NORMAN, Okla. (April 15, 2022) – Oklahoma Christian's Alex Samples won two of the five events contested Friday to take the lead midway through the decathlon in the Sooner Invitational and Multi at John Jacobs Track.

Competing in his first collegiate decathlon, Samples, a sophomore from Edmond, had a score of 3,583 midway through the 10-event discipline. His OC teammate, sophomore Chaney Martin of West Plains, Mo., stood sixth in the 15-man field with a score of 3,336. The NCAA Division II provisional qualifying standard for the decathlon is 6,420.

Samples finished first in the decathlon's second event, the long jump, with a mark of 22 feet, 7¼ inches (6.89 meters). He repeated that finish in the fourth event, the high jump, winning with a leap of 6 feet, 5 inches (1.96 meters).

Martin's best event finishes on Friday came in the high jump (fifth at 5 feet, 10 inches/1.78 meters) and 400 meters (fourth in 50.93 seconds). The five events on the second day of the decathlon are the 110-meter hurdles, discus, pole vault, javelin and 1,500 meters.

OC athletes competed in two other events on Friday. In the 100 meters, freshman Sam Fisher of Norman took 23rd of 42 sprinters in the 100 meters with a career-best time of 10.86 seconds. Another OC freshman, Isaac Koomson of Accra, Ghana, matched his career best with a time of 11.21 seconds.

Junior Jonathan Olsson of Emporia, Kan., led the Eagles in the hammer with a throw of 139 feet, 2 inches (42.43 meters), while freshman Kameron Shropshire of Poteau's top mark was 128 feet, 6 inches (39.17 meters), a career-best.

The meet will continue Saturday.

RESULTS