WAVERLY, IA (May 27, 2016) – Senior Taylor Vann went through an emotional and draining second day of the decathlon at the 2016 NCAA Championships in action from Wartburg College and Walston-Hoover Stadium. In the end though, Vann's goal of becoming an All-American was realized, as he finished fifth overall with a school record 6680 points thanks to a late rally.

"I'm proud of Taylor for his discipline, focus, and commitment to the process of becoming the best he can be," said interim coordinator of cross country and track James McCowan. "Taylor has always been intent on his belief he could be competitive on the national stage, and we have supported this dream by showing him what he had to do, and letting him know where he was in relation to his goals."

Vann, who was celebrating his 22^nd birthday Friday afternoon, started the day in third place in strong position to pick up the program's first men's track All-American ever. In the first event of the day, Vann started out with a solid finish in the 110 hurdles, taking ninth place with a 15.70, for 767 points. The senior finished well, despite hitting the fourth hurdle and taking an extra step before the first leap.

After moving back into fourth place going into the seventh event, Vann was looking to regain some steam in the first throwing event of the day in the discus. Vann did not perform how he would have liked, throwing a 33.40 meter toss for 10^th place, earning 532 points.
 

The eighth event was the pole vault and Vann took 12^th place, earning 482 points after clearing a top height of 3.50 meters. Vann started at 3.00 meters and cleared his first vault, moving up to 3.50 meters for his next series, where he easily got over the bar. Vann passed on 3.60, but his three attempts at 3.70 were unsuccessful as he moved back into 10^th place after the event.

"Tay woke up in great spirits for day two, but after being just a bit off what we were hoping for it in the hurdles, then disc," said McCowan. "The vault was actually pretty successful, but it was tough to see the vaulters start taking up points and to see him slide to 10th."

That is when Vann showed his battle and grit, as he took to the throwing field for the ninth event and penultimate challenge, the javelin throw. Needing a great performance, Vann stepped up when he needed it, winning his second event of the decathlon with a toss of 51.60 meters on his first attempt, taking 612 points to give Vann a strong chance to earn All-American status with a strong output in the 1500 meters.

In the final event, Vann toed the line with a personal best 4:41 in the 1500 meters but knowing that he'd need to run around that to push into All-American status. In the final track moment of his career at Vassar, Vann made the most of the moment by besting his 1500 meter time by ten seconds with a 4:31 to win the event and pick up another 733 points. After the final calculations, Vann moved all the way up to fifth place, just five points behind a tie for third place.

"It's great to end my career at Vassar by being All-American," said Vann. "There's no such thing as a perfect decathlon, and these past two days were definitely imperfect. But from the four years of work that I've put in, dealing with adversity is all part of the experience. Justin and James were great with helping me stay focused and keep things in perspective."

"The beauty of the decathlon is that it can all come down to the 1500, which is all about heart. I think I did a good job of understanding what needed to be done before the 1500, and I made the right moves to be in the spot where I could kick for the win. It wasn't an easy two days, but that makes it all the more special to come away with a great finish," said Vann.

Vann was just the third track competitor to make the NCAA Championships for the Vassar track squad, but it seems that the third time was the charm for McCowan and company.

"One of the things we work on the most here at Vassar are skills that will allow you to problem solve. It's a real world skill that will get our athletes in a position to make a difference whether it is in competition or doing something for a future job," said interim head track coach Justin Harris. "Taylor has been great all four years but his best skill is the ability to figure things out in both the short term and long term."

"Our athletes show us again that anything is possible when we are given the chance. Taylor's performance represents our whole team's effort to make a difference and we are all so proud," said Harris. "From a walk on trying to run cross country to matter to an All-American in the decathlon - our school should be satisfied with our ability to fulfill its mission - a sound mind and a sound body."

"Justin has been a remarkable event coach for Taylor, mentoring him and guiding his development from a raw rookie to an All American decathlete," said McCowan.  "Justin is now three-for-three on All-American honors for the track athletes he has coached here, and that is a remarkable record." 

"Taylor has cemented his legacy as our first men's track decathlete, All-American, and a nine-time school record holder," said McCowan. "It's an honor to be guiding this program from its infancy as a club to its current record of national qualifiers and All-Americans in a range of events. Vassar has tremendous capacity for greatness, and we are deeply committed to the process of maximizing that greatness."