Podraza Wins Heptathlon Title at Illinois

Nebraska track and field senior Zach Podraza was crowned the heptathlon champion at the Illini B1G Multi-Meet on Saturday at the UI Armory in Champaign, Illinois. 

Podraza rallied from third place in the standings after day one to win the heptathlon title by 221 points. He started day two by finishing second in the 60-meter hurdles with a time of 8.39. He then gained the overall lead with the best pole vault clearance of any competitor, 15-5 (4.70m). Podraza finished out the day with a run of 2:54.02 in the 1,000 meters, which was good for third in the event and a comfortable win in the final standings. It marked the first-career collegiate heptathlon win for the San Diego native.

Kolby Heinerikson finished the heptathlon in fifth place with 4,138 points. He was the No. 2 finisher in the 1,000 meters, clocking in at a personal-best 2:53.53.

All four Husker women who completed the pentathlon finished with personal-best scores. Johanna Ilves led the way in third place with 3,826 points. She was the winner in the long jump portion of the event, leaping 18-11 3/4 (5.78m). 

Jamieson Battistella had 3,330 points to take ninth place. Kate Kadrmas (3,188) and Kerrigan Myers (3,165) finished 10th and 11th, respectively. 

The Huskers are back at home next Saturday to host Illinois, Iowa and Minnesota in the Husker Quad at 11:30 a.m. It’s the final indoor home event of the season for the Huskers, and while fans will not be allowed to attend the meet, there will be free live video streams for all of the events available on Huskers.com.