Kansas State University Athletics
Okorie Finishes Second at Pan Am Junior Championships
Jul 23, 2017 | Track & Field
MANHATTAN, Kan. – Rising sophomore Ariel Okorie finished second in the heptathlon at the Pan American Junior Championships, which concluded on Sunday at Chan Chan Stadium in Trujillo, Peru.
The Waynesville, Missouri native was the top American finisher in the event with 5,253 points, holding off Canada’s Dallyssa Huggins (5,237), Trinidad and Tobago’s Tyra Gittens (5,230) and fellow American Tierra Crockrell (5,120) for second place. Cuba’s Adriana Rodriguez Fuentes won the event with a score of 5,733 points.
The 5,253 points were the second-highest scored by Okorie in the heptathlon this outdoor season, just 13 points behind her winning total (5,266) at the U.S. Junior Championship last month and two points more than her third-place finish (5,251) at the Big 12 Championship on May 13.
Sitting in third place after day one with 3,148 points, Okorie earned her runner-up finish by totaling Top 3 finishes in two of the last three events, including second place in the long jump (5.79m/19-0) and third place in the 800 meters (2:25.28). In all, she collected Top 3 finishes in four of the seven events, which included third place finishes in the 100-meter hurdles (14.12) and 200 meters (25.04) on the first day.
Okorie earned the opportunity to compete in the Pan Am Junior Championships after winning the heptathlon at the U.S. Track and Field Junior Outdoor Championship June 22-23 in Sacramento, California.
For the latest on K-State track and field, follow @kstatesports and @KStateTFXC on Twitter using the hashtag #KStateTF or on the team’s Facebook page.
The Waynesville, Missouri native was the top American finisher in the event with 5,253 points, holding off Canada’s Dallyssa Huggins (5,237), Trinidad and Tobago’s Tyra Gittens (5,230) and fellow American Tierra Crockrell (5,120) for second place. Cuba’s Adriana Rodriguez Fuentes won the event with a score of 5,733 points.
The 5,253 points were the second-highest scored by Okorie in the heptathlon this outdoor season, just 13 points behind her winning total (5,266) at the U.S. Junior Championship last month and two points more than her third-place finish (5,251) at the Big 12 Championship on May 13.
Sitting in third place after day one with 3,148 points, Okorie earned her runner-up finish by totaling Top 3 finishes in two of the last three events, including second place in the long jump (5.79m/19-0) and third place in the 800 meters (2:25.28). In all, she collected Top 3 finishes in four of the seven events, which included third place finishes in the 100-meter hurdles (14.12) and 200 meters (25.04) on the first day.
Okorie earned the opportunity to compete in the Pan Am Junior Championships after winning the heptathlon at the U.S. Track and Field Junior Outdoor Championship June 22-23 in Sacramento, California.
For the latest on K-State track and field, follow @kstatesports and @KStateTFXC on Twitter using the hashtag #KStateTF or on the team’s Facebook page.
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