Dunn picks up Pac-10 point for Stanford in heptathlon

This weekend, the Pac-10 Championships started out with the multi-events competition at Berkeley. Representing the Cardinal were freshman Karynn Dunn and junior Whitney Liehr, while the men’s side did not have any athletes participating. In her debut in the multi-events arena, Dunn had an excellent performance that shows great promise for her future as a multi-events athlete.

The women’s outdoor heptathlon consists of seven events: 100-meter hurdles, high jump, shot put, 200-meter dash, long jump, javelin and 800-meter run. The heptathlon tests the athlete’s versatility and ability to perform well in various physical demands. She must be able to sprint, throw, jump and run a slightly longer distance. Typically multi-event athletes will have one or two strengths, as each event is assigned a certain number of points. Dunn’s strengths are the hurdles and the long jump. In addition to strengths, each athlete will have certain weaknesses at varying degrees. While the 800 is a tough run, Dunn’s main weakness is the javelin, which was a problem this weekend as well.

Dunn started the competition strong, sitting in fifth place after the first day of competition, with four of the seven events completed. Competing in her first-ever collegiate heptathlon, this was an impressive position for Dunn. In day one, she competed in the 200 meters, the 100-meter hurdles, shot put and high jump.

Dunn placed third overall in the 200 meters with a time of 25.01 seconds, her top finish for the day. Dunn scored 886 points in this event. Although usually a strong event for a hurdler and jumper, Dunn did not have a strong finish in the hurdles, finishing seventh with a time of 14.52 seconds.

In the high jump, Dunn had a personal best, leaping a height of 5-2.25, which was enough for sixth place. In the shot put, she finished fifth with a toss of 34-0.

In day two of the competition, Dunn had an incredible performance in the long jump with a leap of 18-9. Although this was not a career best for the talented long jumper, it was enough to be the best mark in that particular event. In the 800 meters, Dunn finished in ninth with a time of 2:35.01. Her weakest event was the javelin, in which she had a mark of 78-3.

“Going into the heptathlon, I was pretty nervous because it was my first time doing it, and I was going up against some great competitors,” Dunn said. “However, being there with my teammate Whitney Liehr helped to calm me down because she just told me to have fun with it.”

This weekend gave Dunn the experience she needed, allowing her to recognize exactly what she needs to focus on. Many heptathletes are simply average in all seven events. Being an exceptional long jumper will definitely assist Dunn in scoring big points and having a buffer for some of her tougher events, such as the 800 and the javelin.

“In the end it was all about helping my team get points and I’m glad that I could do that,” Dunn added.

The other Stanford athlete who competed this weekend was Liehr. Liehr had several notable performances in the individual sections of the heptathlon. For example, she ran a season-best time in the 100-meter hurdles with a time of 13.99 seconds. What really hurt the All-American was the fact that she had a no-height in the high jump. Not gaining any points from an event is very detrimental in the heptathlon, and she wasn’t able to move up because of the lack of points. Liehr dropped out of the competition after placing last in the long jump.

Overall, Dunn finished in eighth place and was able to score a point for the Cardinal. This point will assist the team as it competes in the rest of the Pac-10 Championships next weekend. Dunn will compete once more in her specialty events, as well as the 4×400-meter relay. Liehr will also compete next weekend in her best event, the triple jump. The Cardinal will face the other Pac-10 schools at Cal on Saturday and Sunday.