Michigan
NCAA Indoor Championships
Bastien Comes Up Clutch on Day One of NCAAs
3/10/2017 12:00:00 AM | Men's Track & Field
March 10, 2017
» Steven Bastien scored 3,221 points on the first day of the heptathlon to enter day two in seventh place, posting big third-attempt marks in both the long jump and high jump.
» Miler Ned Willig was eighth in his heat of the mile to close out his season.
» Bastien will finish his heptathlon in pursuit of his third straight first team All-America honor on Saturday, while weight throwers Grant Cartwright and Joe Ellis go for U-M's first-ever top-eight finishes in the event.
Site: College Station, Texas (Gilliam Indoor Track and Field Stadium)
Event: NCAA Indoor Championships (Day 1)
U-M Team Standing: No Place (0 Points) after Day 1
Next U-M Event: Saturday, March 11 -- at NCAA Indoor Championships (College Station, Texas), Noon CST
COLLEGE STATION, Texas -- Competing for the first time since bowing out of the Big Ten Championships heptathlon with injury, Steven Bastien was back and almost better than ever Friday (March 10) to headline day one of the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships.
Bastien -- one of two day-one entries for the No. 21 University of Michigan men's track and field team along with miler Ned Willig -- came through in the clutch multiple times to tally 3,221 points through the first four events of the two-day, seven-event slog that is the heptathlon, good for seventh place overall.
Willig finished his season with an eighth-place finish in his heat of the mile preliminaries, crossing the line in 4:05.48 for USTFCCCA second team All-America honors.
Bastien, a two-time first team All-American with eighth-place showings the past two seasons, put himself in great shape to become just the seventh man in meet history (or more, depending on other athletes' results this weekend) to earn top-eight honors in three consecutive calendar years.
Though he is 25 points behind his personal-record day-one total of 3,246 points from last year's NCAAs, he finds himself on a higher rung of the overall standings; he left the Birmingham Crossplex a year ago after the first day in ninth.
Bastien started the day with a solid opening effort over 60 meters, running 6.96 for 897 points to position himself sixth heading into the long jump.
It was in the long jump that Bastien really took off. After a first-attempt foul and a second-round leap of 7.04m (23-1.25), the senior from Saline, Michigan, soared 7.43m (24-4.5) on his final jump -- only 14 centimeters from his career best -- for 918 points.
Big final jump for @Steven_Bastien! He goes 7.43m (24-4.5) for 918 points! That's just 14cm shy of his PR! pic.twitter.com/g6jn5VsHUc
-- Michigan Track&Field (@UMichTrack) March 10, 2017
His long jump moved him up a spot to fifth in the overall standings, a position he solidified in the shot put half an hour later. Riding his horizontal jumps momentum, Bastien opened his three-throw series with a season-best mark of 13.12m (43.5) for 675 points.
Bastien closed the day with a pair of third-attempt clearances in the high jump, stepping up to the occasion at both 1.89m (6-2.25) and 1.92m (6-3.5) to earn 731 points. Twice he came close to notching clearances at 1.95m (6-4.75) but ultimately came up just short.
Bastien is coming up clutch today! Fights off elimination on his third jump for the second height in a row!
Movin' on to 1.95m (6-4.75) pic.twitter.com/S8V3Ka38F5-- Michigan Track&Field (@UMichTrack) March 10, 2017
Between his crunch time improvements in the long jump and the high jump, Bastien gained himself 126 points in the standings -- the difference between entering Saturday's 60-meter hurdles event at noon CST in seventh and entering in a tie for 13th.
In the mile prelims, Willig ran from the back of the pack for a majority of the race, coming through 800 meters in 2:02.51. The graduate transfer from Brown lost contact with the pack on the final lap, however, with a 32.44 split over the final 200 meters after putting in his fastest lap of the race -- a 29.71 -- on the penultimate circuit of the 200-meter banked track.
The Wolverines will return to action Saturday starting at noon CST with Bastien in the heptathlon 60-meter hurdles, followed by the weight throw duo of Grant Cartwright and Joe Ellis at 2 p.m. CST.
Tweet of the Day 
.@Steven_Bastien closes out day 1 of the #NCAATF heptathlon in 7th place with 3221 points!
Was 9th a year ago at this point en route to 8th pic.twitter.com/DKTsYYNMnT-- Michigan Track&Field (@UMichTrack) March 10, 2017
Communications Contact: Kyle Terwillegar
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