Complete ResultsSpringfield, Mass. -- April 30, 2009 -- On the first day of competition at the New England Division III Track & Field competition at Blake Track at Springfield College, James Spaulding of Southern Maine leads the field following the completion of the first half of the decathlon. Spaulding's total of 3,515 points is 172 points more than his nearest competitor from Williams, Eric Jonash. The decathlon will be completed Friday.
There are eight competitors. They include: James Spaulding, Southern Maine (3,515 points); Eric Jonash, Williams (3,343); Isaac Nicholson, Williams (3,306); Jared Engelking, Tufts (3,282); Brett Epler, Bates (3,076); Benjamin Roy, WPI (2,942); Travis Hery, MIT (2,787); and Greg Coleman, Springfield (2,579).
Each is guaranteed to be a point-scorer.
The five decathlon events that occurred today included the 100, long jump, shot put, high jump, and 400. Tomorrow, the competitors will test their skills in the high hurdles, discus, pole vault, javelin, and the 1500. Those events will begin at 12 noon.
The heptathlon will begin at 12:15 pm Friday, and will include the first four events of that competition. The remainder of the non-decathlon, and non-heptathlon events Friday include the men's hammer at 4 pm; women's hammer at 6 pm; the men's and women's long jump, beginning at 6 pm; the men's 10,000 meters at 6 pm; and the women's 10,000 meters at 6:45 pm.
The competition will conclude Saturday, following a full day of activity, beginning at 10 am.
In the decathlon today, Jonas of Williams took an early lead by finishing first in the 100 with a time of 11.74 seconds. Spaulding, who finished second in the 100 (11.85) then began to take command. The senior won both the long jump (22-6 1/4) and the shot put (44-7). The other two events were won first by Isaac Nicholson of Williams in the high jump (6-3 1/4), and then by Jared Engelking of Tufts in the 400 (51.37).
Ken Klatka, just inducted into the Springfield College Athletic Hall of Fame in October, 2011, enters his 37th season as head coach of the men’s track and field program in 2012-2013. He ranks among the nation’s most successful coaches, with an overall record of 442 wins, 144 losses, and two ties for an impressive .753 winning percentage. Under his direction, Kevin Coyle '12 won the 2011 Division III Indoor Long Jump National Championship.
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