Santa Fe (Edmond, Okla.) superstar Gunnar Nixon broke the national decathlon record this week with 8,035 points during the 36th Great Southwest Classic in Albuquerque, N.M.
Ironically, the record of 7,909 points had been held by Albuquerque native Curtis Beach.
During his two days of competition, Nixon set four personal records and tied a fifth.
His top efforts in each event were: 10.89 in the 100-meter dash; 49.66 in the 400; 14.16 in the 110-meter hurdles; 5:01.74 in the 1500; 24-5½ in the long jump; 7-0½ in the high jump; 14-11 in the pole vault; 49-11 in the shot put; 142-1 in the discus; 175-5 in the javelin.
* Austin Mudd, a somewhat unheralded senior from
Center Grove (Greenwood, Ind.), shocked the nation on Friday with incredible times in the 800- and 1600-meter runs during the Indiana state track meet in Bloomington, Ind.
The University of Wisconsin recruit ran nation-leading times of 4:03.00 in the 1600 – easily out-kicking defending champion Chris Walden of Carmel - and 1:49.25 in the 800.
He also shattered long-time state records. The 1600 record of 4:04.20 by Hammond's Rudy Chapa had stood since 1976, while the 800 record of 1:50.20 by Evansville Memorial's Tom Martin had stood since 1977.
