Weekend Recap: Garland Dazzles With Masterclass Heptathlon Performance

EDITOR’S NOTE: We’ll continue to update this throughout the weekend.

Have yourself a day, Kyle Garland.

Now that we think about it – two.

Garland orchestrated a masterclass performance in the heptathlon at the Texas Tech Open & Multi, amassing 6415 points to rocket to No. 2 in collegiate history, No. 3 in American history and tie for No. 8 in world history. His two-day total included a massive Day 1, where he put up an all-time collegiate best of 3732 points.

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The Georgia standout was locked in from the start, setting a 0.04-second PR in the 60 meters at 6.86, as well as clearing 2.19m (7-2¼) for another in the high jump. He soared 7.56m (24-9¾) in the long jump and threw the shot 16.26m (53-4¼) between those.

Garland’s incredible first day put him ahead of both collegiate record and world record pace. Both of those marks were established by 2010 The Bowerman winner and two-time Olympic gold medalist Ashton Eaton. The former Oregon Duck totaled 6499 points to set a former world record at the 2010 NCAA DI Indoor Track & Field Championships and then bettered it to the current 6645 marker two years later at the World Indoor Championships in Istanbul, Turkey.

Fast forward to Friday afternoon and Garland continued the onslaught. Garland PR’d in both the 60-meter hurdles at 7.84 and the pole vault at 5.00m (16-4¾). He took two attempts at 5.10m (16-8¾), which would tie the mark that Eaton hit during his collegiate record, before retiring.

It all came down to the 1000 meters, where Garland would need to run a near PR of 2:43.44 to take down Eaton’s 13-year-old topper (Garland’s PR was 2:42.82). Garland started out quick, but faded down the stretch and stopped the clock at 2:51.40 to make him only one of two men to eclipse 6400 points in collegiate history (You probably know the other by now).

Glaywulu Soars To New Record

Papay Glaywulu’s final jump of the competition was a record-breaking one.

Glaywulu, now competing for Adams State after transferring from NCAA Division I Nebraska, took down the near 26-year-old NCAA Division II record in the Men’s Triple Jump after bounding 16.61m (54-6) at the Wes Lavong Open. The previous record of 16.54m (54-3¼) was set by Steve Gordon of South Dakota in 1997.

One Lap; One Record For Blaskowski

Sam Blaskowski only needed one lap to make history on Friday.

That’s because Blaskowski is now the fastest man in NCAA Division III history over 200 meters.

Blaskowski, competing at the Aurora University Grand Prix, blistered an NCAA Division III-record 21.13 over the distance to shatter a record that has stood since 2014 (Thurgood Dennis of UW-Eau Claire at 21.27). The UW-La Crosse star clocked what is now the sixth-fastest mark in divisional history in the 60 meters.

Jacobs Climbs The All-Time Chart

Dylan Jacobs had been ranked No. 7 in collegiate history over 5000 meters.

That’s when he was at Notre Dame.

Now, at Tennessee, Jacobs improved four spots to No. 3 with the 13:11.01 he ran on Friday night at the John Thomas Terrier Classic.

Fields Nears NCAA DII History

Ayana Fields is leaving her mark.

The Cal Poly Pomona standout stopped the clock at 23.40 to win the Women’s 200 Meters at the New Mexico Team Open on Friday night. Fields is now the second-fastest performer in NCAA Division II history behind Semoy Hackett of Lincoln (Mo.), who set the near 13-year old divisional record of 23.32 in 2010.

Strong Marks At The NAIA Level

In his first two races below eight seconds in the 60 hurdles this weekend, Devonte Vanterpool shook up the NAIA hurdle lists for this season and all-time. The Southeastern University standout ran a 7.81 in the preliminaries at the Alachua County Collegiate Invitational this weekend, placing him firmly atop the NAIA leaderboard this season and slotting him in at the fifth best NAIA mark all time, tied with teammate Glenn Rodgers.

Vanterpool, Rodgers, and teammate Darion Carter took the top three spots after the end of preliminary racing. The trio remained firmly in control in the finals, again taking the top three positions, giving the top ranked Southeastern Fire three hurdlers in the top six of the NAIA as they head into the Sun Conference Championship in early February.