Halfway to the prize

After five of the grueling decathlon’s 10 events, both of the Portland State athletes are in good shape for placing among the Big Sky’s finest.

Junior Nick Trubachik, the reigning decathlon and indoor heptathlon conference champion, and sophomore Deshawn Shead both had solid outings in the first day and are among the leaders heading into the final half of the two-day event.

Day two will feature the 110-meter hurdles, discus, pole vault, javelin and 1,500-meter run. Both Vikings will probably have their time in the spotlight, with Shead among the best in the conference at the hurdles and Trubachik being one of the strongest javelin throwers in the Big Sky.

Shead, who also serves as a starting cornerback on the football team, took the 100-meter dash event of the decathlon, running a terrific 10.93, while Trubachik finished in seventh in the event with a time of 11.47.

Both athletes finished in the top eight in the long jump and in the top three of the shot put. In the final two events of the day, Trubachik finished in a two-way tie for second in the high jump and Shead captured the 400-meter dash.

The day one final tally of decathlon points had Shead in first place with 3,777 points and Trubachik in third place at 3,635 points.