2015 NCAA Men's Heptathlon Preview

Dec 31, 2014 by Taylor Dutch

Maicel Uibo, Georgia (PB 6,044 pts)
Last Year: 2nd Indoors, 1st Outdoors

Uibo claimed Georgia’s first ever national title in the decathlon at the 2014 NCAA Outdoor Championships with an astounding 8,182 points over Texas’ Johannes Hock’s 8,092 points. He and his teammate Garrett Scatling were the top two ranked decathletes in college during the 2014 season and did not fail to disappoint. The Estonia native captured the SEC title in 2013 and the SEC indoor title in 2014 and returns for his junior season to try and claim the NCAA Indoor Championship, which he lost to Duke’s Curtis Beach last year.

Johannes Hock, Texas (PB 5,873 pts)
Last Year: N/A Indoors, 2nd Outdoors

Hock may have missed out on repeating as the NCAA decathlon champion in 2014, but returns this year to contend once again in the multi competition. At last year’s outdoor championship, Hock held a 23-point lead heading into the final event, but was edged in the overall standings by Uibo who finished third in the event to take the lead. The time difference gave Uibo a 113-point lead over Hock in the standings. Hock was looking to become just the fourth athlete to repeat as the NCAA decathlon champion, but is looking to be reclaim his title in 2015.

Garrett Scantling, Georgia (PB 6,017 pts)
Last Year: N/A Indoors, 4th Outdoors

After being ranked one of the top two decathletes in the country with his teammate Uibo, Scantling fell off slightly during the NCAA Outdoor Championships by finishing fourth overall. He captured a victory in the 110m hurdles, but was unable to crack the top three spots at the meet. In the same season, Scantling earned a runner-up finish at the SEC Championships with a career-best time of 14.31 in the 110m hurdles. He redshirted the 2014 indoor season, but in 2013 captured the third-place trophy at the championships.

Zack Ziemek, Wisconsin (PB 5,937 pts)
Last Year: 5th Indoors, 5th Outdoors

Ziemek capped off an impressive 2014 outdoor season with a fourth-place finish in the decathlon at the U.S. Outdoor Championships with a score of 7,609 points, which included personal bests in the 400m and 1500m. Before contending at the national level, Ziemek placed fifth at the NCAA Outdoor Championships with a career best score of 7,981 points. During the indoor season, Ziemek captured another fifth-place finish in the heptathlon, which included a victory in the 60m and a personal best time of 6.90.

Alex McCune, Akron (PB 5,864 pts)
Last Year: 6th Indoors, 6th Outdoors

McClune returns for his senior season after finishing sixth at the 2014 NCAA Outdoor Championships with 7,806 points, a personal best. He also captured a sixth-place finish at the NCAA Indoor Championships with another personal best score of 5,837 points. In 2014, including both indoor and outdoor events, McCune had 13 personal best performances. If he continues on the upward trend, he will be a serious contender come March.

Robert Cardina, Penn State (PB 5,511 pts)
Last Year: N/A Indoors, 8th Outdoors

In his first season wearing the Penn State uniform, Cardina finished eighth overall at the NCAA Outdoor Championships with a personal best score of 7,666 points. The performance included a lifetime best time of 10.87 in the 100m and a first day decathlon school record of 4,087 points. The performance marked the first time a Penn State athlete earned All American honors in the decathlon since 1998. With more competing experience ahead for the sophomore, 2015 should have even more success.