Tara Ray grimaces as she unloads the javelin in the MIAC heptathlon. She provisionally qualified for nationals with 4,249 pts.
Kay and Ray Qualify For Nationals

Courtesy of GoCobbers.com, Release: May 7, 2010

Meet Rewind:

MIAC Heptathlon Results: MIAC Heptathlon Results

Cobber Notables: MIAC Heptathlon Cobber Notables

Meet Recap:

NORTHFIELD, Minn. (5/7/10)-- Concordia senior All-American Leah Kay closed out her conference multi-even career by placing third in the MIAC heptathlon on Friday. Kay led a contingent of Cobber athletes that had three top 5 finishes and placed four athletes in the top 9 of the competition.

Kay finished with a total of 4,391 points for the seven events. That total is 51 points shy of her national provisional qualifying score of 4,442 points which she posted at the Drake Relays. However, it is still better than the national provisional qualifying mark of 4,100 points. It is also shy of her second-place total of 4,489 points at last year's conference heptathlon meet.

Kay was hampered by the inclement weather on both days. She only posted two season-best marks in the meet and both of those came in the running events. She ran a 27.10 in the 200 meters and a 2:26.67 in the 800 meters for her two season-best times.

Her best event of the meet came in the high jump where she scored 747 points by clearing a height of 5-03.25. Her only other 700-plus scoring events came in the 200 and 800 meters.

Tara Ray and Kaari Jensen gave the Cobbers a 3-4-5 finish in the event. Ray also posted a national qualifying score of 4,249 points. She finished in fourth place and recorded her career-best total in a heptathlon event. Her final point total ranks her eighth in the nation. She had season-best marks in the shot put, 200 meters and 800 meters. Her best scoring event was in the 100-meter hurdles where she scored 750 points with a time of 15.71. Her best overall event was the 200 meters where she broke off a career-best time of 27.05.

Jensen completed her first conference multi-event by placing fifth with a total of 3,962 points. Jensen bettered her previous career-best total in the heptathlon by 179 points. Her total of 3,962 eclipsed her previous season best of 3,783 set at the NDSU heptathlon. Jensen's best scoring event came in the 200 meters where she ran a 26.82 and posted 727 points. Her time was the second fastest by any of the 14 athletes in the meet. It was also a season best time and the fastest run by any Cobber athlete in 2010.

Perhaps the best over-achieving effort by any CC athlete at the meet came from junior Macy Bentley who posted season-best marks in five of the seven events and finished with a career-best total of 3,487 points. She finished in ninth place and her final score smashed her previous career best by over 780 points. Her best event of the meet came in the 800 meters where she ran a 2:36.13 and scored 618 points. That was a season-best time by over 12 seconds. Bentley also tied, or had season-best marks in the 100-meter hurdles, high jump, 200 meters and shot put.

Cobber Notables:

MIAC HEPTATHLON @ Carleton - May 6-7

NCAA PROVISIONAL NATIONAL QUALIFYING:

Heptathlon - Leah Kay - 4391 points

Heptathlon - Tara Ray - 4249 points  

ALL-TIME TOP 10:

Heptathlon - Tara Ray - 4249 points - Top 10-#5

Heptathlon - Kaari Jensen - 3962 points - Top 10-#10

PERSONAL RECORDS: 200- Tara Ray, Kaari Jensen,

Macey Bentley;

800- Tara Ray, Kaari Jensen, Macey Bentley;

100 hurdles- Macey Bentley;

high jump- Macey Bentley (tie);

shot put- Tara Ray, Kaari Jensen, Macey Bentley; heptathlon- Tara Ray, Kaari Jensen, Macey Bentley.