McMINNVILLE, Ore. – Alexis Arnold won her second consecutive heptathlon title, highlighting a dominating performance by the George Fox women, who stole the top four places at the Northwest Conference Combined Championships. Joe Cerne of Puget Sound won the men’s decathlon title as the two-day multi-event competition wrapped up Tuesday afternoon at Linfield’s Maxwell Field.

Arnold essentially coasted to the finish on Day 1 after taking three of four events during the first session. The only event she won on Tuesday was the long jump (18-05.25) but it was more than enough to top the 12-athlete field by nearly 200 points. She totaled 4,554 points, beating out teammates Charity Arn (4,367) and Alyssa Turner (4,261).

Arn won the javelin with a toss of 113 feet, 4 inches while Katie Dyk, who placed fourth overall, won the third and final contested event on Tuesday: the 800-meter run. She completed the two laps in 2:20.21.

Brandi Miller of Willamette was the top non-George Fox finisher in the heptathlon, taking fifth with 4,141 points. She placed second in both the shot put (32-09.75) and the 800 (2:23.60).

As a result of the multi-event meet, George Fox, the defending league champion on the women’s side, will enter the Northwest Conference Track & Field Championships with 29 points. That meet, hosted by Pacific Lutheran in Parkland, Wash., is scheduled for April 20 and 21.

In men’s action, Puget Sound’s Cerne moved up two places from Day 1 to Day 2 to win his first Northwest Conference decathlon. Despite not winning a single event outright, he topped the field of 10 competitors with 6,239 points, a total that ranks fourth in Division III third year.

Cerne’s best efforts came in the pole vault (tied for first, 14-03.25), the 400-meter dash (second, 51.30) the 110-meter hurdles (second, 17.09) and the javelin (second, 168-02).

Luke Mathews of Whitworth, the top returner from last seasons’s decathlon, was the runner-up this year after totaling 5,944 points. Teammate Stephen Cooper finished third (5,803).

For Linfield, Michael Madden (Jr., Buckley, Wash.) vaulted from eighth to fifth place on the second day of action, finishing with a career-high 5,650 points, an improvement of 650 points from his previous best multi-event competition. Among his second-round highlights were winning the javelin (170-07) and finishing second in the 1,500 (4:33.09).