Day one of the 2017 NCAA Division II Outdoor Track & Field Championships included seven event finals that culminated in medals for 21 competitors--check out the full list below!

Hammer Throw

Men: 
1) Daniel Roberts, JR | Ashland | 69.84m/229'1"
2) Jordan Crayon, SR | Ashland | 68.77m/225'7"
3) Austin Combs, SO | Findlay | 64.82m/212'8"

It's no coincidence that Ashland is replete with talent in the throws year after year. Helmed by Head Coach Jud Logan, a four-time Olympian in the hammer throw, the Eagles are known for their strength in the ring. But this year, their depth reached new levels as the Eagles qualified five hammer-throwers to nationals. Before the meet, Logan wondered if Ashland could sweep the podium in the event, and it almost happened. Senior Bryn Campbell's final throw of 64.72m/212'4" put him in third, but he ended up tying with Walsh's Marcus Meyers before they both got edged out by Combs, who threw four inches further. Although they fell one spot short of the trifecta, they dominated the ring by placing three throwers in the top five to earn 22 points--enough to put their team in the lead after day one. 

Women:
1) Mel Herl, SR | Chadron State | 65.27m/214'1"
2) Michaela Dendinger, JR | Wayne State | 62.82m/206'1"
3) Destiney Coward, JR | Southern Connecticut State | 59.52m/195'3"

On her final throw, Herl released a monster PR that landed far beyond the reach of her competitors to secure the win by nearly three meters. She set her previous best mark, 63.62m, to win the 2017 RMAC Outdoor Championships almost three weeks ago and put herself in front of Dendinger on the DII National Qualifying List. Beyond Herl's remarkable PR, there were no surprises here--these medalists finished in the order that they're ranked on TFRRS.

Men's Pole Vault

1) Payton Lewis, JR | Northwest Nazarene | 5.36m/17'7"
2) Cole Phillips, SR | Central Missouri | 5.36m/17'7"
3) Kai Miller, SO | Pittsburg State | 5.26m/17'3"

Before today, Lewis's outdoor PR was 17'2.75"--a far cry from the 17'7" vault he made on his first attempt to lock down his first NCAA title and reset his school record. But the six-time Great American North Conference champion is no stranger to this caliber of competition (he's a four-time All-American), and after taking third twice at nationals, he was more than up to the challenge. It also helps when you have new poles (or so I've been told). Phillips also cleared 17'7", but missed his first and second attempts. Miller also missed his first attempt, but then ended up passing on the next two. 

Long Jump

Men:
1) Sedeekie Edie, SR | Lincoln | 7.77m/25'6"
2) Marquise Corbett, SR | Tiffin | 7.72m/25'4"
3) Lawrence Russell Jr., SO | Barton | 7.72m/25'4"

The men's long jump competition also yielded a tie, but Corbett's consistency--he didn't foul once--won out over Russell Jr., who fouled twice. Heading into this weekend's competition, Edie reigned supreme with the best mark in Division II (7.89m/25'10.75"). His victory wasn't a surprise, but Corbett's runner-up performance showed a promising return to form. Ranked just 13th in the nation as of yesterday with a season's best of 7.54m/24'9", Corbett landed within range of his 7.88m PR to edge out Russell Jr., who was tied for eighth on the DII National Qualifying List. 

Women:
1) Fatim Affessi, FR | West Texas A&M | 6.68m/21'11"
2) Rellie Kaputin, SR | West Texas A&M | 6.53m/21'5.25"
3) Kaylee Caruso, SR | Bloomsburg | 6.32m/20'9"

Affessi and Kaputin's first- and second-place performances catapulted West Texas A&M to the top of the women's team standings with 18 points at the end of day one. Both women set PRs in their victories and became the second field-athlete duo to finish first and second at nationals. Affessi broke her own school record, and Kaputin wasn't far behind--she notched the second-best jump in West Texas A&M track and field history. In an interesting contrast, Kaputin closed out her senior year in style, and Affessi will be one to watch for the next few years.

10,000m 

Men:
1) Vincent Kiprop, SO | Missouri Southern | 28:32.07
2) James Ngandu, SR | Tiffin | 29:16.12
3) Dominik Notz, SR | Alaska Anchorage | 29:41.40

The crowd was treated to "The Vincent Kiprop Show" as the Missouri Southern sophomore left smoldering ruins in his wake to win his second national outdoor title in 28:32.07, break the facility record he set last year (29:23.92), and nearly reset the 22-year-old meet record of 28:26.56 in the process. Ngandu and Notz gave chase, but after lap 19, it was all Kiprop. Read the full race recap here.

Women:
1) Kendra Foley, SR | Grand Valley State | 34:36.21
2) Sadie Gastelum, SR | Chico State | 34:48.37
3) Georgia Porter, SR | Western State | 34:52.38

A two-time national cross country champion, Foley ran her PR in the invitational elite section of the 10,000m at this year's Mt. SAC Relays, where she took 14th overall in a time of 34:16.01. Tonight, she ran a well-executed, even race to leave some gas in the tank for the final mile, which is when she peeled away from Chico State's Gastelum to find herself chasing the facility record. Although she finished just short of that mark by nine seconds, she finished more than 12 seconds ahead of the runner-up.

Check out the full entry list here, and stay tuned through the weekend for coverage and results.