Bye Continues Multi-Event U Tradition

NORTHFIELD, Minn. (2/22/19)---Matt Bye finished first or second in five of the seven events in the MIAC heptathlon and ran away with the overall event win at the conference championship meet. Bye posted a final total of 4,856 points which won the event by almost 200 points.

Bye becomes the second Cobber to win the heptathlon at the MIAC Indoor Meet. He joins Jackson Schepp who claimed the title in 2016 and 2017.

Bye recorded the best mark of the 18 athletes in the heptathlon in the 60-meter hurdles, long jump and shot put and was second in the high jump and pole vault.

Bye's final point total is the second most in school history and seventh best in NCAA Division III this season. He was only 28 points shy of the school record of 4,884 set by Schepp in 2017 at the MIAC Meet.

Bye scored 700 or more points in four of the seven events. His best event came in the 60-meter hurdles where he clocked an 8.66 and recorded 823 points.

Bye also scored over 700 points in the event-opening 60-meter dash, high jump and 1000 meters. He started the meet by running a 7.46 in the 60-meter dash which earned him 726 points. He won the long jump and shot put with point totals in the 600's which put him in first place. Bye then cleared 6-02.75 in the high jump which was worth 714 points and he finished Day 1 with the lead and 2,734 points.

Bye extended his lead in the opening event on Day 2 when he won the 60-meter hurdles. He then cleared 12-09.50 in the pole vault which was the second best mark among the competitors and solidified his lead heading into the 1000 meters – the final event of the competition.

Bye paced himself in the 1000 meters and came away with a time of 2:55.47 which was a career best and earned him 709 points and kept all the other athletes in the Top 3 from getting a chance to pass Bye at the wire.

Concordia had two other athletes in the heptathlon. Freshman Dan Wilson finished with 4,084 points and placed 10th. He had the fastest time in the 1000 meters as he broke away from the pack in the final lap and crossed the line in a time of 2:40.82 which was good for 864 points. That was the highest point total scored by any heptathlete in any event over the two days.

Sophomore Zachary Paustian finished in 17th place with a final total of 3,317 points. His best event was the 60-meter hurdles where he ran a 7.63 and recorded 671 points.

MULTI-EVENT UNIVERSITY: Bye is the fifth multi-even champion for the Cobbers at an MIAC Indoor Meet. Besides Schepp, he joins Paul Westmark, Adam Strainer and Ryan Williams as multi-event winners. Westmark claimed the title in 2009 while Strainer won in 2000 and 2001 and Williams turned the double in 1996 and 1997. All told Concordia has won the heptathlon in three of the past four years and eight times since 1996.