Results
PRINCETON, N.J. – Tom Bechert (Munich, Germany) and Felix Siljeback-Larsen (Vasteras, Sweden) of the Manhattan College men's outdoor track & field team finished first and second in the decathlon at the Larry Ellis Invitational from PrincetonUniversity's Weaver Stadium on Wednesday and Thursday. Bechert won the competition with 6851 points, while Siljeback-Larsen tallied 6816 points. With those scores, Bechert and Siljeback-Larsen both qualified for the IC4A Outdoor Championships.
Leading after three events, Bechert didn't receive any points in the high jump after missing on all three of his attempts. The wind pulled him too close to the bar on his first jump, then his second attempt was just short. Bechert's no-height allowed Siljeback-Larsen to move into the lead with 3519 points after Day One.
However, Bechert continued in the competition and had an excellent Day Two. The Jasper duo went 1-2 in the 110 meter hurdles, with Bechert picking up 875 points with a 14.79-second clocking. He then threw the discus 41.24 meters (135 feet, four inches) to earn 690 more points heading into the pole vault, where Bechert made up more lost ground. He scored 957 points in the event, 213 more than anyone else, with personal-best clearance of 5.15 m (16'10¾). That jump was the second-best mark in school history and better than the 5.06 m (16'7¼) standard that had been the school record until broken by Brian McGovern (Yonkers, N.Y.) earlier this season. With that clearance, Bechert also qualified for the NCAA East Regional in the pole vault.
After tossing the javelin 49.36 m (161'11), Bechert posted a time of 4:41.17 in the final event, the 1500 meters, to score 673 points. Siljeback-Larsen, meanwhile, earned 601 points with his 4:52.87 clocking, allowing his teammate to turn a 37-point deficit into a 35-point victory. This marks the first time in program history that two Jaspers scored 6800 points in the same decathlon, and Manhattan qualified two decathletes for the IC4A Championships for the first time.
Despite not scoring any points in the high jump, Bechert's performance was still the fifth-best decathlon in school history. Had he cleared his opening height in the high jump, he would've broken Pontus Lundkvist's 1999 mark of 7515 points. Bechert previously established a new school mark in the heptathlon during the indoor season.
The remainder of the meet will take place on Friday and Saturday, while Manhattan will also send athletes to the Wolfie Invitational at Stony Brook University on Saturday.
