NWC Decathlon Concludes with Final Five Events at Pacific University

By Robert McKinney, Assistant Athletics Director, Communications

FOREST GROVE, Ore. -- Alex Canchola of George Fox University won the Northwest Conference decathlon title by just seven points over teammate John Koch and just nine points over Noah Avery from Lewis & Clark College, as the NWC Multi-Event Championships concluded on Tuesday, April 11 at Pacific University.

Canchola scored 6,390 points to earn the championship. Koch took second place with 6,383 points, and Avery placed third with 6,381 points.

Brian Peck (Fr., Reno, NV/Reno HS) of Willamette finished in ninth place with a score of 5,321. He was only 40 points out of eighth place.

Koch kept things close by winning the 1,500-meter run in 4:31.33, but he was only .01 faster than Canchola. Both athletes received 736 points in the event.

Other event winners on Tuesday were Avery in the pole vault at 13' 3.50" and the javelin throw at 167' 5.75", Matt Wells from University of Puget Sound in the 110-meter hurdles in 15.27 seconds, and Lucas McGill of Whitworth University in the discucs throw at 122' 4.75".

The win by Wells in the 110-meter hurdles provided him with 817 points for the highest event score of the competition.

Peck's top finish in an event was third place in the 1,500-meter run. He completed the race in 4:48.39. Peck placed fifth in the high jump on Monday at 5' 10.50" and was fifth in the 110-meter hurdles on Tuesday at 16.58 seconds. He scored above 600 in five events: 100-meter dash (689), 110-meter hurdles (669), 1,500-meter run (628), high jump (619) and 400-meter dash (605).

The NWC Multi-Event Championships also included the heptathlon, which was won by Annie Wright of George Fox with 4,420 points. Willamette did not have a competitor in the heptathlon.

Action in the remaining track and field events will be held at the NWC Track and Field Championships on Friday, April 21 and Saturday, April 22 in Spokane, Washington.

Prior to attending the NWC Championships, Willamette will compete at the Bryan Clay Invitational, hosted by Azusa Pacific University on Thursday, April 13. The meet will start at 2 p.m. (PDT) in Azusa, California.