ABERDEEN, S.D. - The first leg of the 2010 NSIC Track & Field Championships is complete and Concordia senior John Pimental has given the Golden Bear men's team eight points toward their team total. Pimental took second place in the decathlon and set a new school record with 6,151 points. He used a new personal best time in the final event of the 10-step race to gain his position as the 2010 runner-up. MEN'S RESULTS - WOMEN'S RESULTS
The decathlon, which is a competition to see who is one of the best all-around athletes, takes the course of 10 events on both the track and field. Pimental put up personal best times in three of his ten events, including a final push in the last race of the competition, the 1,500 m dash. Pimental used his best time ever in the 1,500m to jump over MSU Moorhead's Luke Buchholz and claim his place behind the NSIC champion, Zac Preble of Bemidji State. Pimental broke the five-minute mark in the 1,500 and finished with a time of 4:59.81, far surpassing his previous career best time of 5:18.39. And every bit of the time was necessary for Pimental to land in second place after the final day of competition.
Pimental also PR'd in the pole vault, clearing more than a foot higher than his previous career best with a mark of 11 feet, 3.75 inches. One of Pimental's best events has always been the 400m dash, and with a new personal best of 51.98s, Pimental won the race and earned 726 points. He also won the first event of the decathlon competition, the 100m dash, just missing his career best time of 10.95s and putting up a final time of 10.97.
Although he missed his goal of an NSIC provisional mark, Pimental's finish as the #2 decathlete was a huge victory on a bleary day in Aberdeen, S.D. It gives the CU men's team eight points toward their chase for an NSIC Championship. The remainder of the championships will be held on May 7-8 in Moorhead, Minn. In his impressive run over the past two days, Pimental has placed his name in the CU record book as the best decathlete in school history.
Other Concordia University athletes participating in the multi-events in Aberdeen were Kevin Koglin (13th) and Kaysee Nesmoe (14th).
