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ARNOLD REPEATS AS DECATHLON CHAMPION FORMER MARIA CARRILLO HIGH STAR NOW POISED TO MAKE STRONG BID FOR BERTH ON OLYMPIC TEAM DATE: Friday, June 8, 2007 BYLINE: By ERIC BRANCH THE PRESS DEMOCRAT SACRAMENTO -- Jake Arnold entered the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships hoping to repeat his heroics from last year. As it turned, Arnold did just that. And it's possible that he accomplished much, much more. In a dominant, eyebrow-raising performance Thursday at Sacramento State that vaulted him into another stratosphere in the decathlon world, the University of Arizona senior won his second consecutive NCAA title with a personal-best score of 8,215, the fifth-best total in the 38-year history of the NCAA Championships and the 29th-best all-time American score. Wisconsin senior Joe Detmer (7,963) placed second and Tennessee junior Jangy Addy (7,808) finished third. Arnold, a former star at Maria Carrillo High, became just the second DivisionI decathlete to win back-to- back NCAA crowns and posted the second-best total in the United States this season. Arnold ranks behind Bryan Clay (8,493), the two-time defending world champion and silver medalist at the 2004 Olympics. In the aftermath of his victory, Arnold, a former walk-on whose previous-best score was 7,946, realized his future had been dramatically altered. Arizona assistant Sheldon Blockburger, Arnold's coach, says it's likely Arnold will land a professional contract, thanks to his performance. Such a deal could allow him to train full time in Tucson with Blockburger in preparation for the 2008 Summer Olympics in Bejing. ``This changes things a lot,'' Arnold said. ``This puts me on a different level -- that's about 100 more points than I expected to get. This puts me right there with the top three guys in the U.S. and has me in competition for the Olympic Games.'' Arnold entered last year's NCAA's ranked sixth and was a surprising winner after defending champion Trey Hardee of Texas no-heighted in the pole vault. This year, however, he entered as the clear favorite. He then lived up to his advance billing by posting five personal decathlon records, three in Thursday's first three events (100 hurdles, discus and pole vault). ``He came in with a target on his back this year,'' Blockburger said. ``It's so hard when everyone is gunning for you. I've been stressed out for the past 365 days because I knew if Jake didn't win it, everyone would say last year was a fluke. But he didn't let that happen ... He's the hardest worker and best competitor I've ever coached.'' Despite his transcendent performance, Arnold still trailed Addy, the first-day leader, by 199 points with three events left. Addy won five of the first seven events, but the advantage he built during nine hours of competition disappeared in about 60 minutes. One of Arnold's strengths is the fact that he lacks a crippling deficiency in one event. In his 10 events, for example, he finished among the top four in seven and finished no worse than 13th in any event in the 26-man competition. In contrast, Addy has a clear weakness: the pole vault. Addy, whose personal-record in the event is a relatively modest 13-7 1/4 , only managed to clear 12-9 1/2 , placing 22nd. Meanwhile, Arnold swiped the lead when he cleared 16-0 3/4 and just kept going. After sneaking over the bar at his winning height of 17-4 1/2 , Arnold bounced off the mat and thrust his arms in the air triumphantly, a moment that produced a roar from his boisterous contingent of friends and family who made the trek to Sacramento. Arnold's vault broke his personal record in the decathlon, was a half-inch shy of his all-time mark and was four inches shy of matching the decathlon pole-vault record at the NCAA Championships. Most importantly, of course, it created a 414-point swing at the top of the standings and allowed him to assume control of the event. He left the pole-vault pit with a 215-point lead on Addy and needed only to sidestep total disaster in his final two events to claim the title. ``I knew I had to do it in the pole vault,'' Arnold said. ``Once I made my first height and didn't no-height, I said `OK, this is my title.''' And it may not be his last. Arnold will compete at the U.S. Outdoor Track and Field Championships on June 20-21 in Indianapolis. The top three finishers at nationals will qualify for the World Championships in Osaka, Japan, in August. His future looks bright. Even brighter than he envisioned just a few days ago. ``Breaking 8,200,'' he said with a wide smile, ``that's a pretty big deal.'' You can reach Staff Writer Eric Branch at 521-5268 or eric.branch@pressdemocrat.com. SOLID MEASURES How Jake Arnold placed in the decathlon events at the NCAA Division I Championship: 100 -- 6th, 11.12 Long jump -- 13th, 22-5 Shot put -- 4th, 46-5.25 High jump -- Tie for 3th, 6-7.5 400 -- 2nd, 48.38 110 hurdles -- 2nd, 14.20 Discus -- 2nd, 145-9 Pole vault -- 1st, 17-4.5 Javelin -- 3rd, 192-11 1,500 -- 10th, 4:34.22
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