Hasan breaks own pentathlon record at Notre Dame
by PATRICK J. NAGY Reporter

Alyissa Hasan

Williamsville South graduate Alyissa Hasan has been setting personal bests at every indoor track and field meet she has appeared in this winter for Notre Dame University so it's no surprise she broke the school's pentathlon record.

The Notre Dame junior broke her own school record in the event by 300 points at the Akron Open held Feb. 1-2 at the University of Akron.

Hasan won the event with 3,939 points, breaking her own record of 3,655 that she set in her first collegiate indoor meet in 2006.

"I've been feeling pretty confident in practice and in past competitions so I knew what I was capable of," said Hasan. "It was a matter of putting everything together and actually doing it."

Hasan won the 60-meter high hurdles (8.67) and long jump (18-5.75), tied for first in the high jump (5-9.75) and was third in the shot put (37-3.25).

One of the girls she beat out was Lela Nelson, who was running unattached and dropped out midway through the meet. Nelson is preparing for the Olympics.

The 3,939 mark was also a provisional score for the NCAA Division I Championships to be held March 14-15 at the Tyson Track Center at the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville. The cut off provisional score is 3,700.

Williamsville South graduate and Notre Dame University junior Alyissa Hasan has the top high jump in the Big East Conference with a 5-9.75. She is ranked 15th nationally in the event. She recently broke her own Notre Dame record in the pentathlon. She is ranked ninth nationally in the pentathlon.

She needs a score of 4,050 to automatically qualify. Her pentathlon score ranks her ninth in the nation.

The funny part about her performance is that she feels she can improve.

"I feel like I haven't reached my full potential," said Hasan in a phone interview hours before she competed in the Mayo Invitational at Notre Dame. "Some of these events I know I can improve on."

How true those words were as Hasan set a career-best in the long jump at the Mayo Invitational on Friday night with a leap of 19-8.25. She took fifth in the event.

In the Big East, Hasan has the top pentathlon score, high jump (5-9.75), long jump and tied for third in the 60 hurdles (8.64). She is also ranked 15th in the nation in the high jump.

Hasan attributes a lot of her success to her coaches at Notre Dame - John Millar (sprints and hurdles), Adam Beltran (throws) and Scott Winsor (jumps).

"They've all helped me understand what each event is about," said Hasan

"When she broke the record, she got off to a great start," said Winsor. "She had a good hurdles time and high jump, did OK in the long jump but her shot put and 800 weren't the best. I know she can throw the shot put three feet farther and run the 800 two to three seconds faster. If she can put all of her marks together in one competition, she should be fine."

Hasan is pursuing a bachelor's degree in psychology and is leaning towards going for a master's degree in clinical psychology.

Hasan owns the high school New York State record in the outdoor pentathlon and won state pentathlon championships her junior and senior seasons at South. She is a 15-time All-American at all levels in the long jump, triple jump, 100-meter hurdles, pentathlon, heptathlon and shot put.