Posted 5/16/07 @ 10:34 PM CST

It all started with a dream four years ago.

When Neil Hines decided to focus on being a decathlete after spending his freshman season as a pole vaulter, he was focused on the future.

For Hines, that vision came true Friday and Saturday at the Big 12 Championships in Lincoln, Neb., where he became the second ISU athlete to win a conference title in the decathlon, following Ron Blums’ victory in 1993.

“I always felt like I had the ability to do this. Four years ago, that’s all I had – my own belief,” Hines said. “I could always picture myself competing with the best guys in the country, even then, when no one else would have guessed it. I could visualize competing with these guys and beating them.”

A career-best score of 7,508 points was enough to beat Nebraska’s Lee Martin by 186 points. Coming into the event, Hines said he thought the championship was his to lose, but his defining moment came after a sixth-place finish in the shot put pushed him back to seventh place overall.

“That was the point where I really had a gut check. I questioned myself for a second,” Hines said. “That’s where I think my experience came into play. I was able just to forget about it and realize I had seven more events.”

He came back to score a career best in the high jump and take fourth place in the 400-meter dash, to finish the day in second.

He took the lead on the second day with a career best in the discus throw and cemented the lead with a career-best pole vault.

Although he battled with hometown favorite Martin, Hines, who is from Morse Bluff, Neb., had his own cheering section filled with friends and family supporting him. Winning in Nebraska’s Ed Weir Stadium took on special meaning for Hines.

“Four years ago, when I started to train for this, I actually lived in Lincoln that summer, and I remember climbing the fence to get onto that track,” Hines said. “Everything felt comfortable, and I was just able to be confident and focused and still able to enjoy myself throughout the whole competition.”

The score leaves Hines at fourth in the nation in the decathlon. Coach Steve Lynn said the all-around performance, with eight season or career-best marks in individual events, makes him deserving of a high ranking and a trip to NCAA Nationals.

“He came out and was just solid in every single event. Seven thousand, five hundred points is a great score,” Lynn said. “He belongs there; he’s certainly one of the top 10 guys in the country.”

Hines will compete at Nationals in Sacramento, Calif., from June 6 to 9.

Hines said his training has prepared him for the final portion of the season.

“Obviously, my ultimate goal is to be an All-American, and I’m in position to do very well at Nationals,” Hines said. “This whole year I’ve been really listening to my body, and I’ve been working with trainers gearing up for this stretch right now – these last four weeks.”