Ziemek surpasses 8,100 points for first time in April, Ellenwood gets closer to 6,000-point barrier as both athletes elevate into top five in the world this year

By Erik Boal, DyeStat Editor

Wisconsin standouts present and past shared the spotlight Thursday on the second day of the multi-events in the Bryan Clay Invitational, both securing victories in come-from-behind fashion at Azusa Pacific University.

Badgers fifth-year senior Georgia Ellenwood accumulated a personal-best 5,983 points in her first heptathlon since 2016, ascending to the No. 2 collegiate performer this season and No. 5 in the world.

Wisconsin volunteer assistant Zach Ziemek, now competing professionally for adidas, capped an impressive decathlon with 8,181 points, securing the event’s top marks in the discus throw and pole vault to elevate from third place following the opening day.

INTERVIEWS

Ellenwood trailed Miami (Fla.) redshirt sophomore Michelle Atherley by 102 points after the first day, but swung the momentum in her favor after throwing the javelin 136-5 (41.59m) to create a 200-point shift in the standings.

Ellenwood, a Canadian standout, secured the victory by clocking 2:14.96 in the 800, although she came up just short of her 6,000-point target in leading six of the top nine collegiate performances this season.

“I know what I can do this year, and I know I can score 6,000 points, which is my goal,” said Ellenwood, whose previous personal best was 5,935 to place fifth in 2016 at the Division 1 final.

“I came up a little bit short of that, but there’s not one event I can’t improve on right now. If I break it down in each event and see what I can improve on in each one, then it will all come together as a whole.”

Akron senior Jaclyn Siefring took second with a personal-best 5,872 points and teammate Patricia Ortega, a fifth-year senior from Spain, enjoyed an improvement of more than 300 points from her previous top score in 2015 to win her group and place fifth overall with 5,782.

Both Siefring and Ortega rank in the top 20 in the world this year.

Another Canadian heptathlete, Rachael McIntosh, also produced a personal-best 5,862 competing unattached to place third, with Atherley finishing fourth with a PR of 5,816.

Washington State fifth-year senior Alissa Brooks-Johnson was fifth in her group and sixth overall with 5,740 points, just off her 2015 PR of 5,803. UC Santa Barbara junior Hope Bender was second behind Ortega in her group and seventh overall with an improvement of 513 points to finish with 5,725.

Houston sophomore Nathaniel Mechler, the Canadian U20 record holder, was the runner-up to Ziemek with 7,722 points after a spirited race for second.

Wisconsin junior Trent Nytes was third (7,683), the first-day leader, and Stanford junior Harrison Williams was fourth (7,682). All three rank in the top eight among collegiate performers and top 15 athletes in the world this year.

Mechler believes 8,000 is within reach.

“I started with a huge day-one PR, I’m really happy with day one, and then I had some technical difficulties this morning on the second day,” Mechler said. “But I think the thing I took away from it is that I’m physically ready for it.”

Ziemek elevated to No. 4 in the world this year, surpassing 8,100 points for the sixth occasion in his career, but the first time in April.

“It’s behind my PR and obviously what I wanted to do, but I came out and ran the 1,500 and put up a score that’s going to get me right for the rest of the year,” Ziemek said. “I came out (Thursday) and had a great hurdles race, and then I really hit a good one on my last discus and I vaulted well, so I got some points there, but unfortunately (javelin) wasn’t what we wanted, but the finish was strong and it gets me ready for the rest of the year.”

– Landon Negri contributed to this story