Yariel Soto Torrado decathlon career best earns NCAA sixth

AUSTIN – Battling throughout the NCAA decathlon, Yariel Soto Torrado produced a career best score of 7,917 points to earn the Razorbacks three team points. Teammate Daniel Spejcher finished 10 with a score of 7,688 points.

No. 1 Arkansas leads the field with seven of 21 events scored. The Razorbacks have 24 points and are followed by Standford (18), Arizona (16), and LSU (15).

In winning the decathlon with a tally of 8,836 points, Leo Neugebauer of Texas broke the collegiate record set by runner-up Kyle Garland of Georgia as well as the German national record

Garland, who held the collegiate record with a score of 8,720 set in Fayetteville last May, scored 8,630 while Iowa’s Austin West surpassed 8,000 points with a score of 8,054.

Soto Torrado started the second day with a 15.28 in the 110m hurdles, then threw the discus 140-0 (42.69). In the pole vault, Soto Torrado totaled 883 points by clearing 16-1.25 (4.91).

A javelin toss of 150-4 (45.82) followed and then a time of 4:36.01 completed the decathlon.

Soto Torrado remains in the No. 4 position on the UA all-time list with the six point improvement.

Spejcher kicked off the second day with an all-conditions best of 14.19 (3.1 wind) in the 110m hurdles for 950 points. A discus mark of 151-1 (46.07), pole vault of 15-9.25 (4.81), and javelin toss of 169-7 (51.69) followed. Spejcher capped the day with a 4:52.05 in the 1,500m.