EUGENE, Ore. — After one of the biggest days in the history of the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships, Kansas State’s Akela Jones slept soundly Wednesday night.
Any anxiety Jones felt about protecting a big lead in the heptathlon took a backseat to another sensation.
“I was just sore last night,” said Jones, a junior. “I turned off social media, so I got to bed pretty good. My ice bath was really, really cold.
“I was tired, but I just focused on today.”
Jones returned to finish what she started, winning the NCAA heptathlon title with 6,371 points Thursday at Hayward Field.