Hilary Coady

The College of Wooster's Hilary Coady outperformed her seed and placed 13th overall with 3,318 points in the pentathlon as the junior standout competed alongside some of the nation's finest athletes at the NCAA Div. III Indoor Track & Field Championships Friday at JDL Fast Track in Winston Salem, N.C.

"She had a great day, great efforts across the board in all events," commented Wooster head coach Dennis Rice. "It's always exciting to compete among the best women in the country."

Coady, seeded 15th and making her second NCAA appearance in the multi events after placing 21st nationally in the heptathlon last May, started out well as she covered the 60-meter hurdles in 9.38 seconds, just .16 off of her personal best in the event.

After clearing five heights on her first try in the high jump, Coady was stumped three times by the 5-foot, 1-inch bar, and then she bounced back via the ninth-best throw of the 17 competitors in the shot put with a career-high mark of 34 feet, 8.5 inches.

Coady, who also hit 15 feet, 6.25 inches in the long jump, finished very strong, running the 800 meters in 2:22.63, the fifth-fastest of the pentathletes.

All told, the 3,318 points she scored was just short of her school record (3,364), and 73 shy of a top-eight finish.

With nine of this year's competitors being seniors, Coady will hope to earn a spot on the All-America Team a year from now. Of course, her priority now is to focus on the rest of the 2015 season that lies ahead.

"She has a great chance to be an All-American, if she continues to get better in each event. Her progression since her first year here has been outstanding … so she'll challenge for an All-American spot next indoor season, but first off she'll have some equally exciting opportunities this outdoor season," said Rice.

Coady's teammates are currently taking part in the two-day Coastal Carolina Invitational, near Myrtle Beach, S.C.