Gairdner best in WAC
EL PASO, Texas >> Fresno State's Trevor Chatterton and Rice's Ruthann Gairdner saved their best for last as they ran away from the field to claim the decathlon and heptathlon titles at the Western Athletic Conference outdoor track and field championships yesterday.
Gairdner was ahead in the heptathlon by only 70 points going into the final event, the 800-meter run.
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Ruthann Gairdner was only fourth in the javelin but won the heptathlon at the WAC Championships.
But Gairdner solidified her hold on first place by winning the race by nearly eight seconds over second-place finisher Maranda Brownson of Nevada.
Gairdner, who also won the long jump in the two-day, seven-event competition, finished with 5,205 points, Brownson was second with 5,016 while Nevada's Erin Kelly came in third with 4,931 points.
Hawaii's Lana Phillips finished in eighth place with 3,907 points and Amanda Page finished in last with with 3,571.
Phillips took second in the javelin with a toss of 35.37 meters, but was in seventh in the long jump and eighth in the 800-meter run yesterday.
Chatterton held a 199-point lead over teammate Dave Frazuer going into the final event, but was never tested as he beat his nearest competitor by more than 17 seconds in the 1,500-meter run.
The victory was made even more impressive by the fact that wind gusts of 30-40 mph were recorded at the event.
Chatterton, who won four of the 10 decathlon events, finished with 6,083 points to easily outdistance Frazuer, 5,816.
Texas-El Paso's Steven Douglas, who won three events, was third with 5,592 points.
