Buffs Ghizzone, Oliver Make Most Of 'Home Field' Edge

BOULDER — Colorado track and field standout Andrew Ghizzone finally had the chance to enjoy "home field" advantage for an indoor heptathlon this week.

The CU junior made the most of the opportunity, outdueling teammate Isaiah Oliver for the Colorado Open title on Friday, clinching the win with a victory in the day's final event, the 1,000-meter run.

Ghizzone finished the two-day, seven-event competition with 5,223 points while Oliver — a starting cornerback for the Colorado football team — was second with 5,113 points.

The pair definitely made the most of CU's sparkling Indoor Practice Facility, with Oliver breaking a pair of CU heptathlon event records (60-meter dash and 60-meter hurdles) and Ghizzone establishing a school heptathlon best in the pole vault.

"The facilities are great," Ghizzone said. "I really like this place. It's nice to have a home heptathlon. We haven't had that since I've been here, and it's nice to have homefield advantage."

In years past, the Buffs had hosted heptathlons in Balch Fieldhouse, but the tight-turned 200-meter track and cramped quarters made it extremely difficult, to the point that CU simply didn't hold the event at its annual indoor Colorado Open.

The spacious IPF, however, has eliminated all those issues and the men's heptathlon and women's pentathlon are back on the schedule.

"This is like heaven to me," said CU multi-event coach Lindsey Malone. "It's an opportunity for coaches to get to be close to the athletes they are coaching and have room for everyone. To have all of these kids in this environment is pretty much a perfect environment for any track meet, but especially for a multi."

Ghizzone established a personal indoor best in the pole vault while also matching his career outdoor best, hitting 16 feet, ¾ inch.

"Your perception in the more technical events, like high jump and pole vault, is important," he said. "When you compete on your own track, it helps. My step is the same here, I'm looking at the same things in practice every day, the things you see are familiar. It's nice to do a real heptathlon here."

Oliver led the event after the first day, when he clocked a CU heptathlon record in the 60-meter dash, finishing in 6.99 seconds. He extended that lead early Friday morning with another school record, an 8.15 in the 60-meter hurdles, breaking a 21-year-old mark.

That event even drew a large crowd, as a number of football players, who were working out in the adjacent weight room, crowded onto the infield to cheer on Oliver.

"That was fun," Ghizzone said. "They all came out to cheer on Isaiah, so I tried to use their cheering for me. It was cool."

Ghizzone still trailed Oliver heading into the pole vault, but he used that event to make up the difference, outscoring Oliver 880-509. Ghizzone then clinched the title when he won the 1,000 in 2:45.15 while Oliver was fourth in 2:52.08.

"Andrew's pole vault today was a breakthrough point for both of us," Malone said. "He's been able to do this in practice; we've had really big vaults in practice from the beginning of this year and we've seen it often enough that it needed to show up in a meet. It was not the tidiest of jumps, but he got over. He got the school record, it was an overall lifetime PR for him — and that shows what an athlete he is."

For Malone, having two standout multi-athletes is a luxury not all coaches enjoy.

"It's wonderful," Malone said. "They get each other. They know how to lift each other up. They'll have fun and jab each other, but it's all in good fun. They each have events that they excel in, so they're pretty much going to be trading off school records in events for the rest of their career here."

The meet will continue Saturday with the track events, beginning with the men's 5,000 at 11 a.m. and culminating with the women's 4x400 relay at 4 p.m.

Admission is free.

Contact: Neill.Woelk@Colorado.edu