Morgantown's Joel Moreland wins decathlon gold medal at USATF Junior Olympics

Aug. 8—MORGANTOWN — Morgantown High junior Joel Moreland has had a productive summer on the track and in the field and capped it off by capturing first overall for the gold medal in the men's 15-16 decathlon at the USA track and field Junior Olympics held in College Station, Texas.

The national competition, hosted at EB Cushing Stadium at Texas A &M University, included 18 athletes from across the United States competing in ten events. Based on their performance in each event, athletes earned points toward their overall score.

Moreland took first place in the competition with an overall score of 6, 060, 90 points ahead of second place.

He finished first in three of the ten events, shot put, high jump and discus, with a top-ten finish in every event except the 110-meter hurdles.

"I had a bit of a chip on my shoulder coming into the meet after finishing so close to medaling in my last competition, " he said after placing seventh in the Decathlon at the Adidas National meet earlier in the summer in Greensboro, North Carolina. "I went into this meet hungry, and after almost hitting my personal record in the 100-meter dash, which was the first event we had, I think it gave me some confidence to go out and perform well in the other events."

Moreland's time of 11.63 in the 100 meters was only.06 off his personal best of 11.57. He carried that momentum into the rest of the competition, setting personal records in six events, while his 6, 060 was also a decathlon PR.

"I was feeling great after the 100, then the long jump was next, which I've been working pretty hard on, " Moreland said. "I ended up setting my new PR in the long jump by nearly eight inches. When I looked up and saw the 21-foot, four-inch mark, I let out the loudest scream I could in excitement."

A competition like the decathlon is a 10-event grind that requires stamina and perseverance to perform, but Moreland said pushing himself in the early stages with big results helped him achieve favorable results in other events.

"Starting with a good result was big for me, especially in the 100 because then you know you're kind of 'on' that day, " he said. "Speed is such a big thing for several events and feeling like you have it that day is huge early in the competition."

After competing in his first-ever decathlon at the Adidas National track and field meet in June, Moreland knew his earned experience would help him prepare for the Junior Olympic meet.

"I got a good feel for managing my energy across events, " he said. "Focusing on the weight room is another thing I started doing more, just trying to get stronger. It makes a huge difference. I can practice my form in some of these events, but the gym helps push some of them to the next level."

Having mainly focused on the high jump for MHS, Moreland said his experience and success at various events will allow him to compete in more events for his team.

"I think the pole vault is an event I can help make an impact in for MHS, " he said. "That will be a big one for us if we can score points at some of the meets next season. I was the highest vaulter on the team last year, and I've been clearing some bars recently, so I hope to continue improving there."