Ryan Koontz Stands First After Day One of ACC Indoor Heptathlon

Feb. 22, 2007

The first day of competition for the ACC Indoor Track & Field Championships was held Thursday at Clemson’s indoor facility. Four out of the seven events that make up the men’s heptathlon were held, with Ryan Koontz of Clemson leading the way with 3,051 points.

Koontz totaled 3,051 points and was impressive in the high jump, the final event of the afternoon on Thursday. Brent LaRue of Wake Forest sits second with 2,937 points, while Roland DaSilva is third with 2,878 points. Joey O’Rourke is 10th at 2,616 total.

In the first event, the 60m dash, Koontz ran a season-best time of 7.20 seconds. He was fourth in that event, while O’Rourke came in right behind at 7.21. Feathers posted a time of 7.54 in the 60m event.

Koontz posted the third-best mark in the long jump after he hit a leap of 21’6.75″, which was a season-best in that event. O’Rourke hit a jump of 19’9″, while Feathers recorded a mark of 20’10.5″ in that event.

In the shot put, Feathers made a strong comeback by posting the top mark of the day. He had a toss of 43’4.5″ to finish first in the 15-man field. Koontz was fourth in that event, as he posted a distance of 41’7″. O’Rourke was ninth with a mark of 36’7″.

Koontz ended the day in exciting fashion by outlasting North Carolina athlete Mateo Sossah in the high jump. Koontz cleared a personal best 6’9.75″ to take the high jump portion of the heptathlon. He collected 878 points in that event alone, which elevated him from third place to atop the standings.

The heptathlon will conclude Friday, beginning with the 60m hurdles at 12:00 PM. The long jump competition will start the other men’s events on the second day of competition at 1:00 PM.