Yariel Soto and Etaijen Easter pocketed national championship wins to highlight a series of stellar performances that were put forth by Ohio's own on the final day of competition at New Balance Nationals.
* (Decathlon recap courtesy of MileSplit contriutor, Denise Spann) -
Yariel Soto sets New Meet Record, No. 5 All-Time and Boys Field Athlete of the Meet
Soto had the performance of a lifetime to secure his first New Balance National Outdoor decathlon title on Sunday.
The Centerville High School senior had eight new personal bests throughout the competition. To boot:
- 10.89 100m
- 48.53 400m
- 24-3.5 long jump
- 40-4.25 shot put
- 15.50 110mH
- 139-3 discus
- 15-11 pole vault
- 148-3 javelin
In his first decathlon of the year, Soto broke the meet record with a total of 7,509 points.
This new personal best takes the Tennessee commit from No. 15 all-time to No. 5.
Soto is still chasing Gunnar Nixon's national record of 8,035 points, which was set back in 2011. Also, Soto was not only named an All-American but boys Field Athlete of the Meet.
Etaijen Easter / Twinsburg
Etaijen Easter leaped 24-9.25 to collect the Championship long jump victory. The jumps specialist from Twinsburg led an impressive list of nine competitors who went 24+ feet. Easter, who recently committed to Hinds Community College (MS), also excelled in high jump competition during his decorated career with the Tigers.
Meet Coverage -