Multis athletes Sara Jacobson & Myles Larsen look to bring home hardware at Indoor Nationals starting Friday
Wednesday, March 5, 2025 - 7:00 p.m. | Dylan DeVlieger
Mesa Multis athletes Sara Jacobson and Myles Larsen are poised for breakout performances at Indoor Nationals in Lubbock, TX starting Friday.
Jacobson who has been away from the sport for roughly two years due to being on a mission in Spokane, WA has had a historic indoor season at Mesa and going into Indoor Nationals Jacobson ranks as the No. 1 NJCAA DII Pentathlon athlete.
Multis coach Erwin Jones who has over 45 years of coaching sees the ability in Jacobson to bring home the championship due to her continuous desire to learn more about each event and how to master it.
"Sara works really really really hard and she's a good listener and a student at each event. She just absorbs every bit of knowledge that is given to her," said Jones.
According to Jacobson her faith and coaches have been the key contributors to her successful indoor season which started off by winning the Multis crown at the Jim Mielke Multis back in January.
"I felt so blessed from the Lord, there was nothing I could've done without the Lord and my coaches. My coaches have a really big part in it, they came in here with two months until the season picked us up, loved us and got us to a really great place," said Jacobson.
Coach Jones, Jumps coach Sammy Jo Evans, Sprints & Hurdles coach James McSwain, & Throws coach Nathan Estes have all coached Jacobson to success this season.
Jacobson knows her strengths and weaknesses in the Pentathlon which if not approached correctly, can sink an athlete quickly and knock them out of contention for the top spot. A benefit of being a multis athlete is that an athlete does not need to be extraordinary in multiple events to take home the crown, rather the key is being average to above average in all events in order to come out on top.
For Jacobson the key to victory is to excel at her strengths and collect as many points as possible in the events she doesn't necessarily shine in.
"I shine in the Shot Put, I gain a lot of points there and the Long Jump and the 800. I know I am going to run faster than the other girls because it's all about pacing, it's my superpower…the hurdles will be a challenge, they're worth a lot of points and I've been working on it for a while. I'm pumped to go out there and as we say eat the track," said Jacobson.
Every second and inch will matter for Jacobson if she is to take home the national title, and the added pressure of having a target on her back will only fuel and motivate her in Lubbock.
Myles Larsen has had an interesting journey as a T-Bird coming to MCC without the initial thought to compete for Mesa Track & Field. Eventually Larsen would walk onto the team as a 400m runner but with little success in that event he turned his focus to becoming a multis athlete.
"Last year I came in as a 400m runner and wasn't all too good at it but then i realized if I can't be good at the 400 I can be good at it in multi standards and I'm good at some events, but I'm good at being average in all events and that's what being a multis athlete is all about," said Larsen.
Last year at Indoor Nationals Larsen took 13th place with 4356 points, but Larsen learned a lot from the experience on the big stage, including where he needs to be in order to have a chance at the title and what caused him to have a rough time at nationals last year.
"It's really been all about learning each event, the hurdles and the high jump were my kryptonite last year but last year was kind of like a warm up for this year," said Larsen.
Larsen just like Jacobson started his indoor season off hot by taking first in the Jim Mielke Multis, but it was at the Gaucho Indoor Invite where Larsen had himself a day.
During the meet Larsen set three PRs in the Shot Put, High Jump, and the 600m. For Jones the PRs were no surprise as he saw the week of practice that Larsen was putting together and knew it was only a matter of time before he set his new standard in the events.
"We knew during that week of practice what was going to happen and it happened. He figured it out in high jump with bending his back over the bar and he performed well, but we knew he was going to just with how practice went that week," said coach Jones.
Larsen who ranks as the No. 7 Heptathlon NJCAA DII athlete going into Indoor Nationals knows what events he has to excel at and which he has to at least hold his head above water in order to stay in the thick of things come the final events.
"For me the pole vault and the 1k are going to be my best events. I usually place first or second in those events," said Larsen, "the events I'm working on to get the most points are the high jump and the hurdles, but my hurdles are coming along great and the high jump is always a work in progress."
