NAMPA, Idaho – The Western Washington University Track & Field program officially opened the postseason slate Monday with four student-athletes competing during the opening day of the Great Northwest Athletic Conference Combined Championships at the Bohner Track on the campus of Northwest Nazarene University.
 
WWU is represented by sophomore Ryan Kenny and freshman Austin Seals in the men's decathlon (10 events) and junior Matty Lagerwey and freshman Nicole Avery in the seven-event women's heptathlon (7 events).
 
Lagerwey is off to a good start in the heptathlon with 2,762 points looking to better her solid 5th-place performance at last season's combined championships (4,356 points). The junior was the runner-up at the GNAC Indoor Championships in the pentathlon with 3,129 points. Lagerwey has 2,762 points through the first four events, led by a 2nd-place finish in the shot put (10.45m/34-3.5) and 4th-place finish in the 200m with a personal-best time of 26.29.
 
Avery is 9th place with 2,493 points, looking to run down her season-best performance of 3,876 points while winning the UBC Open. Avery's first-day highlights included placing 5th with personal-best marks in the shot put (9.46m/31-0.50) and the 200m (26.41).
 
The women's heptathlon wraps up Tuesday with the long jump, javelin and 800m beginning at 10:30 am. Western Oregon teammates Jenelle Hurley (2,859 points) and Maliyah Thompson (2,834 points) hold the top two spots in the standings just ahead of Lagerwey.
 
Through the first five events of the decathlon, Kenny sits in 5th place out of 11 competitors with 3,409 points, fueled by a trio of top three performances. Kenny won the 100m dash in personal-best time of 11.23. Kenney followed with a third-place finish in the long jump (6.68m/21-11) and runner-up placing in the high jump clearing 1.88m/6-2. Kenny is looking to pass his career-high of 6,053 points set at last year's GNAC Combined Championships that were held in Bellingham.
 
Seals is right behind Kenny in 7th place with 3,311 points, looking to pass his career-high of 5,371 points in a winning performance at the UBC Open in late March in Vancouver. Seals' first-day highlights included the top time in the 400m with a personal-best time of 51.31 and a 4th-place finish in the high jump clearing 1.85m/6-0.75.
 
The men's decathlon wraps up Tuesday with the 110m hurdles, discus throw, pole vault, javelin and 1500m beginning at 10 am. JJ Walker of Western Oregon holds the first-day lead with 3,548 points, just ahead of defending champion Steven Schmidt of Northwest Nazarene (3,509 points).
 
Complete results and live updates can be tracked online at GNAC.live. Points earned during the GNAC Combined Championships go towards the final team standings of the GNAC Track & Field Outdoor Championships that will be held May 12-13 in Monmouth, Oregon.