College Entries Make Competitive Southern Vermont Decathlon

By Dan Barile
EAGLE TIMES CORRESPONDENT
WEATHERSFIELD, Vt. — Brian Lashway’s hopes of a fourth straight Southern Vermont Decathlon championship went out the window as soon as a couple of recent Bates College graduates arrived. While competing for Bates, Liam Evans was the decathlon champion at the 2022 New England Division 3 Championships. However, it was his former teammate, Evan Koch, who overtook Evans on the final two events to win the 13th Annual Southern Vermont Decathlon.

Koch, who became the youngest Southern Vermont Decathlon champion in 2017 at 16 years old, won all six of the running and jumping events, and set the total score record of 8,805 points. He broke the old scoring mark of 8,755 points set by former University of Vermont decathlete, D.J. Snide, in 2019.

Evans nearly broke Snide’s scoring record as well by finishing with 8,705 points. He set an event record in discus with a throw of 149’5” and also won shot put and the vortex football throw.

Lashway, a resident of Charlestown, N.H., joined Evans and Koch on the podium by finishing in third overall. Lashway, a 2022 Southern Vermont Decathlon Hall of Fame inductee, finished in the top three for the twelfth time.

On the women’s side, Jess Curtis of Springfield, VT went unopposed on her way to winning her third championship. She also broke her own record in discus with a throw of 89’9”.

Results

1) Evan Koch (8,805)

2) Liam Evans (8,705)

3) Brian Lashway (7,404)

4) Shane Mas (6,382)

5) Dan Barile (4,844)

6) Landon Mas (4,187)

7) John Barton (4,060)

8) Jess Curtis (3,388)

9) Ethan Huffer (3,212)

10) Travis LaFlam (2,922)

11) Blake Lashway (1,273)

Top 3 by Event

100 meter dash

1) Evan Koch (12.22)

2) Liam Evans (12.33)

3) Brian Lashway (13.88)

110 meter low hurdles

1) Evan Koch (14.46)

2) Liam Evans (15.83)

3) Brian Lashway (17.53)

400 meter dash

1) Evan Koch (56.06)

2) Liam Evans (57.57)

3) Brian Lashway (1:06.77)

1 mile run

1) Evan Koch (5:33.23)

2) Liam Evans (5:57.81)

3) Brian Lashway (6:11.92)

Shot Put

1) Liam Evans (46’8”)

2) Evan Koch (43’5.5”)

3) Brian Lashway (39’5”)

Discus

1) Liam Evans (149’5”)

2) Brian Lashway (124’8”)

3) Evan Koch (108’5”)

Keg Toss

1) Brian Lashway (28’11”)

2) Evan Koch (28’5.5”)

3) Liam Evans (28’1”)

Vortex Football Throw

1) Liam Evans (192’0”)

2) Shane Mas (171’1”)

3) Evan Koch (165’10”)

Long Jump

1) Evan Koch (19’10”)

2) Liam Evans (17’0”)

3) Brian Lashway (15’6”)

Vertical Jump

1) Evan Koch (28.5”)

2) Liam Evans (24”)

3) Shane Mas (22.5”)