Three Bruins seal wins in New Mexico Classic (Pentathlon/Heptathlon)
By camayak
Feb. 9, 2015 1:45 a.m.
Following a week when the track and field team experienced wins from various members at the New Mexico Collegiate Invitational, only three Bruins traveled to the Albuquerque Convention Center this past weekend at the New Mexico Classic (Pentathlon/Heptathlon).
Teams such as the University of Arizona, West Texas A&M; University, Brigham Young University, University of Washington and a number of Division I schools were in competition this weekend.
Redshirt senior Marcus Nilsson, an All-American from 2014, won the individual heptathlon, placing in the top five of every event except the 60-meter dash. Winning the pole vault with a personal best of 16-4.75, Nilsson also placed third in the high jump with a mark of 6-4.75 and won the 1000-meter run, achieving a time of 2:44.78.
The combination of Nilsson’s varied success led him to a total score of 5,709 points – the second highest of his career. Just this past summer, Nilsson competed at the IAAF World Championships in Russia, placing 24th for his native country of Sweden as a decathlete.
Meanwhile, Bruin freshman Steele Wasik clinched an individual win in the 60-meter hurdles at his first collegiate heptathlon. The 6-foot-5-inch Ohio native also placed fifth overall with a total of 5,271 points. Wasik’s combination of form and speed was on display this past weekend.
Redshirt senior Alexis Walker put together another standout performance after placing fourth in the pole vault on Jan. 31. Walker finished second in what was her first heptathlon competition since the 2013 Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Indoor Championship. Walker achieved a personal best of 8.68 seconds in the 60-meter hurdles and also won the 800-meter en route to her second-place finish overall. Concluding her heptathlon, Walker also recorded a personal best in total points, obtaining 3,933, which was 223 points above her previous mark.
The two-day meet at New Mexico revealed the potential of both the youngest and most veteran athletes on the roster. Although two redshirt seniors in Nilsson and Walker starte the end of their collegiate careers with promising results, the emergence and beginning of a new career from Wasik was apparent.
UCLA will return to Albuquerque, N.M., next weekend for the Don Kirby Elite Invitational, where a larger group will join the trio.
Compiled by Vikram Sairam, Bruin Sports contributor.
