Cliff Miller Finishes Decathlon in Sixth at Drake Relays
4/23/2009 12:00:00 AM | Track and Field
April 23, 2009
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DES MOINES, Iowa - Michigan State track & field freshman Cliff Miller (Ann Arbor, Mich.) broke Paul Terek's MSU freshman record by totaling 6,865 points in the decathlon Thursday at the Drake Relays. Miller finished in sixth place amongst the field of 18 and was the highest-placing freshman in the event. The event marked his first-ever decathlon at the collegiate level for the true freshman, who missed provisionally qualifying for the NCAA Championships by just 35 points.
"He ended yesterday with a lot momentum and he came out today and had a really great meet," MSU multi-event coach Chris Bostwick said. "Overall, with it being his first decathlon performance, I thought he handled the 10 events over two days very well. To even have your name mentioned in the same sentence as Paul Terek, who was an Olympian, is a great honor."
After totaling 3,692 points in the first five events yesterday, Miller started today's competition by posting a 14.96 in the 110m hurdles, earning 854 points, his best point total in any of the 10 events. Miller followed that showing with another strong performance in the discus throw, earning 653 points after tossing 39.43m (129-4).
Miller moved into fourth place after the pole vault in which he set a new personal-record of 4.50m (14-9), earning him 760 points, his second-highest point total on the day. The vault was his best by nearly a foot. Miller dropped back to sixth place after throwing 35.48m (116-5) in the javelin, earning his lowest point total of the competition, 377 points, but he would rebound nicely in the final event of the day, the 1,500m run. Miller posted a time of 4:54.46, earning him 592 points and sixth place in the competition.
Miller was one of only two underclassmen to finish in the top 10 and was the top freshman in the event. The only other underclassmen in to finish in the top 10 was Troy Bacon of Northern Iowa, who placed 10th, nearly 1,000 points back from Miller. Miller also broke Terek's freshman record of 6,609, a record that had stood since 1998. Terek was the last athlete to represent the MSU track & field program in the Olympics and he holds the school record in the decathlon and pole vault.
The track & field program will resume competition at the Drake Relays tomorrow at 9 a.m. ET. The Spartans are also well represented at the Hillsdale College Gina Relays, which will begin tomorrow at noon. For a complete recap from both meets, stay tuned to www.msuspartans.com.
Players Mentioned
