Worley Fifth in the Decathlon at High Point
Alex Worley of Sandhills Community College took a step toward defending his 2018 NJCAA Division III title in the Decathlon with a strong performance against NCAA Division I and II athletes at High Point University's Bill Webb Combined Events meet last Thursday and Friday.
The Flyer sophomore finished fifth overall among 12 contestants from High Point, Wake Forest, Catawba and Queens University in the 10 event competition. He completed the grueling two days by finishing second in the 1,500 meter run. His next best performance earned him fifth place in the pole vault.
Also at the Bill Webb, sophomore Emily Doorey of the Flyers completed four events on the first day of the women's seven-event Heptathlon, but had to withdraw from Day 2 because of a knee injury. Her best event was the shot put where she finished fifth in a field of 15 contestants.
"I was proud of both of them," Flyers' coach Jef Moody said of the Pinecrest High School grads. "Emily was in an automobile accident over the holiday break. Her knee swelled up and she couldn't finish.
"It was really neat to see the Flyer logo on the scoreboard. They did Sandhills proud. We showed everybody we definitely belong."
Doorey's third place finish in the Heptathlon at the national championship meet in Utica, NY last May earned her third-team NJCAA Honorable Mention All-American honors. But because of the injury, the plan for now is to concentrate on the shot put and javelin in order to minimize running and jumping.
She and Worley often work together at practice. According to Moody, Doorey has been helping some of the newcomers to the team that are involved in the field events. She is headed for UNC-Charlotte following her graduation from Sandhills.
"Having to master all the techniques is definitely a challenge, but I love it," she said last week before the meet."
Moody was particularly impressed with Worley's effort in the pole vault that produced a better result than he achieved in last year's national championship meet.
"There was a lot of air between Alex and the ground," the coach said.
Worley's point total for the 10 events was 102 more than at last year's Bill Webb when he finished fifth out of eight contestants. This year's men's winner was Stefan Jungmichel of Queens. The Women's winner was Elise Ulseth of Queens.
Beginning with the Trojan Challenge at Mount Olive University on Friday and Saturday, that Flyers have a busy schedule that includes four more meets before the NJCAA Division III National Championships in Utica on May 9-11. This was only opportunity for Worley and Doorey to compete in the decathlon and heptathlon.
C. Bergmann