Buoyed by a blistering 400, Larsen claims All-American honors and surpasses 7K mark in decathlon

UAA’s Anders Larsen is the definition of pure grit.

The sophomore from Chugiak delivered the performance of his life in the decathlon, scoring a personal-best 7,041 points to place seventh and earn All-American honors at the NCAA Division II Outdoor Track & Field Championships in Emporia, Kan.

Competing in his second national meet this year, the reigning GNAC champion used his signature start to immediately vault himself into the top-3 clocking 10.87 seconds in the 100-meter dash.

Larsen added a commendable 22-4.5 in the long jump, a personal-best 42-2.25 in the shot put and cleared 6-1.5 to remain in the top-4, out of 16 total competitors, after four events.

But then came his strongest event of them all: the 400.

The sophomore zipped around the oval in a jaw-dropping 48.06 seconds to win the event in a huge personal best and close out day one in third place. Not to mention, he did it all in lane eight — arguably the toughest lane to run a 400 race — with a performance as gutsy as the likes of Wayde van Niekerk, who won the 2016 Olympics and set the world record from the outermost lane.

Larsen’s time ranks eighth in program history and catapults him onto the Alaska all-time list at No. 2, among known performers. Only Ethan Hewitt, who’s also a former UAA and Chugiak High alum, has ever run faster.

Alaska Men’s All-Time 400m

1. Ethan Hewitt, 47.51 (4/11)
2. Anders Larsen, 48.06 (5/26)
3. James Kenfield, 48.14 (5/97)
4. Daquon Brunson, 48.22 (4/11)
5. Johnny McGrew, 48.24 (1989)
6. Eliyah Dominique, 48.24 (4/25)
7. Curtis Beck, 48.36 (4/26)
8. Munya Maraire, 48.49 (5/02)
9. Blake Arnold, 48.56 (4/09)
10. Brenner Furlong, 48.64 (5/19)

Source: Alaska Sports Report

Day two brought inclement weather, but the Alaskan confidently weathered the storm, putting together another string of solid performances in the 110 hurdles (14.94), discus (115-0), pole vault (13-1.5), javelin (160-1) and 1,500 (5:07.36).

The tightly-contested decathlon was determined by just a handful of points, as West Texas A&M’s Fran Bonifačić claimed the crown with 7,499 points — seven points ahead of runner-up Leo Chauchard of Pittsburg State.

Larsen held on for seventh with 7,041 points — five points ahead of GNAC rival Drew Klein of Central Washington — as the top-8 all broke the 7K barrier.

Larsen’s score ranks fifth in GNAC history and second in program history, trailing only Cody Thomas, who won the national title with 7,590 points in 2016. Larsen is the first athlete since Thomas to qualify in the decathlon.

“Anders competed in one epically long decathlon,” said coach Ryan McWilliams in a press release. “Consorted in inclement weather, dealt with weather delays, dealt with equipment delays and some very stiff competitors. He came in 15th and leaves as an All-American with his seventh-place finish.”

“I just couldn’t be more proud of him.”

Larsen’s decathlon score also ranks second in Alaska history, among known performers, behind only Anchorage’s Sean Christian. Christian, a Service High alum, amassed 7,199 points in 1998 while competing for Idaho State.

Alaska Men’s All-Time Decathlon

1. Sean Christian, 7,199 (1998)
2. Anders Larsen, 7,041 (5/26)
3. Riley Knott, 6,931 (4/25)
4. Terrel Johnson, 6,794 (4/23)
5. Drew Edwards, 6,258 (4/10)
6. Stephen Wilson, 6,033 (3/15)
7. Jonah Coats, 5,983 (5/21)
8. Taj Showalter, 5,829 (5/16)
9. Daniel Remington, 5,690 (5/18)
10. Marcus Dunbar, 5,389 (7/90)

Source: Alaska Sports Report

Larsen also led a quintet of Seawolves at the national meet — the most to qualify for the outdoor national meet since 2019.

Jess Chisar, a sophomore, battled commendably in the 800, finishing fifth in her preliminary heat and 10th overall in 2:07.99, but did not qualify for the final. Chisar, who ranks second in program history, dipped under 2:08 for the third time this season.

John Peckham, a graduate student, finished 11th in the 3,000-meter steeplechase in 9:07.16 to conclude his UAA career as a four-time national qualifier and All-American in cross country. Peckham qualified for the finals on time, after running a personal-best 8:55.01, which ranks third in program history and sixth in GNAC history.

Vivien Liessfeld, a junior, finished 12th in the long jump in 19-1.25. The program record holder and reigning GNAC champion in the heptathlon and long jump was just two inches shy of qualifying for the finals.

Ryann Smith, a junior, finished 15th in the 1,500 in 4:29.61, after squeaking into the meet as the 20th seed. Smith navigated the brisk opening pace well, but came up just 1.07 seconds shy of qualifying for the finals. Smith, who ranks fourth in program history, dipped under 4:30 for the third time this season.

Chisar, Peckham, Liessfeld and Smith all earned second-team All-American honors by finishing in the top-16.

“This is the toughest meet of the year,” said coach Ryan McWilliams in a press release. “Best competition in the division. We had a great group of athletes here. I’m proud to have had them represent UAA and proud of the way every single one of them competed.”

“Jess, Ryann, Vivien, John and Anders…have set the standard for the program going forward, and we are ready for our young team to continue the trajectory.”

Also competing in the 1,500 was Eagle River’s Emily Walsh, who finished 10th in 4:24.32. The Cedarville graduate student snagged a time qualifier into the finals, qualifying via 4:26.00 in the prelims. Walsh finished 1.52 seconds outside of the final All-American honor, but earned second-team honors for her efforts. She wraps up an illustrious career for the Yellow Jackets, as a three-time All-American (cross country, indoor mile, outdoor 1,500) and recorded five of the top-10 1,500 times in program history. Her personal bests in the 1,500 (4:21.22) and the mile (4:47.56) rank third and fourth all-time in Alaska history.

Fairbanks’ Essence Slate anchored Mount Olive to a second-place showing in the prelims of the 4×100 relay with a then-program record of 44.55. While Slate, a Lathrop High grad, did not compete in the finals, the Trojans went on to place runner-up in 44.29 behind Tusculum (44.05), lowering their program and conference record in the process.

Fairbanks’ Layla Fields also anchored Central Washington in the 4×100 prelims, as the Wildcats finished 11th in 46.10, but did not qualify for the finals. The former West Valley standout concluded her phenomenal freshman campaign with second-team All-American honors.

At the Division III Outdoor Track & Field Championships in La Crosse, Wis., Homer’s Brightly Thoning ran the second leg of the 4×100 relay for Trinity (Tex.), as the Tigers finished 14th in 47.58. And while the relay was just 0.67 from qualifying for the finals, the quartet already made history by becoming the first women’s track and field relay to qualify for the national championships.