Cord fourth in decathlon at halfway point

LA CROSSE, Wis. - John Cord scored 3,540 points and sits in fourth place after the first five events of the decathlon at the 2013 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships on Thursday.

Division III Track & Field Championships Central | Live Video | Live Results

Cord, a senior from Atlantic, Iowa (Atlantic HS), improved his efforts in the 100 meters, long jump and 400 meters from his performance at last week's North Central Gregory Final Qualifier that got him into the national meet. He is currently 64 points ahead of his pace from last week.

Central's Eric Larson leads the field with 3,744 points after the first day. Brandon Zarnoth (UW-Eau Claire) is second with 3,707, Zach Anderson (UW-Stout) is third with 3,559 points and Matt Hunter (Ohio Wesleyan) is behind Cord in fifth with 3,519 points.

The decathlon concludes Friday with the 110-meter high hurdles, discus throw, pole vault, javelin throw and 1500-meter run. Cord is trying to become Simpson's seventh All-American decathlete and first since 1989.