MEET INFOÂ
- Jacksonville, Fla.
- Wednesday, May 28-Saturday, May 31
- Live Results
- Schedule
- ESPN+Â
ABOUT THE TOPSÂ
- The four Hilltoppers that will compete at the regional round are Kameron Horton (100, 200), Kaison Barton (hammer throw), Van Thrasher (110-hurdles), and Sterling Weldon (long jump).
- Last time out, the Tops competed at the Conference USA Outdoor Championships.
- Kameron Horton headlined the event for WKU, winning the CUSA Crown in the 200-meter dash.
- For Horton, this is the second year the Sophomore from Louisville, Ky. has qualified for the preliminary rounds of NCAAs. Last season, he competed in the 100, becoming the first to do so for WKU since 2018. This year his mark in the 100 is No. 47 in the East Region, set at the CUSA Championships while his mark in the 200 stands at No. 15 in the region.
- Kaison Barton competed in the hammer throw, shot put, and the discus. He took the bronze medal in the shot put for the second consecutive season.
- This marks the first appearance for Barton. The native of Semmes, Ala. holds the school record in the hammer throw which he set at the Brent Chumbley Memorial Hilltopper Relays in late March. His throw of 209' 7" stands at No. 32 in the NCAA East Region.
- Van Thrasher competed in the 110-hurdles where he managed to set a PR in the event with a time of 13.86 which put him in the top-50 in the NCAA's East division.
- The occasion marks the first for Thrasher who came to The Hill from Campbellsville. While there, he qualified for NAIA National Championships three times. His time in the 110-hurdles stands at No. 41 in the region.
- Sterling Weldon becomes the second freshman in as many years to qualify for the NCAA meet. Last time out, Weldon competed in the 100, long jump, and triple jump at the CUSA Championships.
- There he managed to set a PR in the long jump with a mark of 7.62 meters, earning him a fourth place finish in the event. That mark stands at No. 34 in the East Qualifying Region.
EVENT BREAKDOWN
- All four athletes are set to compete on Wednesday in the Sunshine State.
- Kaison Barton will start off the day at 9 a.m. CT the hammer throw.
- Sterling Weldon will follow with the long jump, slated for 3:30 p.m.
- Van Thrasher will compete in the 110-hurdles first round which are set for 5 p.m. Should he qualify for the quarterfinals, those will run at 5:15 on Friday, May 30.
- Horton will round out action, competing in the 100 at 6 p.m. followed by the 200 at 7:45 p.m. The quarterfinal rounds for those are as follows: 100-meter at 5:35 p.m. Friday and 200-meter at 6:50 p.m.
MEET HISTORY
- Last season at the NCAA Preliminary Rounds in Lexington, Ky. a trio of Hilltoppers competed.
- Katie Isenbarger headlined the meet for WKU as she made it through the first rounds of the women's high jump and made it all the way through and qualified for the NCAA Outdoor Championships.
- Horton competed in the 100 and Ajla Basic competed in the women's hammer throw at the preliminary round.
- The four competing this season mark the most for WKU in the outdoor season since 2019.
- Thrasher is the first to compete in the 110-meter hurdles since Jonathan Hayden did so in 2018.
- Weldon is the first in the men's long jump since Alec Tanksley and Desmond Mobley in 2018.
- Horton is the first in the men's 200 since Julius Morris in 2018.
- Barton is the first hammer thrower to compete for the men since Travis Gerding in 2015.
FOLLOW THE TOPS: For complete information on WKU Track and Field, follow the team on Twitter at WKUXCTF. The team is also on Instagram and Facebook.
