Cal Poly senior Sharon Day broke the Big West Conference heptathlon record while winning the title Saturday afternoon at Cal State Northridge.
Day’s 5,642 points not only earned her a third career individual title at the conference meet and automatically qualified at the NCAA Championship level, but edged Idaho’s Manuela Kurrat’s 2005 conference total of 5,614.
“It’s pretty sweet,” Day said. “I feel like it’s really an accomplishment that adds to my résumé.”
In the process of breaking the conference mark, she easily surpassed the Cal Poly pinnacle of 5,412, set in 1987 by Sharon Hanson, who became one of eight Olympians in Mustangs history.
After tallying a conference-leading 3,418 Friday, in Saturday’s last three events, Day chalked up 768 for her long jump of 18 feet, 9 inches, 616 for her winning 122-6 javelin throw and 840 for a 2-minute, 18.77-second time in the 800 meters.
The performance came a day after she set a personal best in the 100 hurdles (in 14.57) and cleared 6 feet in the high jump to amass more than half of her first-day score.
“I was most satisfied with how I did in the hurdle race because I (set a personal record) by four-tenths (of a second),” Day said. “I wish I would’ve jumped higher.”
Coming in fourth and fifth, respectively, on behalf of the Mustangs, were Katie Robbins and Sara Klein.
Robbins’ 4,645 and Klein’s 4,631 were both personal bests.
In the decathlon, Cal Poly’s Corbin Duer gathered 6,206 to finish seventh, even though he fouled out of the discus throw.
Chris Richardson of Long Beach State won the event with 7,461.
Duer collected personal bests in the 110 hurdles (15.91), the pole vault (15-1, tied for first), the javelin (158-10) and the 1,500 (4:59.45).
Day said she likely won’t partake in the heptathlon nationally in order to be at her best for the high jump.
Day, Robbins, Klein and Duer will join the rest of the Mustangs at the conference championships’ conclusion, May 16-17, when the Cal Poly women will try to add to their 19-15 advantage over the hosting, defending champion Matadors.