ISU decathlete Neil Hines set personal bests in four events to earn All-American honors and a fourth-place overall finish at the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships on Thursday in Sacramento, Calif.

Hines came up big in the final event, running an all-time personal best of 4:33.91 in the 1,500-meter run. That time was seven seconds faster then he had ever run the 1,500, and gave him a final score of 7,664 points, which allowed him to edge Northern Iowa’s Raven Cepeda (7,648 points) for fourth place.

“We had a lot of time between the javelin and the 1,500 meters,” Hines said in a press release. “That gave you time to think and figure out what you had to do. I knew I had to stay within about six seconds of Cepeda to get fourth. I’m really almost speechless because I never dreamed I’d do anything like this. It is great to do this with [ISU head coach Steve Lynn] and [ISU assistant] coach [Ron] McEachran here.”

Hines became only the second ISU track athlete to earn All-America honors in the decathlon behind a performance that saw him improve his Big 12 conference title.

Hines totaled 7,664 points at the championships, compared to 7,508 points at the Big 12 conference meet.

“Neil was at his best when he needed to be. He got here with hard work,” Lynn said. “That is how an OK high school pole vaulter turns into, over time, an All-American in the decathlon. It was a wonderful day. I could see him pick it up down the stretch in the 1,500 meters. He is the epitome of what a college student-athlete should be.”

Jake Arnold of Arizona won the event with 8,215 points, and was followed by Joe Detmer of Wisconsin with 7,963 points and Jangy Addy of Tennessee with 7,808 points.

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