Both Annika Williams and Koby Kessler took leads of the Heptathlon and Decathlon during the opening day of the Big Ten Outdoor Track Championships at Hayward Field in Eugene. 

Williams placed eighth in the 100m hurdles and ninth in the 200m, but a second place finish in the shot put and a tie for first in the high jump had her in the lead going into the second day. Williams scored a 3635 on Friday, which put her in the lead by 99 points over Illinois’ Melissa Wullschleger. 

Williams’ strengths don’t lie in the sprints, but she set a season best of 14.02 in the hurdles. She also posted a 1.78 season best in the high jump. 

Kessler surprised many and took a narrow, 34-point lead over Purdue’s Andreas Hantson going into the second day of the decathlon. In Friday’s opening event, Kessler secured a personal best time of 10.69 in the 100m sprint. None of the other runners posted personal or season bests, which propelled Kessler to an early lead. 

“It was awesome (to have the crowd behind me),” Kessler said. “We have another day tomorrow, and it’s gonna be a battle, but I’m a warrior and I can push through.” 

Kessler tied for first in the long jump with his 7.37, and posted a personal best 2.02 in the high jump, which placed him second. Kessler battled a knee injury throughout the competition, which prevented what could have been an even larger lead.

“Shoutout to my trainers for keeping me healthy. I’ve been fighting a knee injury since indoor at Arkansas, a little bit of tendonitis in my knee, but I’ve been pushing through. It’s definitely a rewarding feeling when you have something to push through,” Kessler said. 

Kessler placed 10th in the shot put, but still managed a personal best of 12.41. His knee injury held him back in the 400m, which forced him into a 12th place time of 51.62. 

“I love the pressure, I perform well under pressure,” Kessler said. “The moment’s not bigger than me and I can push through the pain.”

Kessler totaled 4028 points on the day and was the only athlete to score over 4000. 

Kessler was joined by Aiden Carter and Arthur Katahdin in the decathlon, who placed eighth and 14th, respectively.  

Pole vaulter Kyle Gibbs, who won the Twilight Meet at Hayward Field with a 5.37m vault, could not clear 5.19m today after being cleared through the first several stages. He was the only Oregon vaulter competing and his personal best still sits at 5.51m. 

While Williams and Kessler continue their conference championship journeys tomorrow, a whole new swath of athletes will shine in what should be an exciting Saturday. 

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