Nathan Capps Victorious in Heptathlon :: Senior Nathan Capps Takes First Place in Heptathlon with 5,153 Points

Feb. 9, 2008

Pocatello, ID--After finishing the second and last day of the Mountain State Games Idaho State took home numerous first place victories and top-three finishes. The women's team also set multiple school records. Cassie Merkley continued her amazing performances over to Saturday's competition where she set two school records and reached a season best.

Merkley, a junior, ran the 60-meter hurdles in 8.59 which tied her for the 2nd best All Time Top Ten Performances record at Idaho State with Stefani Fandl who set the record in 1999. Merkley now holds four of the Top Ten Performance records, two of which she set in the last two days. The four records are second best with 8.59, third best with her finish Friday at the Mountain State Games in the pentathlon with 8.60, fifth best with 8.74 set in 2006, and eighth best with 8.80 set in 2006.

She then matched the 6th best high jump for the All Time Top Ten Performances and Performers Record with her first place finish of 5-08.00, a season best. Merkley beat her All Time Top Ten Performers Record of 5-07.00 which she set in 2007 and matched in competition Friday in the heptathlon.

Senior Lois Ricardi also set a school record when she easily took first with a time of 10:04.55 in the 3,000-meter run invitational, 6.51 seconds ahead of her competition. Her season best finish gave Ricardi the 4th best All Time-Top Ten Performances and Performers record at Idaho State.

Kasie Scott and Kylee Gleason both vaulted to a height of 12-06.00. However, due to fewer attempts Gleason took 3rd place while Scott took 4th place. Scott tied her season best to meet her 4th best All Time Top Ten Performances record that she set earlier this season at the Snake River Open. Now, Gleason also holds the 4th best record in addition to the 2nd best All Time Top Ten Performances record that she hit earlier this season at the Reno Pole Vault Summit. Scott improves on her All Time Top Ten Performers record moving up to tie with Michelle Railsback and Jana Capps at 4th best. Scott improves upon her 5th best Performers record that she set in 2007.

The top-two finishers for the men's decathlon are senior Bengals Nathan Capps and Levi Keller who both surpassed the Big Sky Qualifying Standard. Keller held first place with 4484 points up until the 1,000-meter run. With a time of 2:55.47 for a fourth place finish was enough to secure Nathan Capps' victory with 5,153 points, just 147 points shy of the NCAA National Qualifying Standard of 5,300 points. Keller ended up taking second place in the heptathlon with 5,015 points.

Additional first place victories for the Bengals include Tysun Rickards, a senior, who captured first with a time of 4:20.56 in the 1 mile run, 0.80 seconds ahead of the competition. Freshman Erica Wendt captured first place with a time of 5:14.21 in the 1 mile run. Jessica Bobert took first place with a time of 57.33 in the 400-meter run, 0.74 seconds ahead of the competition.

The Bengals will be competing in the pole vault competitions at the Simplot Games February 14th through the 16th at home in Holt Arena.