CHAPEL HILL, NC - University at Buffalo track and field athlete Steve Esler (Rochester, NY/Aquinas Institute) finished 11th in an 18-person field at the 2003 USA Combined Indoor Events Championships at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Esler, who won the Mid-American Conference indoor heptathlon title last week, scored 5,052 points in the seven-event competition which he qualified for after a record-setting indoor season in both the pentathlon and heptathlon for the Bulls.

Steve Esler

Esler, an unattached entrant in the meet, scored better than defending champion Tom Pappas, ranked number one in the United States and number two in the world in the decathlon in 2002 by Track & Field News. Pappas placed 16th with 3,697 points. Esler also outscored 2000 Olympic decathlete Kip Janvrin, who finished 12th with 4,634 points. Paul Terek, the 2002 Big Ten Athlete of the Year, formerly of Michigan State, won the competition with 5,870 points.

Esler scored his best finish of the competition, in the final event of the first day, the high jump. Esler cleared 6-8 (2.03m) to finish second in the event behind Joe Cebulski, who bettered Esler by one inch at 6-9 (2.06m). The height for Esler was just a half-inch of the UB record.

On the meet's second day at the Dick Taylor Track at Eddie Smith Field House, Esler turned in an eighth-place finish in the 1000-meters in 2:51.69 and tied for 12th in the pole vault at 13-9.25 (4.20m).

In his other events, Esler took 16th in the long jump at 21-0.75 (6.42m), shot put at 39-10.50 (12.15m) and 60-meter hurdles in 8.78 seconds. He finished 18th in the 60-meter dash in 7.51 seconds.

Esler set UB records during the 2002-03 indoor season in both the pentathlon (3,933 points at the Cornell Five-Way Meet) and heptathlon (5,251 points at the MAC Championships).