Beckmann Wins Decathlon with Score of 6,184 Points at WU vs. Corban Dual

By Robert McKinney, Assistant Athletics Director, Communications

SALEM, Ore. -- Keaton Beckmann (Fr., Salem, OR/Sprague HS) of Willamette University won the decathlon with 6,184 points, as the 10-event competition ended on Wednesday, March 14 during the second day of the Willamette vs. Corban Dual at Charles Bowles Track. Melissa Scott (So., Tustin, CA/Beckman HS) from Willamette was second in the heptathlon with a total of 3,185 points in seven events.

In addition, the Bearcats earned victories in the men's hammer throw and the women's hammer throw, which were held on Wednesday. Josh Martin (So., Medford, OR/St. Mary's School) won the men's hammer with a top distance of 142' 9.25". Hope Duenas (So., Covina, CA/Covina HS) prevailed in the women's hammer with a top mark of 147' 4.50".

All of the remaining events will be held on Thursday, March 15 at Charles Bowles Track, with field events starting at 3:30 p.m. (PDT) and running events getting underway at 3:40 p.m.

Beckmann entered the second day of the decathlon with 3,449 points and a 304-point lead over Reagan Shira of Corban University. Shira won four events on Wednesday, compared to one win for Beckmann. The closeness of the  competition in Shira's four wins netted the Corban athlete only 151 points more than Beckmann. In the javelin, Beckmann took first place and earned 160 more points than Shira.

Through the 10 events, Beckmann finished with four wins and Shira recorded five wins. Beckmann's score of 6,184 points was 313 points more than Shira, who took second place with 5,871 points. Brian Peck (So., Reno, NV/Reno HS) of Willamette was third with a personal record of 5,675 points. Peck's previous top decathlon score was 5,321 at the 2017 Northwest Conference Multi-Event Championships.

Beckmann's win in the javelin was earned with a top throw of 172' 9" for 628 points. Peck was second at 140' 2.25" for 482 points, while Shira was third at 137' 0.25" for 468 points. Beckmann's other wins -- earned on Tuesday -- were claimed in the 100-meter dash (11.13 seconds, 832 points), the long jump (21' 8", 720 points), and the 400-meter dash (50.33 seconds, 799 points).

On Tuesday, Shira was first in the shot put at 35' 8.75". On Wednesday, Shira took first place in the 110-meter hurdles, discus throw, pole vault and 1,500-meter run. Shira's win in the 110-meter hurdles was by a narrow margin over both Beckmann and Peck. Shira was timed at 16.41 seconds, just 0.06 in front of Beckmann at 16.47 and only 0.07 in front of Peck at 16.48. It was Shira's top score of the competition at 687 points.

Shira won the discus with a toss of 99' 10" for 473 points. Peck was second at 89' 6" and Beckmann was close behind at 89' 2.25". In the pole vault, Shira cleared a top height of 11' 3 for 464 points. Beckmann was second at 10' 11". Shira added first place in the 1,500-meter run in 4:47.45, which provided him with 634 points. Peck was second in 4:53.95 and Beckmann was third at 4:56.87, as all three runners finished the race in under five minutes.

Sarah Falardeau from Corban won the heptathlon with score of 3,478 points. Melissa Scott (So., Tustin, CA/Beckman HS) of Willamette was second at 3,185 points, while Cara Courtney of Corban took third place at 3,041. Grace Crookham-Guy (Fr., Boise, ID/Boise HS) of WU, was fourth at 2,954, despite not recording a mark in the high jump on Tuesday. She won three of the final four events, including the long jump and the 800-meter run on Wednesday. Lauren Woodworth of Corban placed fifth with 2,778 points.

After winning the 200-meter run at the end of the first day in 28.18 seconds, Crookham-Guy added her win in the long jump to start the second day. Her top leap went 15' 2" for 459 points. Courtney was second at 14' 9.25". Falardeau took first place in the javelin with a distance of 118' 7" for 593 points. Courtney placed second at 72' 11". Crookham-Guy was first in the 800-meter run with a time of 2:30.41 for 688 points and a margin of victory of by 11.56 seconds. Woodworth was second in 2:41.97.

During the heptathlon, Crookham-Guy placed first in three events, while Scott and Falardeau each won two events.

In the men's hammer throw, Josh Martin (So., Medford, OR/St. Mary's School) earned his winning toss of 142' 9.25" on his first throw. He showed consistency, finishing just 2.75 inches away from his personal record throw of 143' 0" at the Chico State Invitational this past weekend. He also registered a throw of 142' 3" on Wednesday. Kenny Purnell placed second for the Warriors at 136' 9.25". Morgan Strunk of Corban was third at 126' 6.50".

Duenas took first place in the women's hammer throw with a distance of 147' 4.50" on her fifth toss out of six attempts. Duenas was within three feet, 7.25 inches of her career-best throw of 150' 11.75", achieved at the Willamette Opener two weeks ago. Jordan Woodvine of Corban placed second at 124' 2.50".