Posted: March 6, 2006

Athletics: Harlan, Nelson win at USA Combined Championships

INDIANAPOLIS - Ryan Harlan and Lela Nelson won their respective men's and women's titles Sunday at the 2006 USA Indoor Combined Events Championships at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

The 24-year-old defending champion, Harlan lead after the first day of competition and held off a late comeback on Sunday by 2004 Olympian Paul Terek to win his second consecutive men's title with 5,949 points.

The 2004 NCAA D-I decathlon champion, Harlan won two of seven events contested. The former Rice University standout won the shot put (16.36m/53-8.25) and the 60m hurdles (7.96).

The two-time champion Terek was the runner-up with 5,883 points, after ending the first day of competition in fourth place. After finishing in fourth place last year at this event, Chris Boyles was third with 5,751 points. Ryan Olkowski was fourth with 5,747 points.

In the women's pentathlon competition, Nelson, the 2005 NCAA heptathlon champion, won the event with 4,123 points over runner-up Jackie Poulson (4,094 points). Danielle McNaney was third with 3,886 points, with Funmilayo Jimoh fourth with 3,873 points.

Out of the five women's events contested on Sunday, Nelson won two of them. Her wins were in the 60m hurdles (8.47) and the long jump (6.35m/20-10). Runner-up Jackie Poulson put up quite a fight, winning two events of her own. Poulson's wins were in the high jump (1.71m/5-07.25) and the shot put (12.87m/42-02.75). But Nelson's 224 point victory over Poulson in the long jump cemented her lead and there was no looking back as she went on to victory.

For more information on the 2005 USA Indoor Combined Events Championships, including the complete results, visit USATF.org.

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