OBERLIN, Ohio - April 26, 2025 - While the rest of the conference will have to wait for the NCAC Track and Field championships next weekend, on Saturday, 12 women and nine men kicked things off at Oberlin College with the first day of the multi-event competition (decathlon/heptathlon). Among these athletes was Kylie Moser, a sophomore for the Hiram Terriers competing in the first heptathlon of her career. After the first four events, Moser is currently in seventh place with a total of 1869 points.

The day began at noon with the 100-meter hurdles. Propelled by a tail wind of 3.9 meters per second, Moser came away with a time of 18.38 seconds. This mark shattered her previous personal record of 19.73, which she ran just this past Thursday at the University of Mount Union. Moser finished ninth in the event and earned 450 points for her effort.

The hurdles were followed by the high jump, an event in which Moser had not previously established a mark in competition. To play things safe, she entered the competition at a fairly low height and went on to clear seven straight heights without a miss before bowing out at her last bar. Her final mark of 1.32 meters (4'4") was the eighth-best in the field and added 429 points to her score.

Next came the shot put, in which Moser brought a particularly high degree of experience and success to the event. She achieved her best mark on the first of her three throws, hurling the shot a distance of 9.04 meters (29'8"). This mark falls just shy of her season best of 9.11 meters (29'10.75"), highlighting a level of consistency that plays a crucial role in performing well in the multi events. She finished third in the field and rose through the rankings with an additional 467 points.

Moser wrapped up Day 1 by running the 200-meter dash. As in the hurdles, she was aided by a tail wind, this time with a speed of 3.0 meters per second. Her time of 29.42 seconds demonstrated an improvement of over a second from her debut in the event earlier this outdoor season. She came away with 523 points and an 11th place finish in the event.

Considering the fact that this is her first heptathlon, Moser's performances and her position within the topeight going into Day 2 are impressive. For her, this moment serves as both a positive experience and an opportunity for future growth.

"Overall, I feel the meet went very well," Moser said. "I had some moments where I thought it could be better. I thought that the heptathlon was going to be more mentally challenging but I believe that I was in a good spot with that. I really enjoyed the 100-meter high hurdles; the rush that you feel from doing something like that is amazing. I also really enjoyed the high jump; although I feel I could have competed better, it was a good first mark."

Moser's positivity was echoed by her head coach, Dan Graber.

"I was really impressed with Kylie's first day in her debut hep," Graber said. "One of the toughest things for a multi is staying present in the moment; it's easy to dwell on tiny mistakes in a previous event or get overwhelmed by the entirety of the heptathlon event. She performed like a veteran and is in scoring position in a very competitive conference after Day 1."

The heptathlon will conclude on Sunday after three more events: the long jump, the javelin throw, and the 800-meter run. If Moser can hold her current position, she will score points for Terriers that will carry over to next week's conference championship. Graber is optimistic of the Norwalk, OH native achieving that feat.

"Tomorrow should be exciting, since two of her best events, the javelin and the 800-meter run, are still to come."