2024 NCAA Track & Field Championships, Observations on Day 2, by Paul Merca

2024 NCAA Track & Field Championships, Observations on Day 2, by Paul Merca

When we last left you, Texas’s Leo Neugebauer led the decathlon field at the NCAA Division I Track & Field Championships in Eugene with a first-day score of 4685 points, the best first-day score in collegiate history.

That said, the question entering day two of the NCAAs was whether or not he could continue to ride the wave and possibly get to the 9000-point barrier, a mark only four men—France’s Kevin Mayer (9126), American Ashton Eaton (9045), the Czech Republic’s Roman Šebrle (9026), and Canada’s Damian Warner (9018) have accomplished.

The few hard-core multi-event fans who entered Hayward Field at 11:30 a.m. local time were treated to a show, as the German recorded a time of 14.36 in the 110-meter hurdles to begin the day. In event seven, Neugebauer set the world record in the decathlon discus with his first-round throw of 189-4 (57.70m), breaking Bryan Clay’s previous record of 183-3 (55.87m) set in 2005.

After taking care of the discus, Neugebauer won his second event of the day, matching his personal best in the pole vault, clearing 17-1 (5.21m). This gave him an eight-event score of 7622 points, the best in world history.

Neugebauer finished fourth in the javelin with a throw of 185-10 (56.64m) to give him 8309 points after nine events, with only a time of 4:38.38 or faster in the climactic 1500 meter run needed to crack 9000 points, which would require setting a personal best in the event, as he went into Eugene with a PR of 4:42.68.

It was not to be, as Neugebauer ducked in the back of the pack, finishing 20th of the 23 remaining decathletes in 4:44.61.

In the mixed zone, Neugebauer was aware of the splits needed to get 9000, but about halfway through the race, he knew he didn’t have enough in the tank.

“I can say I tried, but the end score is unbelievable.”

On what it means to be the sixth-highest performer, he said, “It shows how much potential I have. To put something like this together is magnificent.”

Neugebauer was the world leader in the decathlon last year going into the world championships in Budapest, but “choked” in the 110 hurdles and discus to start day 2 last year.

The takeaway from Budapest that he took into this season was not to worry…