Kaytie Bateman (Chehalis, Wash.) posted personal bests in four of the five events in the pentathlon, breaking the school record by over 300 points as the Western Athletic Conference Indoor Track and Field Championships got underway Thursday at the Albuquerque Convention Center.
Bateman started the day with a personal-best time of 9.51 seconds in the 60 meter hurdles, followed by another personal best in the high jump, clearing 1.55 meters (5'1"). She earned her third personal best of the day in the shot put with a top throw of 9.95 meters (32' 7.75").
After a jump of 4.95 meters (16' 3") in the long jump, Bateman bested her personal mark in the 800 meters by three seconds, crossing the finish line with a time of 2:27.94. The senior finished the pentathlon with 3,275 points, 319 points more than she accumulated on Jan. 27, 2012, to set the previous school record.
Bateman's total put her in ninth place in the meet standings out of 18 competitors, just one spot out of a scoring position. Zoe Meade of New Mexico State defeated Johanna Hocketstaller of Idaho by just two points to win the pentathlon conference title.
The WAC Championships will kick into full gear Friday, Feb. 22, with Bateman competing in the women's high jump at 1:30 p.m. local time (12:30 p.m. Pacific time) to lead off Seattle U's participation.