Robert Sullivan of Wayne State College is in seventh place with 2,861 points after the first day of the heptathlon at the NCAA Div. II Indoor National Track and Field Championships in Birmingham, Ala.
Sullivan finished second place in the high jump, clearing 6-5. He was fifth in the shot put (39-6 3/4), sixth in the long jump (21-11) and 14th in the 60-meter dash (7.40 seconds). The remaining three events in the heptathlon (60 hurdles, pole vault and 1,000 meters) will take place on Friday, starting at 11:20 a.m.
Michaela Dendinger missed the finals by four inches in the weight throw Thursday afternoon. She placed 10th out of 18 competitors with a best throw of 61-3, missing finals and a chance at All-American honors by a mere four inches. She entered nationals ranked ninth with a top regular season mark of 63-4 1/4. It was the second time that Dendinger has qualified for nationals in the weight throw.
Dendinger will compete again on Saturday in the shot put, where she is ranked sixth in NCAA Div. II with a top mark of 50-3 1/2. Prelims in the shot put take place at 1:30 p.m. Saturday afternoon.
