Sanderson attempts for Olympic Trials time at weekend competitions

Senior+Taylor+Sanderson+runs+toward+the+finish+line+during+the+60-meter+hurdles+as+part+of+the+mens+heptathalon+at+the+Big+12+Indoor+Championships+held+at+the+Lied+Rec+Center+on+Feb.+27.+Sanderson+placed+third+with+a+time+of+8.25+seconds.

Emily Blobaum/Iowa State Daily

Senior Taylor Sanderson runs toward the finish line during the 60-meter hurdles as part of the men’s heptathalon at the Big 12 Indoor Championships held at the Lied Rec Center on Feb. 27. Sanderson placed third with a time of 8.25 seconds.

Allison Walters

Decathlete Taylor Sanderson will not only attempt to qualify for the NCAA Outdoor Championships this week, but also hopes to get a score of 7,900 in the decathlon, which will qualify him for the Olympic Trials this summer.

The Second-Team All-American athlete will make his first outdoor season debut in multi-events this weekend at the Jim Click Shootout Multis, hosted by University of Arizona in Tucson. Sanderson scored a 7,360 at the Mt. SAC Relays last year, making it a personal-best performance that hasn’t been broken since.

The ISU track and field team will split up this weekend, sending multi-field athletes to the Jim click Shootout Multis and the rest to the Sun Angel Classic, which is hosted by Arizona State in Tempe, Ariz.

Freshman Wyatt Rhoads will compete alongside Sanderson at the Jim Click Shootout.

At the Sun Angel Track Classic, Jalen Ford will compete in the high jump again, after taking first place at the Stanford Invite with a finish of 2.01 meters.

Brandon Wheat, who ran an outdoor personal-best in the 800-meter at the San Francisco Distance Carnival last weekend, will compete in the 800-meter again this weekend. 

Action at the Jim Click Shootout Multis will begin on Thursday and end on Friday, while the Sun Angel Classic will take place on Saturday.