March 20 - Oberlin Senior Kyle Taljan finished second in the decathlon at Emory University today in Atlanta, Georgia. Taljan's combined total of 5738 points, in the grueling two day, ten-event competition, was enough to post a new Oberlin school record.

The Yeomen senior was steady throughout the meet and began with an impressive finish in the 100 meter dash. His time of 11.47 seconds was good enough for second in the field and put 759 points on the board after Taljan's name. Other day one highlights included a third place finish in the shot put and his second highest event total in the 400 meter dash (691 – 52.79 seconds).

Taljan capped off the record-breaking performance today with a personal best in the javelin (166-03 feet), good enough to take top honors in the event and score 599 points. Coach Jason Hudson said, “The effort that Kyle gave these past two days was tremendous and I think that his results speak to that fact. He put up some terrific marks in this meet, but he has room to improve on all of the events as we get into the meat of the outdoor season. He should have at least two more opportunities to compete in the decathlon this season, and after posting his best ever performance this week he is off to the best start of his career.  As a result we are very excited to see what he can do when he gets another chance to excel in this event.”

Also competing at Emory University for Oberlin Track & Field was senior Madeline Schultz who finished 6th in the High Jump with a result of 4' 11.5”. Schultz will compete again tomorrow in the 400 and 100 meter hurdles.