Heptathlon

Back in high school when Sharon Day was building herself as the greatest athlete to come out of Costa Mesa High, she competed in volleyball, soccer and track and field. In the spring, she excelled in track and field. At most meets, she racked up several points competing in four events. She wanted to do more. "You were only allowed to do four events," Day said. "I had to pick and choose. " Day is taking on much more these days in her quest to medal at the London Olympics.

UC Irvine junior Annmarie Turpin won the heptathlon Thursday in the Big West Conference track and field championships at Cal State Northridge. Turpin finished with a career-best total of 5,228 points, the fourth-best score in UCI history. Idaho's Dacia Fernandez placed second with 5,189, Anteater senior Jessica Stafford was third with a career-best total of 5,093 points (No. 6 in UCI history) and defending champion Katie Farner of Utah State finished fourth with 5,078 points.

Sharon Day embarks on new territory. Her country returns to a stadium in which it last competed in 1936. The 2002 Costa Mesa High graduate is competing for Team USA in both the women’s heptathlon and high jump at the 12th IAAF World Outdoor Championships, which start today and end on Aug. 23 in Berlin, Germany. Day and her teammates are going to be part of the first major international event to be held at the Berlin Olympic Stadium since the 1936 Olympic Games. Day qualified after her strong performance at the USA Track & Field Championships in Eugene, Ore. in June.

EUGENE, Ore. — Costa Mesa High product Sharon Day won the heptathlon at the USA Track & field Championships, while UC Irvine's Charles Jock finished third in the men's 800 meters Sunday at the University of Oregon. Day, the Newport-Mesa and Orange County Girls' Athlete of the Year as a 2002 graduate of Costa Mesa, entered the last event, the 800 meters, in second place. She finished in two minutes, 16.53 seconds to score 871 points and surpass then-leader Chantae McMillan, who clocked a time of 2:22.99, good for 783 points.

Sharon Day said she entered the U.S. Olympic track and field trials without much stress. She had already earned an 'A' standard and knew she had to finish in the top three in the heptathlon to qualify for the 2012 Olympics. A relaxed Day finished second in the women's heptathlon Saturday to qualify for her second Olympics. Four years ago, the former Costa Mesa High standout athlete qualified for the Beijing Olympics in the high jump. Day said she's a different athlete now with a different view and more experience.

Costa Mesa High product Sharon Day is in 12th place after four events on the first day of competition in the heptathlon at the IAAF Track and Field World Championships on Monday in Daegu, South Korea. The former Olympian will take 3,700 points into the second day. She earned 1,023 points in the 100-meter hurdles by finishing in 13.69 seconds. She produced 978 points by clearing 5 feet, 103/4 inches in the high jump. She posted a mark of 46-103/4 in the shot put (813 points)

Sharon Day, the former Costa Mesa High standout athlete, put herself in position to qualify for her second Olympics, this time in the heptathlon. Day, who qualified for the 2008 Olympics in the high jump, is in second after the first day of the women's heptathlon at the U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trials at Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore. Day scored 3,797 points and trails Hyleas Fountain, who leads with 3,948 points. Day, the reigning U.S. champion, can qualify for the Olympics if she finishes in the top three, since she attained the 'A' standard in April.

UC Irvine senior Annmarie Turpin, the defending Big West Conference heptathlon champion, pulled up with a right hamstring injury 50 meters into the 200-meter dash, Wednesday's last event at the Big West Conference men's and women's track and field championships at Anteater Stadium. Turpin is not expected to compete the remainder of the weekend. She was on school-record pace with 2,453 points after the first three events, recording marks of 14.44 seconds in the 100 hurdles, 5 feet, 8 inches in the high jump and 38-6 3/4 in the shot put. She entered the meet ranked 10th in the nation in the heptathlon.

UC Irvine junior Annmarie Turpin finished 21st out of 27 competitors in the heptathlon at the NCAA track and field championships that concluded Saturday on the Sacramento State campus. Turpin, who tore her left anterior cruciate ligament two years ago, had a total of 4,928 points over the seven events at the A.G. Spanos Sports Complex. Hyleas Fountain of Georgia won the competition with 5,999 points, Washington State's Ellannee Richardson was second with 5,839 and Idaho's Angela Whyte was third with 5,745.

UC Irvine will have three competitors at the NCAA Track and Field Championships in Sacramento today through Saturday. UCI's trio includes junior Julian Eison (high jump), senior Ricky Barnes (1,500 meters) and sophomore Lauren Collins (heptathlon). Eison qualified with a fifth-place finish of 6 feet, 11 inches in the high jump at the NCAA West Regional in Eugene, Ore., last weekend. Barnes, who finished sixth in the 1,500 meters at the regional (3 minutes, 46.71 seconds)

Sharon Day, a Costa Mesa High product, ran hot and cold on Friday on her first day of the seven-event heptathlon at the Olympic Games in London. Day, 27, sits 18th overall with 3,740 points after four events. Jessica Ennis of Great Britain leads the field with 4,158 points, while American Hyleas Fontain is fifth with 3,900. Day began the day with a personal record of 13.57 seconds in the 100-meter hurdles. She finished fifth in her heat, but posted the 17th-best time, good for 1,040 points.

Sharon Day said she entered the U.S. Olympic track and field trials without much stress. She had already earned an 'A' standard and knew she had to finish in the top three in the heptathlon to qualify for the 2012 Olympics. A relaxed Day finished second in the women's heptathlon Saturday to qualify for her second Olympics. Four years ago, the former Costa Mesa High standout athlete qualified for the Beijing Olympics in the high jump. Day said she's a different athlete now with a different view and more experience.

Sharon Day, the former Costa Mesa High standout athlete, put herself in position to qualify for her second Olympics, this time in the heptathlon. Day, who qualified for the 2008 Olympics in the high jump, is in second after the first day of the women's heptathlon at the U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trials at Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore. Day scored 3,797 points and trails Hyleas Fountain, who leads with 3,948 points. Day, the reigning U.S. champion, can qualify for the Olympics if she finishes in the top three, since she attained the 'A' standard in April.

Back in high school when Sharon Day was building herself as the greatest athlete to come out of Costa Mesa High, she competed in volleyball, soccer and track and field. In the spring, she excelled in track and field. At most meets, she racked up several points competing in four events. She wanted to do more. "You were only allowed to do four events," Day said. "I had to pick and choose. " Day is taking on much more these days in her quest to medal at the London Olympics.

Costa Mesa High product Sharon Day is in 12th place after four events on the first day of competition in the heptathlon at the IAAF Track and Field World Championships on Monday in Daegu, South Korea. The former Olympian will take 3,700 points into the second day. She earned 1,023 points in the 100-meter hurdles by finishing in 13.69 seconds. She produced 978 points by clearing 5 feet, 103/4 inches in the high jump. She posted a mark of 46-103/4 in the shot put (813 points)

EUGENE, Ore. — Costa Mesa High product Sharon Day won the heptathlon at the USA Track & field Championships, while UC Irvine's Charles Jock finished third in the men's 800 meters Sunday at the University of Oregon. Day, the Newport-Mesa and Orange County Girls' Athlete of the Year as a 2002 graduate of Costa Mesa, entered the last event, the 800 meters, in second place. She finished in two minutes, 16.53 seconds to score 871 points and surpass then-leader Chantae McMillan, who clocked a time of 2:22.99, good for 783 points.

BERLIN — Sharon Day, regarded by many as the greatest athlete from Costa Mesa High, earned the eighth spot after four events in the heptathlon at the IAAF World Championships in Berlin, Germany Saturday. Day’s highest finish came in the high jump. She cleared 1.89 meters (6.2 feet) to take second and earned 1,093 points. She finished fourth in the shot put with a mark of 13.42 meters (44.04 feet), a personal best, and garnered 755 points. She was eighth in the 200 meters, third in her heat, finishing in 25.15 seconds.

Sharon Day embarks on new territory. Her country returns to a stadium in which it last competed in 1936. The 2002 Costa Mesa High graduate is competing for Team USA in both the women’s heptathlon and high jump at the 12th IAAF World Outdoor Championships, which start today and end on Aug. 23 in Berlin, Germany. Day and her teammates are going to be part of the first major international event to be held at the Berlin Olympic Stadium since the 1936 Olympic Games. Day qualified after her strong performance at the USA Track & Field Championships in Eugene, Ore. in June.

Cal Poly San Luis Obispo senior Sharon Day, a Costa Mesa High product, has earned her second Big West Women’s Field Athlete of the Year award. Day, the conference heptathlon, high jump and long jump champion, was also named the Cal Poly Female Athlete of the Year. Day cleared 6 feet, 4 3/4 inches in the high jump at the conference championships on May 17, an Olympic “A” standard that allowed her to compete in the U.S. Olympic trials beginning June 27 in Eugene, Ore. She was the third American woman to meet the standard, and the mark ranks her No. 1 nationally among NCAA competitors.

An hour before she turned 22, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo high jumper Sharon Day said she wasn't too thrilled about Friday's performance at the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships in Sacramento. After sitting out a year due to breaking her left foot, the former Costa Mesa High star cleared 6 feet, coming up four inches short of her personal-best of 6-4 set two years ago as a sophomore in winning the national crown. Day finished in fourth place in her return in the high jump final at Sacramento State's Hornet Stadium.