Wyatt Murphy Makes History in MW Decathlon

CLOVIS, Calif. – Senior Wyatt Murphy became the first Air Force athlete to break 4000 points during Day 1 of a decathlon, as he and sophomore Braeden Holcombe opened competition at the 2022 Mountain West Outdoor Track and Field Championships this evening (May 11) in Clovis. Murphy's 4004-point opening-day tally currently leads the field, while Holcombe is in second with 3727 points.

Murphy's 4004-point total is the best first-day decathlon total in program history, bettering the 3972 outing Marcus Nichols had in 1996. Highlighting his record-setting day was a career-best distance of 23'11½" in the long jump – the fifth-best mark in program history and the best leap by an Academy decathlete. His winning 886-point jump was one of three first-place scores for the senior on Wednesday, as he bookended the day with an all-condition, season-best time of 10.59 in the 100-meter dash (954 points) and a 48.85 (868 points) to lead Air Force to a 1-2 finish in the 400-meter dash. A 705-point clearance of 6'2¼" in the high jump and a 591-point throw of 38'6¾" in the shot put completed Murphy's 4004-point tally.

Holcombe also had a strong start to the decathlon, as he posted a career-high Day 1 total of 3727 points to stand in second after the first five events. The sophomore tallied three career-best marks on Wednesday, including an 833-point time of 49.60 that helped Air Force to the 1-2 finish in the 400-meter dash. Holcombe also matched his personal-best marks in the 100-meter dash (11.28, 799 points) and long jump (22'1¾", 755 points), while adding a 731-point clearance of 6'3½" in the high jump and a 609-point distance of 39'6" in the shot put.

Murphy and Holcombe return to Veterans Memorial Stadium at 4:30 p.m. (PT) tomorrow (May 12) for the final five of events of the decathlon, while the Falcons' 10,000-meter runners kick off the individual events at 9:30 p.m. (PT).

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Players Mentioned

Braeden Holcombe

Wyatt Murphy

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