Percy Opens B1G Championships With Third-Place Finish

LINCOLN, Neb. - The Big Ten Outdoor Track & Field Championships kicked off at Ed Weir Stadium on Friday.

Four events went final on the first day, while the men's pole vault was postponed to Saturday because of high winds. Gusts were up to 30 miles per hour throughout the day.

Sophomore Nick Percy earned a third-place finish in the hammer throw by tossing 216-4 1/4 (65.94m) on his fourth attempt. Percy, who finished third in the discus at last year's outdoor championships, improved his hammer throw finish by five spots from last year. He entered the meet with the third-best mark in the Big Ten this season and finished behind the top two seeds. 

Freshman Alice Akers finished 15th in the women's hammer throw after a personal-best throw of 173-9 (52.96m). 

The men's decathlon and women's heptathlon reached their halfway points. Cale Wagner is in fourth place in the decathlon with 3,959 points. Cody Walton (3,838) is eighth, while Guy Fenske (3,735) is 11th. Wagner and Walton are both on pace to top their previous personal bests.

Wagner was third in the 100 meters (10.79) and fourth in the long jump (23-9 1/2, 7.25m). He also tied for fifth in the high jump by clearing 6-5 1/2 (1.97m), matching his personal best. Walton set a 400-meter personal best of 49.55 to place fourth. He was fifth in the shot put at 41-9 3/4 (12.74m). 

Morgan Pieri is in 13th in the heptathlon with 2,736 points. Megan Lush finished 24th in the women's 10,000 meters in 37:16.30, running under the lights in the final event of the night.

In the early team standings, the Nebraska men are sixth with six points. The Husker women did not score in the two events that went final on day one.

Saturday's action begins with the decathlon 110-meter hurdles at 9:30 a.m. The field events and running events pick up at 12:45 p.m.