BELLINGHAM, Wash. – Competing at their home venue, five members of the Western Washington University Track & Field program got off to a solid start at the 2022 GNAC Combined Event Championships on Monday at Civic Stadium.
 
Freshman Ryan Kenny finished in the top two in three of the five events in the 10-event decathlon Monday to take the first-day lead with 3,365 points. Kenny's personal-best in the decathlon is 5,697 points set at last season's GNAC Championships while placing 7th.
 
Kenny's top Monday finish came winning the long jump with a mark 6.56m/21-6.76 to earn 711 points. He opened the day with a 2nd-place finish in the 100m clocking 11.43 and also was runner-up in the high jump clearing a personal-best 1.90m/6-2.75.
 
Cooper Cummings also had a solid day for the Vikings in 5th place with 3,110 points, highlighted by a personal-best mark in the high jump clearing 1.84m/6-0.50 to place 4th and PR in the 400m clocking 53.20 seconds. Trent Kibler is currently 9th out of nine competitors with 2,549 points after not recording a mark in his premier high jump event. Kibler won the 100m in 11.31.
 
Sophomore Leanne Kibbee leads the Vikings two-competitor contingent in the seven-event heptathlon with 2,407 points through the first four events to sit in 6th place. Kibbee's best performance of the day was personal-best 15.59 in the 100m hurdles placing 5th and 4th-place finish in the high jump clearing 1.48m/ 4-10.25.
 
Freshman Matty Lagerwey is right behind Kibbee in 7th place with 2,390 points, highlighted by winning the shot put with a near-personal-best mark of 10.95m/35-11.25. The GNAC Combined Events Championships will conclude on Tuesday. The decathlon will begin at 10:15 a.m. with 110-meter hurdles followed by the discus, pole vault, javelin and the 1,500 meters. The heptathlon will commence at 11:15 a.m. with the long jump followed by the javelin and 800 meters. Live results are available to follow all the action at GNAC.live.