Harlan to defend men’s title at USA Indoor Combined Events Championships

INDIANAPOLIS - 2004 NCAA decathlon champion and 2005 USA Indoor heptathlon champion Jon (Ryan) Harlan will attempt to win his second consecutive U.S. men's national indoor crown this weekend at the 2006 USA Indoor Combined Events Championships at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

The men's heptathlon competition will begin Saturday at 2:00 p.m., with the women's pentathlon competition beginning at Noon on Sunday. The final events of the men's heptathlon will begin Sunday at 1 p.m.

Harlan set a decathlon personal best in 2004 at the NCAA Championships with his win (8,171 points) before placing 14th at the Olympic Trials in Sacramento with 7,330 points. In Sacramento he was released from the hospital just two hours before the first event began after being treated for a severe staph infection. Before entering Rice University as a freshman in the fall of 1999, Harlan had never competed in three of the ten events in the decathlon: pole vault, shot put, and javelin. In the spring of 2000, Harlan was the National Junior decathlon champion (6,835 points). Harlan ended his 2005 season ranked third in the U.S. by Track & Field News with a season best of 7,997 points.

Harlan will go head-to-head with Paul Terek, a two-time USA Indoor heptathlon champion and the 2005 USA decathlon runner-up. Terek finished out 2005 ranked #4 in the U.S. with a season's best of 7,976 points. A possible challenger to Harlan and Terek is talented newcomer Chris Boyles, who finished the 2005 USA Indoor Combined Events Championships in fourth place.

In the women's pentathlon competition, 2005 USA Outdoor heptathlon runner-up GiGi Miller will battle Fiona Asigbee, the 2005 USA Indoor pentathlon runner-up and outdoor heptathlon third place finisher. Miller finished out 2005 ranked #2 in the U.S. with a personal best of 6,192 points, while Asigbee was ranked #3 nationally with a personal best 5,994 points. Miller and Asigbee will be challenged by the rapidly developing Lela Nelson, the 2005 NCAA champion. Heading into the 2005 NCAA Championships as a senior at Eastern Michigan, Nelson had a personal best of 5,360 points, but after recording personal bests in five events improved her best to 5,878 points. Other competitors to watch for are Jackie Poulson and Tacita Bass, ranked #8 and #9 respectively. With five of the top ten performers of 2005 coming together at the 2006 USA Indoor Combined Events Championships, it should be a great competition.