Junior Asa Staven broke the Montana State record in the men's indoor heptathlon Tuesday at the Brick Breeden Fieldhouse. Staven held the former school record set last year of 5142 points. His score of 5304 points Tuesday also gave him an automatic qualifying mark for the Big Sky Conference indoor championships to be held here in Bozeman in February. He just missed a provisional mark for the NCAA national championships.

Freshman Jeff Mohl of Red Lodge also got a conference qualifying mark in the meet with 4838 points and placed second next to Staven. Mohl's mark was good news for multis coach Tom Eitel.

“When guys come in as freshmen in the multis, you never know how they're going to do,” Eitel said. “But Jeff seems to do better in competition—he is a determined competitor.”

Mohl also scored a personal best in the pole vault event clearing 14'6.25”. His performance in the heptathlon ranked him fifth on the all-time performances lists at MSU in the event.

Staven is hoping for a mark that will get him into the NCAA championships in March.  There is no regional qualifying meet for indoor track, so he will have to wait and see where the cut-off mark is for making nationals. Heptathletes have two more chances to qualify for the NCAA event; a multi meet at Idaho State in February and the conference meet here Feb. 26-27.

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