SAN ANGELO, Texas — Posting three personal bests out of five events, Humboldt State’s Brian Belue held down third place following the first day of the decathlon at the NCAA Division II Track and Field Championships.
Belue put up 3,777 points, the best first-day total of his collegiate career. Ranked 12th among the 13 competitors coming into the competition, the HSU senior put himself in the contention for one of the top eight positions recognized as All-American.
Off to a quick start with his best-ever time of 11.1 seconds in the 100 meters, Belue continued the trend with a distance of 23 feet, ½ inch in the long jump, marking the first time he’s exceeded 22 feet.
“Brian set the tone in his two events, and then just kept rolling,” HSU head coach Sandy Moran said. “ He’s excited and confident heading into tomorrow. He’s worked well with all of our coaching staff, and the all had a part in today’s performance. “
Belue posted a solid distance of 35-7 ¼ in the shot put before achieving another all-time best in the high jump of 6-5. He completed the day by placing third in the 400 meters, running a time of 49.94.
Heading into Friday’s five events, Belue stands 259 points behind first place Ryan McWilliams of Angelo State. Only 129 points separate Belue and the next five athletes in the top eight.
Also competing Thursday for Humboldt State was Megan Rolland, who posted the seventh best time of the day in the women’s 3,000-meter steeplechase. Her clocking of 11 minutes, 1.23 seconds advances Rolland into Saturday’s final.