NEWBERG, Ore. – Ronan Krutzikowsky placed second in the 400-meter dash, vaulting the Linfield senior into fourth place in the men's decathlon point standings after the first day of action Monday at the Northwest Conference Multi-Event Championships.

Krutzikowsky amassed 2,899 points, 639 points behind competition leader Tayler Phillips of George Fox. Whitworth's Jalen Martin (3,117 points) and Joseph Tingstad (3,006) rank second and third, respectively. 
 
The meet, a precursor to next week's NWC Track and Field Championships in Tacoma, experienced a sudden change of venue early Monday morning. Pacific University in Forest Grove was scheduled to host the two-day event, but a blanket of late-winter snow covered the Hanson Stadium track and infield, necessitating a shift to George Fox University's Stoffer Family Stadium.
 
Graduate student Keaton Wood, considered among the favorites to win the decathlon crown, was forced to retire from the competition midway through the high jump, the result of a nagging injury. He had held firmly onto second place entering the next-to-last event of the day.
 
In the women's heptathlon, Linfield's Siera Crawford scored 2,085 points and sits in fifth place among eight competitors after Day 1. Maya Scott is eighth with 1,646 points.
 
NEXT
The meet continues Tuesday in Newberg with the men's 110-meter hurdle races getting underway at 11 a.m. Other decathlon events on Tuesday include the discus, pole vault, javelin and 1,500 run. Tuesday's heptathlon schedule features the long jump, javelin and 800 dash.