University of Northern Iowa Athletics
University of Northern Iowa
Drake Relays
Former Panther Mat Clark Takes Drake Relays Decathlon Title
4/28/2011 8:00:00 AM | Track and Field
April 28, 2011
DES MOINES, Iowa - Former University of Northern Iowa athlete Mat Clark added another championship to his list of career accomplishments, winning the decathlon on Thursday at the 102nd Drake Relays. Clark, a three-time All-American at UNI, totaled 7,500 points to win by a margin of 298.
Clark's victory extended UNI's dominance in the Drake Relays decathlon, making this the fifth title in the last eight years for athletes with UNI ties.
UNI junior Daniel Gooris placed fifth, scoring a season-high 7,132 points. Gooris got off to a quick start on Thursday, clocking in at 15.33 seconds in the 110m hurdles for the fastest time of his career. He recorded a throw of 120-09 (36.81m) in the discus for the fifth-best mark, moving him up to ninth place in the overall standings.
Gooris shot up the leaderboard with the top pole vault mark, clearing 16-06.75 (5.05m) to score 926 points. He wrapped up the day with two season-bests, throwing 167-10 (51.17m) in the javelin and finishing the 1,500m in 4:33.81.
Based on performances entering the day, Gooris is now No. 2 in the Missouri Valley Conference and No. 37 in the nation in the decathlon.
UNI freshman Ben Lindaman used a new best in the discus of 112-11 (34.42m) and a solid javelin mark of 184-04 (56.18m) to highlight his first Drake Relays decathlon appearance. However, a no-height in the pole vault held Lindaman to a 12th place finish.
Junior Lauren Lindaman finished seventh in the women's heptathlon. She jumped 16-03.00 (4.95m) in the long jump, threw 72-10 (22.19m) in the javelin and clocked an 800m time of 2:37.91 on the final day.
Evening Session
In the men's 10,000m under the lights, sophomore Brett Egan took 15th place with a time of 30:51.07. Egan now holds the fifth-fastest 10,000m time in the MVC this season.
Drake Relays action will continue over the next two days for the Panthers.
NOTE: Five of the past eight Drake Relays decathlon crowns have gone to athletes with UNI ties. Former UNI head coach and student-athlete Travis Geopfert won the title in 2004 and 2006, former Panther All-American Raven Cepeda won the event in 2007, and Mat Clark now owns the 2009 and 2011 titles.
Players Mentioned
