University of Minnesota Athletics
University of Minnesota
2017 NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships
Wieland Finishes Third in Decathlon
6/8/2017 12:00:00 AM | Men's Track & Field
Results
EUGENE, Ore. (GopherSports.com) - Gophers senior Luca Wieland closed out his college career on Thursday with a third-place finish in the decathlon at the 2017 NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships, held at Oregon's Hayward Field.
A native of Saarbrucken, Germany, Wieland picked up his third First Team All-America accolade and his first in the decathlon. He is the third Gopher to earn the distinction in the decathlon, joining Benjamin Jensen (1997) and Travis Brandstatter (2004, 2005). Wieland's final score of 8,146 is the second highest point total in University of Minnesota history behind his own school record of 8,201 from earlier this year.
Wieland opened the second day of competition with 899 points in the 110-meter hurdles, finishing sixth with a time of 14.60. He followed up with a fourth-place showing in the discus for 722 points at 42.83 meters (140-06 ft.). He closed out the meet with a pair of eighth-place showings in the pole vault (4.71 meters, 15-05.50 ft., 822 points) and the 1,500 meters (4:41.12, 673 points) along with an 18th-place finish in the javelin (50.09 meters, 164-04 ft., 590 points).
On Wednesday, the senior led the field in the high jump competition at 2.16 meters (7-01.00 ft.) for 953 points while he came in second in the 100 meters at 10.56 for 961 points and third in the long jump at 7.66 meters (25-01.75 ft.) for 975 points. He added a ninth-place showing in the shot put at 13.79 meters (45-03.00 ft.) for 715 points and a 15th-place performance in the 400 meters at 49.54 for 836 points.
Wieland's collegiate career was highlighted by an NCAA heptathlon title in 2015 while he was honored as the 2017 Big Ten Medal of Honor recipient. In addition to his First Team All-America nod this year in the decathlon, he also earned the honor twice in the heptathlon (2015, 2016). Additionally, Wieland earned four Big Ten titles, winning the 2017 outdoor high jump, the 2015 heptathlon and back-to-back decathlons in 2015 and 2016.
As a senior, Wieland set three school records - the decathlon (8,201 points), the heptathlon (6,070 points) and the outdoor 4x100 meter relay (39.80). A three-time Academic All-Big Ten honoree, Wieland is an entrepreneurial management major in Minnesota's Carlson School of Management. He is a two-time Academic All-American and is a candidate once again this year.
The Maroon & Gold carried three All-Americans at the 2017 NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships with Wieland earning First Team honors while Obsa Ali (3,000 meter steeplechase) and Nate Roese (800 meters) picked up Second Team accolades.
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Players Mentioned
