CORVALLIS, Ore. – Sophomore Tyler Brendel is off to a strong start in the decathlon at the Pac-12 Championships, totaling 3,781 points through five events to stand in fourth place after the first day of competition.
 
Brendel began his Saturday by running 10.82 in the 100 meters, just five one-thousandths of a second behind winner Isaiah Oliver of Colorado. In the second event, Brendel set a personal best by posting a mark of 22-10.75 in the long jump, which was good for third in the eight-man field.
 
Brendel's shot put effort of 39-0.00 was a season best, while he cleared 5-10.25 in the high jump and was timed in 49.19 in the 400 meters, third fastest of the day.
 
Overall, Brendel's point total is just 22 points behind what he posted earlier this year at the California Invitational in April. He finished that two-day competition with 7,347 points – putting him ninth in school history with the best mark for a Golden Bear since Mike Morrison set the school record with 8,118 points in 2001.
 
Oliver leads the pace with 4,006 points, followed by Mitch Modin of Oregon (3,896), Cole Jensen of Washington (3,892) and Brendel.
 
The decathlon continues with another five events Sunday. The rest of the Pac-12 Championships will be contested May 13-14 in Corvallis.