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GENEVA, Ohio -- Kicking off the heptathlon in style, Alyssa Roach pieced together a historic performance in the 100-hurdles to headline a solid performance on the first day of the combined event at the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships on Thursday afternoon at the SPIRE Institute in Geneva, Ohio.

Through four events, Roach boasts a total score of 2,784. That places her 12th in a field featuring the top student-athletes from around the country.

"We are pretty happy with Day 1. Sitting in 12th right now is a good spot with a couple of strong events tomorrow," said head coach Tyler Wingard. "Overall, Alyssa is feeling good about the day and optimistic about tomorrow. Sitting 12th among Division III's best athletes is a good place at the break!"

Opening the action on Thursday, Roach completed the 100-hurdles in 14.41, which marked the fastest raw clocking by a Captain in 22 years. Putting that performance into perspective, Christopher Newport Hall of Famer Casey Taylor was the last standout to beat that time after she threw down a 14.10 mark at the NCAA Outdoor Championships on May 27, 2000 - exactly 13 months before Roach was born.

Along with Taylor, only former legend Bridget Cochran ever topped Roach's time in the 100-hurdles after she won three straight national titles in the event from 1996-98.

In addition to placing her among the all-time greats in Christopher Newport history, Roach's performance on Thursday marked the top clocking in the conference this year. It also placed her second in the region and 25th in the entire NCAA.

After opening her day with a sensational showcase in the hurdles, Roach set her sights on the field events with a 1.49-meter clearance in the high jump before establishing a new PR in the shot put with a 9.00-meter launch. That added eight inches onto her previous best set earlier this year at the Coast-to-Coast Athletic Conference Championships.

Rounding out her day, Roach returned to the track and polished off the 200 in 26.09. That placed her 11th in the field and marked the second-fastest clocking of her career.

"We had hoped to get a little more out of the wind-assisted hurdles and 200, but her legs had never spun that fast before, so it is hard to ask for more - especially in the hurdles," said Wingard. "Rhythm in the high jump has been elusive this spring, so staying solid there relative to her qualifying performance was good. And it was nice to get a big PR in the shot put as she's been working hard to get to that nine-meter threshold."

Roach and the rest of the heptathletes will return to action on Friday at 11 a.m. with the start of the long jump. Later, the javelin is scheduled to open at 12:15 p.m. before the 800 wraps things up around 2:45.

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