COLUMBIA, S.C. — LSU’s Claston Bernard is halfway to history. Bernard grabbed a commanding lead in his quest to become the first man in SEC history to win three straight decathlon titles, as the Southeastern Conference Outdoor Track and Field Championships got underway at Weems Baskin Track in Columbia, S.C., today.
The two-time defending champion, Bernard won three of the five events on the first day of competition and shattered the 13-year-old SEC Championship day one point record with 4,271. His total broke the mark of former Tiger great Mikael Olander who posted a score of 4,195 in 1988.
“Claston had a very nice start today,” said LSU head coach Pat Henry. “Mikael Olander was an incredible decathlete for us. Anytime you approach, and better what he did, you’ve done something truly amazing. To win three events and set three PR’s is a good way to open.
“The window is there for Claston now and he’s put himself in great position. He has to stay focused tomorrow and battle through a couple of events that have given him some trouble.”
After finishing third in the 100-meter dash to open, Bernard moved into the lead in the second event of the competition with a strong showing in the long jump, winning the event with a personal best jump of 23 feet 10 1/4 inches.
The Olympian then posted the top mark in the shot put, coming up with a 46-7- 1/4 effort to extend his lead.
Bernard kept pace with top competitor Stephen Harris of Tennessee as the competition moved to the high jump. The two tied for the top mark in the event with identical 7-0 1/4 clearances. For Bernard, it was the first seven-foot clearance of his All-American career.
He closed out the day with a second place and personal best time of 48.95 in the 400-meter dash, just behind Harris. Harris sits in second overall in the competition with a score of 4,108.
On Friday Bernard can become only the third man in LSU history to reach the elusive 8,000-point barrier. He will have his work cut out for him, however, as his two weakest events – the pole vault and the 1,500-meter run still loom in the schedule.
On the women’s side, Monet Rice got off to a solid start and sits in seventh place with 2,861 points.
Rice opened with a respectable time of 14.88 in the 100-meter hurdles to open the competition. The time was just off the her season best.
Rice then followed that with a clearance of 5-0 1/4 in the high jump and a throw of 37-11 1/4 in the shot put. The freshman then closed out competition with time of 26.95 in the 200-meter dash.
Gigi Miller of Arkansas leads the heptathlon after the first day of competition with 3,508 points.
The decathlon and heptathlon continue on Friday, while finals will be contested in the hammer and 10,000-meter run on both sides. In addition, preliminary action in the 200, 400-meter hurdles and 800-meter run gets underway on Friday.