Santa Barbara Locals, Barbara Nwaba & Patrick Smith, Lead Sam Adams Combined Events Invitational

Olympic Champion & world record holder, Ashton Eaton, finishes day one winning the 400m dash in 45.86, the 7th best mark in the world this year; Jesse Williams clears 2.26m (7'05") in the High Jump, the fourth best mark in the world this year; five meet records and four stadium records fall on day one Santa Barbara, Calif. - Another beautiful Santa Barbara day welcomed athletes from around the country and world to the Sam Adams Combined Events Invitational presented by the Santa Barbara Track Club (SBTC) and Westmont College.  The “World’s Greatest Athletes” competed in the first day of the two day long decathlon and heptathlon events.

In the Heptathlon, SBTC’s Barbara Nwaba (USA), a UCSB graduate and 2012 NCAA runner-up in the event, leads the competition with 3718 points after strong performances including a 13.77 in the 100m Hurdles, 1.78m (5'10") in the High Jump and a 24.10 in the 200m Dash, the final event of the day.

Another Santa Barbara local, Patrick Smith, a senior at Chico State and two-time NCAA Division II national champion (2012 and 2013), leads the Decathlon after day one with 3948 points. Smith had consistent performances throughout the day, including a 10.95 in the 100m, 7.26m (23’10") in the Long Jump, and a 50.27 in the 400m Dash to close out the day. Smith was a 2009 graduate of Dos Pueblos High School.

The Eatons Back in Santa Barbara

Kicking off the elite sections of the day was the men's Decathlon 100m Dash, featuring 2012 Olympic Champion and world record holder, Ashton Eaton (USA). Eaton cruised to a 10.43 (1.7 m/s) win. A few minutes later, in the women’s 100m Hurdles, it was Eaton’s wife, Brianne Theisen-Eaton (CAN), coming away with a win in a strong 13.29.

The Eatons, who reside in Eugene, OR and compete for the Oregon Track Club are training in Santa Barbara once again this Spring leading up to the start of their outdoor season. They competed as guest athletes on day one and did not compete in the full competition. Eaton rounded out the day in the 400m winning in 45.86, the seventh fastest mark in the world this year and just off his meet and stadium record, 45.64, set in 2013. Theisen-Eaton also competed in the Shot Put, throwing 13.92m (45'8").

Day 1 in the Decathlon

2014 USA Indoor Heptathlon champion, Gray Horn, led the decathlon after four events, but a back injury kept him out of the 400m Dash, the final event of the day. Horn won the Long Jump, out distancing 2013 IAAF World Championship bronze medalist in the Decathlon, Damian Warner (CAN), 7.64m (25'00.75") to 7.62m (25'00"), setting a new meet and stadium record.

In the High Jump, 2011 IAAF World Champion in the event, Jesse Williams (USA), competed as a guest athlete, skying over 7’5" and setting a new meet and stadium record. SBTC’s Tom FitzSimons led all decathletes with a jump over 6’6.25" and finished his first day in fourth place.

Over in the Shot Put ring, U.S. Junior and High School Decathlon record holder, Gunnar Nixon, set a meet record with a toss of 15.03m (49'03.75"), outdistancing Eaton's 2013 record.

Day 1 in the Heptathlon

In the heptathlon, guest athletes Antoinette Nana Djimou (FRA), a 3-time European Champion in the Heptathlon, won the Shot Put with a toss of 14,48m (47’06.25"), a new meet and stadium record, while Jessica Zelinka, Canadian record holder in the Heptathlon was second in 14.06m (46’01.50").

SBTC athlete Lindsay Schwartz (USA) is second with 3577 points on the heels of a 13.90 in the 100m Hurdles and a 24.20 in the 200m to finish off her afternoon.

The competition resumes tomorrow at 9:30am with the collegiate sections. The Decathlon A section begins at 11:30am and the Heptathlon A section at 12:00pm.

Complete Results and information: http://santabarbaratc.com/sam-adams-combined-events-invitational/

Day 1 Photos

The World's Greatest Athletes Descend Upon Santa Barbara

World record holder & Olympic Champion Ashton Eaton highlights the Sam Adams Combined Events Invitational week of events; free Youth Challenge on April 2 at Westmont College

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. - The world’s greatest athletes have once again descended upon Santa Barbara for the Sam Adams Combined Events Invitational presented by the Santa Barbara Track Club (SBTC) and Westmont College on April 4 and 5. The men will compete in the decathlon and women in the heptathlon, which comprise of ten and seven Track & Field disciplines respectively. Champions of these two events are widely considered the “World’s Greatest Athletes”.

Assembling one of the most accomplished decathlon and heptathlon fields on U.S. soil, the Sam Adams Combined Events Invitational features 2012 Olympic champion and world record holder, Ashton Eaton (USA), IAAF World Championship medalists Brianne Theisen-Eaton (CAN) and Damian Warner (CAN), three time European Champion, Antoinette Nana Djimou Ida (FRA), 2010 European Champion, Romain Barras (FRA), and 2013 U.S. Indoor Champions Sharon Day (USA) and Gray Horn (USA). The Sam Adams Invite will also feature the 2011 High Jump World Champion, Jesse Williams (USA), competing as a guest athlete along with universities from around the country.

“The SBTC and Westmont College are truly humbled by the caliber of competition we have the privilege of hosting at the Sam Adams Combined Events Invitational,” commented Josh Priester, Executive Director of the SBTC and Assistant Coach at Westmont College. “Support by Westmont and the Santa Barbara community have allowed us to elevate the week of events to an international level.”

Winners of the Sam Adams Combined Events Invitational will be invited to compete at the June 14 and 15 Oyo Decathlon & Heptathlon Meeting in Oyonnax, France hosted by the athletics club, L'Union Sportive Athletisme Haut Bugey. The French club brought a delegation of 27 athletes and coaches to participate in the SBTC’s ongoing international training camp, which brings together athletes and coaches from all over the world in an environment of shared knowledge and cultural exchange. Athletes from Brazil, Canada, France, United States and Zimbabwe are represented.

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In addition to the Sam Adams Invite, on Wednesday, April 2 at 4:30pm the Santa Barbara Track Club is organizing its second annual Santa Barbara Youth Challenge to see who will be named Santa Barbara’s ‘Greatest Kid’.  The challenge consists of a coaching clinic with Eaton and other professionals and is followed by a run, jump and throw competition.  The Youth Challenge is a FREE event for children ages 7-12, which is made possible by a generous Santa Barbara Athletic Association grant.

About the Santa Barbara Track Club

The Santa Barbara Track Club aims to create a progressive and cohesive Track & Field experience for members of our community from youth to masters as well as the development of Olympians and Olympic hopefuls alike. The professional athletes are composed of combined events athletes and middle distance athletes who also work within the community by serving as coaches and mentors to youth.  The coaching and personal training efforts of the athletes help to fund the continued growth of Santa Barbara as an international training hub as well as to promote cultural exchange and shared education.