Sophomore Tim Ehrhardt hits the pit and begins his jump for the bar during the men's pole vault competition at the Big Ten Conference Championships May 17th, 2015 at Ralph Young Field. Wyatt Giangrande/ State News
Sophomore MSU track athlete Tim Ehrhardt earned All-American status in the men's decathlon with a fifth place finish at the 2015 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships in Eugene, Ore. on Thursday.
Ehrhardt used numerous personal bests in the competition to finish with a total of 7,677 points. Maciel Uibo of Georgia placed first (8,356 points), followed by Pau Tonnesen of Arizona (8,247), Dakotah Keys of Oregon (7,863), Harrison Williams of Stanford (7,806) and then Ehrhardt.
Ehrhardt, who originally came to MSU to compete in just the pole vault, fell into the decathlon after his coaches saw his talent when he was messing around with some of the other events.
The decathlon is a grueling two-day event in which athletes compete in a total of 10 events — the 100 meters, long jump, shot put, high jump and 400 meters on the first day; the 110-meter hurdles, discus throw, pole vault, javelin throw and 1,500 meter on the second day. The better an athlete performs in an single event, the more points he receives toward his total.
The NCAA Championships marked just the second time Ehrhardt had ever competed in the decathlon. His first came at the 2015 Big Ten Outdoor Track and Field Championships, where he placed second with 7,349 points.
The NCAA Championships will continue through Saturday, where several MSU athletes are still set to compete.
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