen, competes in the Women's Hammer Throw on Wednesday, July 6 @ 3:00pm.

Schwartz & FitzSimons Jr. Win 2016 Sam Adams Combined Events Invite

Santa Barbara, Calif. – Lindsay Schwartz (USA / Santa Barbara Track Club) won the Heptathlon with 5991pts points and Thomas FitzSimons Jr. (USA / Santa Barbara Track Club) won the Decathlon with 7576pts. Four Heptathletes earned U.S. Olympic Trials Qualifiers and USC's Amali Iuel posted the 2016 NCAA leading Heptathlon score. Below, we've provided a summary of each event organized by time schedule. For the Day 1 Summary, please click here. 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.

• Results & Heat Sheets
• Events Timetable, Overview & History
• Road to Rio Symposium - April 2 - Tickets on Sale Online & at the Door

DECATHLON - 110M HURDLES

Kicking off the final day of competition, Josue Louis (USA) put up over 900pts with a time of 14.58. Santa Barbara Track Club teammates, Thomas Hopkins (USA / Santa Barbara Track Club), Calvin Sullins (USA / Santa Barbara Track Club) and Thomas FitzSimons, Jr. (USA / Santa Barbara Track Club) took the next three spots running 14.83, 14.86 and 15.01 respectively.

Tyler Nelson (USA / UC-Santa Barbara), the leader after Day of competition ran 15.33 good for the eighth spot earning 810pts to maintain his lead through six events with 4716pts.

DECATHLON - DISCUS

In the shadows of the event's youth events, which invited young athletes from throughout Santa Barbara County, the Discus was next up for the Men. Canada's Patrick Arbour (Ottawa TC) took the Discus title with a throw of 47.05m (154'04.25") and earned 809pts. Followed closely behind was Santa Barbara Track Club's Derek Masterson who went for 46.41m (152'03.00") and 796pts. The scores would catapult them from 6th and 7th respectively in the overall competition to 2nd (5350pts) and 3rd place (5246pts).

Guest athlete Ashton Eaton (USA / NIKE Oregon Track Club) competed in his second event of the competition with a throw of 42.60m (139'09.00"), the third farthest throw of the morning.

Nelson would continue to lead the Decathlon with 5365pts.

HEPTATHLON - LONG JUMP

The women would begin their afternoon in the Long Jump, which saw Santa Barbara Track Club's Lindsay Lettow (USA) set a life-time best leap of 6.15m (20'02.00") earning 896pts. Lettow would move up to 5th place in the competition. Amalie Iuel (Norway / USC) and Chari Hawkins (USA / Santa Barbara Track Club) would tie for 2nd and 862pts with jumps of 6.04m (19'09.75").

Hawkins' performance would push her into the lead with 4458pts ahead of Nia Ali (USA) with 4407pts. Ali, the recent IAAF World Champion at 60m Hurdles in Portland, OR is competing in her first Heptathlon since 2009 during her collegiate career for the USC Trojans.

DECATHLON - POLE VAULT

FitzSimons Jr. would set a personal best of 4.80m (15'08.75") to lead the competition and move into second place overall with 6090pts. Arbour would finish second with a vault of 4.50m (14'09.00") catapulting him to first in the Decathlon with 6110pts. Derek Masterson (USA / Santa Barbara Track Club) would also vault 4.50m (14'09.00") to move up to third on the overall leader board with 6006pts.

HEPTATHLON - JAVELIN

2015 U.S. Heptathlon Champion, Barbara Nwaba (USA / Santa Barbara Track Club), led the field with a huge 13 foot personal best, tossing the javelin 50.40m (165'04.25"). Tiffeny Parker (USA / Texas Express Track Club) would take the second spot with a throw of 45.52m (149'04.00") followed by Santa Barbara Track Club's Annette Fleming (GER) who had a mark of 44.85m (147'01.75").

Hawkins would continue to lead the field with 5063pts, but by a small margin with teammates Lettow and Schwartz scoring 5062 and 5054 points respectively through six events.

HEPTATHLON - 800m

With less than 40 points separating the top four athletes heading into the 800m, the final event of the competition would prove to be an exciting one. The Heptathletes also had their eyes on the U.S. Olympic Trials qualifying mark of 5900pts. With the Youth Challenge finishing up, hundreds of fans stayed to cheer on the Heptathletes.

Leading from wire-to-wire, USC's Iuel would cross the line in 2:08.41, just ahead of Kiani Profit's (USA / Chula Vista Track Club) 2:08.77. Iuel's mark would set almost a 200pt person best propelling her to 5th place with 5799pts, a mark that currently leads all NCAA Division athletes. Profit would finish in 4th place overall with 5977pts, over the U.S. Olympic Trials qualifying mark.

Just behind the top two in the 800m, Schwartz would finish 3rd with a personal best of 2:11.93, not only earning her 937pts, but catapulting her to the 2016 Sam Adams Combined Events Invite title, which she also won in 2014. Teammates Lettow and Hawkins would finish 4th and 5th respectively with times of 2:12.66 and 2:15.01. Lettow finished 2nd overall with 5988pts and Hawkins 4th with 5956pts, both also qualifying for the U.S. Olympic Trials.

DECATHLON - JAVELIN

The ninth event of the Decathlon saw Toshiki Sakamoto (JPN / Kanoya Sport University) launch a big personal best of 68.01m (223'01.50") to out distance the field by over twenty-five feet and over 100pts. His mark would put him in third place heading into the final event of the two-day competition with 6738pts.

Arbour would finish second in the Javelin with a throw of 59.53m (195'03.50") putting him in first place overall with 6841pts. Masterson would round out the top three tossing the Javelin 59.37m (194'09.25") and moving him into fourth overall with 6734pts. FitzSimons Jr. would move into the second position overall with 6789pts.

DECATHLON - 1500M DASH

Heading into the final event of the Decathlon on a picture perfect late afternoon at Westmont College in the Santa Barbara foothills only 107pts separated the top four athletes. FitzSimons Jr. came into the event with one of the best 1500m marks and needing a big win to defend his Sam Adams Combined Events Invite title. He would not disappoint the crowd who passed on the NCAA Final Four to watch him post a 4:23.58 1500m win, earning him 787pts and 7576pts for the overall title.

Arbour would fend off Masterson for runner-up in the overall competition, posting 543pts with his 5:02.90 and netting him 7384pts for the Decathlon. Masterson's 4:46.07 and 643pts moved him into third place overall with 7377pts.

The Sam Adams Week of Events concludes tomorrow, Sunday, April 3 with the Road to Rio Symposium featuring Ashton Eaton (Decathlon World Record Holder & 2012 Olympic Gold Medalist), Brianne Theisen-Eaton (2016 World Indoor Pentathlon Champion), Jeff Farrell (2x Olympic Gold Medalist at 1960 Olympics, Swimming) and Barbara Nwaba (2015 U.S. Heptathlon Champion). Tickets are available online and at the door with the VIP reception beginning at 3:30pm.

2016 Sam Adams Invite - What to Watch For

The 2016 Sam Adams Combined Events Invitational will feature a number of world-class athletes competing in the Decathlon, Heptathlon and select events. Below, please find an unofficial round-up of some of these athletes for you to plan your viewing schedule properly. Note that in a combined events competition the schedule may fluctuate and we recommend arriving 60-90mins. prior to a particular event that you would like to watch.

• Complete time-table and event information
• Event History & Records
• Road to Rio 2016 Symposium (April 3, 2016) - Tickets on Sale Now!

Nia Ali (USA) - 2014 & 2016 Indoor World Champion at 60m Hurdles

• Competing in the Full Heptathlon

Sharon Day (USA / ASICS) - U.S. Pentathlon Record Holder, 7x U.S. Champion

• High Jump - Friday, scheduled for 2:00PM
• Shot Put - Friday, scheduled for 3:45PM
• Javelin - Saturday, scheduled for 2:00PM

Ashton Eaton (USA / Nike Oregon Track Club) - Decathlon World Record Holder, 2012 Olympic Decathlon Champion, 5x World Champion

• Shot Put - Friday, scheduled for 2:20PM
• Discus - Saturday, scheduled for 11:30AM

Thomas FitzSimons, Jr. (USA / ABEO Santa Barbara Track Club) - 2015 Sam Adams Invite Champion, 2014 U.S. Decathlon Bronze Medalist

• Long Jump - Saturday, scheduled for 12:30PM
• Javelin - Saturday, scheduled for 2:00PM

Barbara Nwaba (USA / ABEO Santa Barbara Track Club) - 2015 USA Heptathlon Champion

• Long Jump - Saturday, scheduled for 12:30PM
• Javelin - Saturday, scheduled for 2:00PM

Kiani Profit (USA / Chula Vista Elite) - 2013 Thorpe Cup Champion

• Competing in the Full Heptathlon

Lindsay Schwartz (USA / ABEO Santa Barbara Track Club) - 2015 Thorpe Cup Bronze Medalist, 2015 Pan American Silver Medalist

• Competing in the Full Heptathlon

Damian Warner (CAN) - 2015 World Championship Decathlon Silver Medalist

• Long Jump - Friday, scheduled for 1:00PM
• Shot Put - Friday, scheduled for 2:20PM
• 400m - Friday, scheduled for 6:00PM
• Pole Vault - Saturdaym schedule for 2:00PM

Additional Santa Barbara Track Club Athletes Competing in Full Decathlon & Heptathlon

• Chari Hawkins - Heptathlon
• Tom Hopkins - Decathlon
• Lindsay Lettow - Heptathlon
• Derek Masterson - Decathlon
• Sarah Skipper - Heptathlon
• Calvin Sullins - Heptathlon

Santa Barbara Track Club's Nwaba Finishes 4th at IAAF World Indoor Championships

Barbara Nwaba kicks off international season with personal best 4661pts; Canada's Brianne Theisen-Eaton wins Gold in thrilling fashion; Ashton Eaton leads indoor Heptathlon after day 1  Official Results

PORTLAND, Ore.—In her 2016 international debut, America's Barbara Nwaba of the Santa Barbara Track Club finished in 4th place at the IAAF World Indoor Track & Field Championships in the one-day, five-event Pentathlon. Nwaba put together a consistent day of competition scoring a personal best 4661pts, eclipsing by over 200pts her best that she set en route to winning the 2016 USA Indoor Pentathlon title earlier this year.

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.

Nwaba would enter the 800m favorite needing to put eight seconds on Hungary's Gyorgi Zsivoczky-Farkas as well as fellow American Kendall Williams to move back into 4th place overall. Canada's Brianne Theisen-Eaton, who calls Santa Barbara home in the training build up to her outdoor season, sat in third place needing to put over eleven seconds on Ukraine's Anastasiya Mokhnuyk to take home her first international gold medal.

Nwaba took out the race in 63 seconds through the first 400m with Theisen-Eaton tucked in close behind, putting meters on the rest of the field with every step. Theisen-Eaton would overtake Nwaba in the final home stretch winning in a season's best 2:09.99, while Nwaba would also earn a season's best of 2:10.07. Concluding the Pentathlon in thrilling fashion, Theisen-Eaton would put over eleven seconds on Mokhnuy and claim the gold, while Nwaba would finish over eight seconds ahead of Zsivoczky-Farkas and Williams to finish 4th, her highest finish on the world stage. Theisen-Eaton's 4,881pts set a North American Pentathlon record.

America's Ashton Eaton, who also trains in Santa Barbara in the spring with his wife Brianne, entered the indoor Heptathlon as the heavy favorite as the reigning world champion and world record holder. He would finish day one of the two-day, seven-event competition with 3564pts and the lead over Granada's Kurt Felix. The Heptathlon concludes tomorrow with the opportunity for Eaton to win his third indoor Heptathlon title.

IAAF World Indoor Championships Schedule / Results

TV Coverage Saturday, 3/19: 6:30pm-8:00pm PST on NBC Sport sNetwork (NBCSN) Sunday, 3/20: 1:00pm-3:00pm PST on NBC Sports Network (NBCSN)

Live coverage can also be streamed on your laptop, tablet or smartphone using NBC Sports Live Extra.

Nwaba Represents USA at IAAF Indoor World Championships

2015 USA Indoor Champion, Barbara Nwaba will compete on Friday, March 18 in Portland, Oregon in the one-day Pentathlon competition; Oregon Track Club's Ashton Eaton (USA) and Brianne Theisen-Eaton (CAN) favorites in the Heptathlon and Pentathlon respectively PORTLAND, Ore.—For the first time since 1987, the world's best Track & Field athletes will compete on U.S. soil in Portland, Oregon from March 17–20 for the 2016 IAAF World Indoor Championships. Among those representing the United States is Santa Barbara Track Club's (SBTC), Barbara Nwaba, the reigning U.S. Pentathlon champion.

Nwaba will enter the one-day, five-event Pentathlon on Friday, March 18 as the ninth ranked athlete in the international field of 12. She has a personal and season's best of 4415pts, which she achieved just a few weeks ago at the USA Indoor Championships. In 2015, Nwaba earned her first U.S. title at the USA Outdoor Track & Field Championships in the seven-event Heptathlon as well as her first World Championship roster spot. In that banner year she would set a personal best of 6500 pts, the #6 All-Time mark in the U.S.

Also competing in Portland this weekend are familiar faces to Santa Barbara, Oregon Track Club's Ashton Eaton (USA) and Brianne Theisen-Eaton (CAN). Track & Field's married power duo have been SBTC's guests for the last couple of years, leveraging Santa Barbara's mild spring to train prior to the start of the outdoor Track & Field campaigns. Both enter this weekend's competitions as their event favorites with Eaton eyeing his own world record in the seven-event Heptathlon (6645pts), while Theisen-Eaton has her target set on earning her first international gold medal.

IAAF World Indoor Championships Schedule / Results

TV Coverage Friday, 3/18: 9:30pm-11:00pm PST on NBC Sports Network (NBCSN) Saturday, 3/19: 6:30pm-8:00pm PST on NBC Sport sNetwork (NBCSN) Sunday, 3/20: 1:00pm-3:00pm PST on NBC Sports Network (NBCSN)

Coverage can also be streamed on your laptop, tablet or smartphone using NBC Sports Live Extra.

Friday, March 18 - Pentathlon Schedule of Events 10:30am PST - 60m Hurdles 12:10pm PST - High Jump 2:25pm PST - Shot Put 5:15pm PST - Long Jump 8:10pm PST - 800m

Nwaba Wins 2016 U.S. Indoor Title

Santa Barbara Track Club women take three of four podium spots; nine total SBTC athletes mark largest qualifying team at U.S. Combined Events Indoor Championships; Nwaba set to compete at IAAF World Indoor Championships in Portland, OR in March; SBTC welcomes new athletes and expands programming for 2016 CRETE, Neb.—The 2016 USATF Combined Events Indoor Championships, hosted by Doane College on February 25-27, marked the first major test for Santa Barbara Track Club's (SBTC) athletes with their eye on Rio de Janeiro, site of the 2016 Olympic Games. Competing in the pentathlon, a suite of five events versus the traditional seven that marks the heptathlon competition during the outdoor season, SBTC's women, led by Barbara Nwaba, made a splash earning three of the four podium spots.

Nwaba, who is gearing up to represent the U.S. at the IAAF World Indoor Championships on March 18 in Portland, OR, earned her second U.S. title and set a personal record of 4,415pts in the Pentathlon on Saturday, outlasting Kaylon Eppinger by over 100pts. SBTC's Chari Hawkins, one of the squad's most recent additions, set a personal record of 4,225pts to finish with a bronze medal, while just three points behind, SBTC's Lindsay Schwartz took the final podium position with 4,222pts, also a personal record.

On the Men's side, Tom Hopkins finished in 8th place with 5,424pts to lead SBTC in the Men's Heptathlon competition.

In all, nine athletes represented the SBTC at the U.S. Combined Events Indoor Championships, qualifying the largest team to kick off the 2016 season. With the exception of Nwaba who will compete at World Indoor Championships, the next competition for the SBTC combined events athletes will be the 5th Sam Adams Combined Events Invitational (Sam Adams Invite) in Santa Barbara on April 1-2. The Sam Adams Invite will mark the first major outdoor competition for some of the World's Greatest Athletes on their Road to Rio, including reigning Olympic gold medalist in the Decathlon, Ashton Eaton.

SBTC Expands Beyond Combined Events, Adds Community Programs

The SBTC welcomes Benjamin Kirkwood, Jr., a Santa Barbara local High Jumper who has already jumped over 7'0ft. in 2016 and will represent the SBTC at the USATF Indoor Championships in Portland, OR on March 11-12. The team also welcomes Lexi Youngberg, a sprinter and 2016 Paralympic hopeful (T43); Youngberg represented the U.S. at the World Championship in 2015.

The SBTC has also added new community programs in 2016. These include:

• Youth Track @ Carpinteria HS
• Master Track
• Adult Group Training in partnership with Alaris Fitness

Santa Barbara Track Club Goes Global, Acts Local

Zimbabwe national record holder Keegan Cooke competes at this weekend's African Games; SBTC Youth Fall Season begins Monday with record participation; SBTC visits Santa Barbara County schools to promote physical fitness From Santa Barbara Track Club

For Coach Josh Priester's professional athletes it has been quite the summer of success and travel as athletes competed not only throughout the United States, but also Canada, China and Germany. Keegan Cooke, a Zimbabwean citizen, will add one more country to the athlete's summer passport as he represents his country at the 11th African Games in Brazzaville, Congo.

Cooke, who competed for the University of Arizona Wildcats before becoming a member of SBTC, will begin the two-day competition on Sunday, September 13. He is the Zimbabwe national record holder in the Decathlon with 7315 points, which he set in April at the Mt. SAC Relays Combined Events Invitational.

• 11th African Games Official Website & Results
• 11th African Games Webcast

SBTC Youth Fall Season Begins

With the summer winding down internationally, SBTC's focus returns to its community with the SBTC Youth Track season beginning on Monday, September 14. Coached by SBTC's professional athletes, including USA Track & Field Champion, Barbara Nwaba, the SBTC Youth program is geared towards ages 7-14 and is hosted at Westmont College.

While an incredibly fun experience at all ages, SBTC Youth also achieved great competitive success in the Spring of 2015 earning the most Gold Medals (19) and also the most Medals & Ribbons (58) of any other Youth Club at the Santa Barbara All-County Championships.

Visit the SBTC Youth page for more information and to register.

SBTC in the Community

SBTC athletes will also be visiting schools throughout the year, participating at jog-a-thons, move-a-thons, physical education classes and more! To schedule a SBTC visit at your school, please email info@santabarbaratc.com.

And stay tuned for the second annual SBTC Fall-Comers Track & Field meet at Westmont College! Tentatively scheduled for the second weekend of November, this meet is open to athletes of all ages and abilities. Go for a new personal best or try your hand at new events. All track events will be electronically times. SBTC will post more information as soon as the date is made official.

Beijing Reflections: Barbara Udoezi Nwaba

By Norm Zÿlstra, Throwholics.com My post meet reflection on the 2015 Beijing World Championships.

My first World Championships went as follows.

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…

Unfortunately this is all a tall tale. I would have been ecstatic if things had actually went this way. The truth is I take seven steps to the first hurdle but on the opening day of Worlds I let myself take eight steps instead, jumping off the wrong leg. I tried to recover in between hurdle one and two but I was too bunched. I hit hurdle two with my lead leg and went down, smacked the track hard and rolled into lane two. I could not believe this was happening to me. Before I could even think I got back up, ran over hurdle three and four, and hit hurdle five. Down I went again and this time all I could do was stare down the track in complete shock of what had just happened. My hopes of a podium finish were over. To put things in perspective when I ran 13.49 at USAs it was worth 1052 points. 25 seconds would have given me a whopping 4 points. Somehow they clocked me finishing at 59 seconds. Only I didn’t finish the race and nor did it matter. I walked off the track in disbelief. Pain on my face, tear stricken, and feeling immensely disappointed I wanted to be anywhere but inside the Bird’s Nest.

Luckily for me I have an awesome group of people in my corner. The support I received from my coach, family and friends really helped me get through the next six events. And not only get through it but really enjoy my time out there like I should. When my coach said, “Now let’s make it your goal to feel comfortable out there because you never quite looked yourself,” and my mother said, “Dry your eyes, don’t worry. You walked away with no injuries.” Barbara+Nwaba+Ekaterina+Voronina+15th+IAAF+AGXREDnORRAlIt really put into perspective just how awesome of an opportunity I was in and that I could not let it go to waste. I was officially getting ready for Rio 2016 and what better environment could I ask for?

Continue reading at: www.throwholics.com

Santa Barbara TC's Nwaba Wins 1st U.S. National Title in Heptathlon

Nwaba earns first IAAF World Championship berth; scores 6,500pts, the 6th U.S. all-time Heptathlon mark and ranked 5th in the World in 2015; SBTC's Lettow also breaks 6,000pts finishing in 5th place

Heptathlon Scoring Table SBTC National Championship Central

Since 2012, Barbara Nwaba has been the runner-up at the 2012 NCAA Division I Championships, 2014 USA Outdoor Track & Field Championships and the 2015 USA Indoor Track & Field Championships. She would reverse this streak at the 2015 USA Championships in Eugene, OR with a personal best 6,500 points, dethroning the two-time reigning champion and Cal Poly San Luis Obispo alumna Sharon Day-Monroe for the title.

This is Nwaba's first national title and her 6,500 points in the Heptathlon ranks 6th in the U.S. all-time as well as currently ranking her 5th in the world. She also qualified for the IAAF World Championships, which will be held in Beijing, China from August 22-30, 2015.

SBTC's Lindsay Lettow also had a career day breaking 6,000 points for the first time with 6,023pts and a fifth place finish. Lindsay Schwartz would fall just 29 points shy of a best finishing in 8th place with 5,969pts.

Heptathlon Day 1

The first day began with two personal bests by Schwartz & Lettow in the 100m Hurdles, 13.55 and 13.56 respectively while Nwaba remained just a tenth of a second off of her best with a 13.49, notching 1,052pts for the event.

In the High Jump, Lettow leaped to her second personal best of the day with a 1.76m (5'9.25") leap. Nwaba maintained her form with a 1.82m (5'11.5") jump, two inches off her career best.

Saturday's competition concluded with Nwaba racing to a 23.76 personal best in the 200m, closing the gap with Day-Monroe to 20 points headed into the final day of the Heptathlon. Schwartz also set a personal best in the 200m with a time of 24.06. Schwartz and Lettow concluded day one in 6th and 8th respectively.

Heptathlon Day 2

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.

In the Javelin, Nwaba tossed the spear 43.48m (142'8"), just five feet off her best, maintaining a slim 8 point lead over Day-Monroe heading into the final event, the 800m. Lettow also performed well setting a personal best of 42.63m (139'10) in the Javelin.

At 800m, an event Nwaba has excelled at recently, dropping four seconds off her best since 2014 and seven seconds since 2012, needing to finish ahead of Day-Monroe to take her first U.S. National title. She would lead from the gun with Day-Monroe on her shoulders and pulled away from the field in front of the loud Hayward Field grandstands, crossing the tape in a personal best 2:07.13 and scoring 6,500pts for the two-day competition.

Lettow would race to another best finishing in 2:11.90, catapulting herself to a 5th place finish and personal best 6,023pts; the first time for her over the 6,000pts barrier. Schwartz finished in 8th with 5,969pts, just 29 points shy of her personal best.

Additional Santa Barbara Notables

2012 UCSB graduate, Ryan Martin, finished 5th at 800m in 1:46.04 2007 UCSB graduate, Amy Haapanen, finished 10th in the Hammer Throw with a mark of 65.20m (213'11")

SBTC Sends 4 Athletes to the USA Track & Field Championships

USA Track & Field Championships Updates

6/28: Santa Barbara TC’s Nwaba Wins 1st U.S. National Title in Heptathlon 6/26: Thomas FitzSimons, Jr. 4th at USA National Championships USA Championships Results Decathlon Scoring Table Heptathlon Scoring Table

Barbara Nwaba leads the SBTC contingent as the second ranked heptathlete in the United States

From Santa Barbara Track Club

Beginning Thursday, June 25, SBTC athletes enter one of the most important competitions of the season with the USA Outdoor Track & Field Championships in Eugene, OR determining Team USA squads for the IAAF World Championships, Thorpe Cup and other opportunities to represent the United States in 2015.

At the 2014 national championships Barbara Nwaba finished 2nd with 6,307pts in the Heptathlon, a personal record at the time. Qualifying only days prior to the national championships, Thomas FitzSimons, Jr. also reached the podium, surprising the field with a third place and 7,645pts in the Decathlon.

The two-day Heptathlon and Decathlon competitions will take place Thursday, June 25 - Sunday, June 28 at the University of Oregon's historic Hayward Field.

SBTC Athlete Bios at USA Championships

• Barbara Nwaba - Heptathlon (UC Santa Barbara '12) - Ranked 2nd in Heptathlon field
• Lindsay Schwartz - Heptathlon (South Alabama '13) - Ranked 8th in Heptathlon field
• Lindsay Lettow - Heptathlon (Central Missouri '12) - Ranked 9th in Heptathlon field
• Tom FitzSimons , Jr. - Decathlon (Mount Saint Mary's '12) - 4th Place at 2015 USA Championships

Follow SBTC on Television & Live Stream on the Web (look for the orange and blue tinted uniforms)

Webcast / Television (All Times are PST) SUNDAY 6/28

• 8AM PT - Racewalk - LIVE on USATF.tv
• 10:20AM - 12PM PT - All Events - LIVE on USATF.tv
• 12PM - 3PM PT - LIVE on NBC (Online here) [Check local listings] (Field Events will be LIVE on USATF.tv)
• 3PM PT - THE COOL DOWN - on USATF.tv

SUPPORTING SBTC As a non-profit organization, we rely on the support of donors and our community outreach programs. We're proud to have one of the only track clubs in the country in which our athletes play a vital role in giving back and mentoring youth through our SB Youth Track Club and its various local programs throughout the year. They do more than simply train in Santa Barbara. They create a positive impact in the lives of area youth while we as coaches and you as donors get to support and inspire the Olympic dreams of some of the United States top heptathlon and decathlon hopefuls. You are helping athlete's dreams come true!

As we prepare to head into the championship season and the 2016 Olympic year, we would greatly appreciate your support of these fine athletes within the Santa Barbara Track Club for their travel, living expenses and training needs. All donations are tax deductible and will go towards the athletes we support.

Donate Online or By Mail

ABOUT SBTC The Santa Barbara Track Club aims to create a progressive and cohesive Track & Field experience for members of our community from youth to masters as well as the development of Olympians and Olympic hopefuls alike. The professional athletes are composed of combined events athletes and middle distance athletes who also work within the community by serving as coaches and mentors to youth.  The coaching and personal training efforts of the athletes help to fund the continued growth of Santa Barbara as an international training hub as well as to promote cultural exchange and shared education.