April 6, 2011

AUSTIN, Texas - With 4,100 points through five events, senior Mike Morrison leads a strong field of decathletes after the first day of competition at the Texas Relays.

Morrison, the 2010 NCAA runner-up in the grueling two-day event, started his day with a PR effort in the 100 meters. Aided by a 4.4 meters-per-second tailwind (just under 10 mph), he covered the distance in 10.65 seconds and picked up 940 points. The time was third fastest among the 22 athletes vying for the title.

Morrison then tied with three others for the best long jump of the afternoon with a distance of 24-3.75, a mark that came on his third and final attempt. Similarly, he used his last try in the shot put for his best mark, going 40-8.25.

The fourth event saw Morrison match his PR in the high jump when he cleared the bar at 6-6.25 for the No. 2 performance of the day. He wrapped up his afternoon by running the 400 meters in 49.84 seconds.

Morrison owns a 35-point lead over Texas-Arlington's Romain Martin, who had 4,065 points. Matthew Johnson of Sam Houston State is third with 3,945, followed by Wesley Bray of Houston (3,934) and Isaac Murphy of Texas (3,907).

Morrison's 4,100 points is his highest first-day total in four decathlon competitions for the Bears. He had 4,041 after the first day at last year's Texas Relays when he went on to finish second with 7,557 points, while he had 4,011 points after one day at the 2010 NCAA Championships before running up 7,801 points. He also scored 3,858 points during the opening day of the Pac-10 Championships.

Texas Relays
Austin, Texas

Complete Results

Decathlon (points earned in parentheses)
100 meters - 3. Mike Morrison 10.65 (+4.4 wind) (940)

Long Jump - T1. Mike Morrison 24-3.75 (7.41m) (+2.9 wind) (913)

Shot Put - 11. Mike Morrison 40-8.25 (12.40m) (631)

High Jump - 2. Mike Morrison 6-6.25 (1.99m) (794)

400 meters - 5. Mike Morrison 49.84 (822)

Day 1 Leaders - 1. Mike Morrison, California 4100; 2. Romain Martin, UT-Arlington 4065; 3. Matthew Johnson, Sam Houston State 3945; 4. Wesley Bray, Houston 3934; 5. Isaac Murphy, Texas 3907