March 2, 2012

Final Results

CHICO, Calif. - Sophomore Kira Rienecker battled eventual winner Andrea Severson down to the wire in the meet-ending 800-meter run on Friday, finishing strong to earn second place overall in the heptathlon at the Chico Multi-Classic hosted by Chico State.

Rienecker was one of three Aggies participating in the season-opening event, scoring 4,097 points to only trail Severson, competing unattached, who posted 4,326. UC Davis teammate Murphy Nicholson, who began the day in ninth place, moved up the leaderboard to tie for sixth with 3,520 points. Thomas Gore-Schrek, making his Aggie debut in the decathlon, finished 11th in that competition with 4,763 points.

Rienecker opened her day by finishing third in the long jump after going 15 feet, 10.5 inches, scoring 516 points. She followed with another third, this one in the javelin, when she posted a mark of 82-9 to add 387 points to her total. Rienecker and Severson then dueled in the 800, finishing six seconds ahead of the rest of the field with Severson crossing in 2:23.88 and Rienecker tallying 764 points with her time of 2:24.46. Her overall hepathlon score placed her seventh all-time at UC Davis.

Nicholson had a strong finish as well in her debut for UC Davis, placing fourth in the javelin at 81-4 for 379 points and then taking third among the 10-competitor field in the 800 with her time of 2:30.77.

Gore-Schrek highlighted his final day with 348 points in the 110-meter high hurdles (20.02), 431 in the discus (92-9), 644 in the javelin (176-3) and 663 in the 1,500 (4:42.76). He did not post a height in the pole vault.

The multi-event meet served as the first competition of the season for the Aggie outdoor track and field teams which will open in earnest on Mar. 10 when they host the Aggie Open at Woody Wilson Track.