Kent State University
NCAA Outdoor Championships
Lawson Sits Third in Decathlon, Champen Breaks KSU Pole Vault Record to Open NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships
6/5/2019 9:16:00 PM | Men's Track & Field
AUSTIN, Texas – TJ Lawson sits third in the decathlon standings, while Christian Champen and Samory Fraga claimed Second Team All-America honors with top-15 finishes on a successful first day of competition for Kent State at the 2019 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships.
Lawson totaled 4,216 points through the first five decathlon events and was among the top-three in the overall event standings the entire day. He trails leader Johannes Erm (Georgia) by 129 points and is just 50 behind Harrison Williams (Stanford) for second.
The redshirt junior started the day by running a wind-legal personal-best time of 10.83 to win his section of the 100-meter dash. He then posted his highest score of the day with a mark of 23'-4.75" to take second in the long jump. Lawson's personal-best throw of 48'-10.75" was good for first in the shot put. He then cleared 6'-6" for fourth in the high jump and concluded the day's competition by finishing the 400-meter dash in 49.57.
Champen impressed in his NCAA Championships debut, clearing a Golden Flashes record 17'-6.50" to tie for 15th in the pole vault.
Fraga closed his collegiate career with a 15th-place finish in the long jump. He soared 25'-1.25" for his top mark of the competition. The Porto Alegre, Brazil native leaped 24'-11" on his first attempt and improved on that distance in each of his final two jumps.
Previewing Thursday
Lawson will resume competition in the men's decathlon on Thursday at 2 p.m. ET with the 110-meter hurdles, which will be followed by three field events (discus throw, pole vault, javelin throw). The 1,500-meter run will conclude the decathlon at 10:26 p.m. ET.
Additionally, Gabby Bailey is scheduled to compete in the women's shot put at 5:30 p.m. ET.
Follow the Action
The meet will be broadcast in its entirety by the ESPN family of networks and the ESPN app. For detailed broadcast information, visit NCAA.com. Additionally, live results will be available online throughout the meet.
Lawson's Day 1 Decathlon Results
100m dash: 10.83 (899 points)
Long jump: 23'-4.75" (913)
Shot put: 48'-10.75" (784)
High jump: 6'-6" (785)
400m dash: 49.57 (735)
Players Mentioned
