After being swept last year by Germany in Texas, U.S. hopes to rebound with event being held in Marburg for first time since 2014; American women’s roster led by Atherley and Marsh, with men’s lineup highlighted by Williams and West

By Erik Boal, DyeStat Editor

For the first time since 2014, the Thorpe Cup event will be showcased in Marburg, Germany, as several elite German decathletes and heptathletes will attempt to protect home turf Saturday and Sunday against competitors from the United States.

Germany swept both team competitions last year at St. Mark’s School in Dallas, Texas, as the American women had their streak of 10 consecutive victories halted by a 17,596 to 17.537 margin.

Germany prevailed for the fourth straight meeting in the decathlon competition with a 39,290 to 37,436 triumph.

The U.S. has never swept both competitions in Germany. The event was first held in 1993 in Aachen, Germany, and remained a showcase for only decathletes, until the heptathlon was added to the meet schedule in 2006 in Manhattan, Kan.

The American women have won in Germany in 2010, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2017 and 2019, but the U.S. men have only prevailed as the visiting country in 2007 and 2009 since both the decathletes and heptathletes have been showcased together.

The American men lead the all-time series 14-13, with the U.S. women still holding a commanding 11-4 advantage, despite last year’s narrow setback.

The lineup for the American heptathletes is led by 27-year-old Michelle Atherley, last year’s NACAC Combined Events winner and former NCAA Division 1 indoor heptathlon champion at Miami (Florida), who boasts a lifetime-best 6,352 points.

Shaina Burns, 27, a Texas A&M graduate and former All-American, improved her personal-best effort to 6,130 points in May in Grenada.

The U.S. team also includes Duke graduate and former All-American Erin Marsh, 24, who has a lifetime-best 5,963 points.

Jadin O’Brien, 21, captured the NACAC Under-23 gold medal on July 22-23 in Costa Rica. The Notre Dame standout, who won the NCAA Division 1 indoor pentathlon title March 10 in New Mexico, has a top heptathlon score of 5,960 points.

Former UC Santa Barbara All-American Hope Bender, 26, boasts a personal-best 5,955 points.

Jordan Gray, a 27-year-old Kennesaw State graduate and All-American, has achieved a 5,903-point performance.

Lexie Keller, 23, is a recent graduate of Colorado State with a personal-best 5,834 points.

Germany has a heptathlon lineup featuring last year’s runner-up Anna-Lena Obermaier, along with Katharina Kemp, Serina Riedel, Mareike Rösing and Laura Voß.

Chari Hawkins, who won last year’s Thorpe Cup, is not an official member of the American roster, but she will be competing unattached in the 100-meter hurdles, shot put, long jump and javelin throw in preparation to participate Aug. 19-20 at the World Athletics Championships in Budapest, Hungary.

The American men are seeking their first victory in the series since 2016 and their first win in Germany since 2009.

Iowa’s Austin West took third July 6-7 at the Toyota USATF Outdoor Championships with a personal-best 8,331 points, but didn’t secure the World Athletics standard of 8,460 points to compete in Budapest.

West, 23, captured the Thorpe Cup title last year with 8,062 points and leads a U.S. lineup that also includes Michigan State’s Heath Baldwin, 22, who has a personal-best 8,084 points.

Devon Williams, 29, who represented the Americans at the 2017 World Athletics Championships in London and has a lifetime-best 8,345 points is also scheduled to compete.

Jack Flood, 27, an NCAA Division 3 champion and graduate of SUNY Cortland, boasts a lifetime-best 8,038 points.

Saginaw Valley State graduate and former NCAA Division 2 champion Sam Black, 27, achieved a personal-best 7,946 points to take eighth at the U.S. final.

Denim Rogers, a 25-year-old Houston Christian graduate, also achieved a lifetime-best at Hayward Field to place ninth with 7,919 points.

Rice’s Grant Levesque, 23, also surpassed the 7,900-point mark this season with a personal-best 7,903 in May at the Conference USA Championships.

Stanford graduate and reigning U.S. decathlon champion Harrison Williams is also scheduled to compete unattached for the U.S. men.

Germany’s roster of decathletes includes Pitt’s Felix Wolter among its 8,000-point performers, along with Jannis Wolff. They are joined by Nico Beckers, Fred Isaac Fleurisson, Yannik Knobloch, Niklas Tuschling and Fynn Hülsiggensen.