Tom Stoelken

Idaho State’s Tom Stoelken stands atop the podium after winning back-to-back decathlon titles at the Big Sky Conference Championships Thursday at Mt. Hood Community College in Gresham, Ore.

GRESHAM, Ore.—For the second straight season, Idaho State’s Tom Stoelken has claimed the Big Sky Conference decathlon championship.

Stoelken, a sophomore from Hamburg, Germany, followed up his historic win last season, when he became the first true freshman in ISU history to win the ten-event test. On Wednesday and Thursday, Stoelken won the decathlon shot put, 110-meter hurdles, discus and javelin competitions on his way to 7,202 total points.

That gave him just enough to overcome Weber State’s Tyler Warnick, who scored 7,161, for the title.

On the women’s side, ISU’s Josie Settle, a junior from Kelso, Wash., posted her best score of the outdoor season to finish second in the women’s heptathlon, behind Idaho’s Hanna Tait. Settle finished second in the heptathlon 100-meter hurdles and long jump on her way to scoring 5,001 points. Tait won the event with 5,206 points.

After two days of events in the four-day championships, the Idaho State women lead the competition with 13 points, with Idaho second at 10. The Bengal men are second with 10 points, behind Weber State’s 14.

The meet, which is being hosted at Mt. Hood Community College by Portland State, will resume at 9 a.m. MDT on Friday with a full day of events. The meet is being streamed on ESPN+.

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