Wildcat track star Derek Lahm placed second and broke the school record this weekend in the decathlon in Aberdeen, S.D.

The decathlon is a two-day event consisting of the long jump, high jump, pole vault, shot put, discus, javelin throw, 110m high hurdles, 100m run, 400m run and the 1500m run. The marks from each event are added together for an end total.

Lahm ended with a score of 6,638 points. This is 580 points better than the previous school record.

“This was my first ever decathlon, so breaking the record kind of feels unreal to me. I thought maybe at some point in my career I would, but not on my first try by such a huge amount,” Lahm said.

With so many events, extra training is required for the decathlon.

“I am so grateful to my coach, Travis Kamm. He spends so much extra time with me. Some days we have an hour and a half lifting session, than he would go out with me for a four-hour practice. With so many different events, it takes a lot of training,” Lahm said.

Lahm is a well-rounded athlete, but he hasn’t done all of the events before. Lahm just started pole vaulting a few months ago. With help from teammate Josh Spenner, Lahm has increased his vault by two feet.

“Josh is a vaulter by trade and has helped me immensely. I am very fortunate he is here and willing to help me,” Lahm said.

Breaking the record on his first try, Lahm is still hungry for more.

“I am so glad to have the record, but I am not satisfied. Josh and I still have two more years here, and I think we both can do some pretty special things in the decathlon,” Lahm said.