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| 2026 Music City Challenge | |
| Location | Vanderbilt Outdoor Track Complex | Nashville, Tenn. |
| Date | May 1-2 |
| Meet Info | Meet Info | Meet Schedule |
| Live Results | PrimeTime Timing |
| Meet Central | Vandy XCTF |
Meet competition opens with the men's javelin throw at 10 a.m. CT with the women's javelin throw to follow. The full schedule of events for the meet can be viewed and downloaded HERE.
WHO'S COMPETING:Â Alabama A&M, Alabama State, Arkansas State, Austin Peay, Belmont, Evansville, Indiana State, Jacksonville State, Life, Lipscomb, Maryville, MTSU, Murray State, Southern Indiana, Tennessee, UT Martin, Tennessee State, Tennessee Tech, Troy, host Vanderbilt, Vincennes and Xavier
FOLLOW LIVE: Live results from the meet will be provided by the hosts HERE.
PARKING: Free parking is available in the 25th Ave. garage on event days only through the Highland Avenue entrance. On Friday before 5 p.m., spectators should park on floors 8-10 in any non-reserved spaces. Parking will also be free in the West Garage on floors three and above on both Friday and Saturday.Â
ABOUT THE TOPS
WKU enters the meet in Nashville coming off three podium finishes at LSU Alumni Gold last weekend. Natalie Papes took second place in the women's pole vault, while Jackson Gray and Sam Crenshaw earned second and third place respectively in the men's pole vault.Â
WKU competed in its third weekend of outdoor competition at the Gibson Invitational hosted by Indiana State. A second-place finish by Parker Smith in the men's 800-meter run highlighted the meet for the Hilltoppers.
WKU competed at the Tennessee Invite hosted by the University of Tennessee on April 10-11. Four Hilltoppers recorded podium finishes at the meet, headlined by a first-place finish by Jayla Gilbert in the women's shot put and third-place finishes by Kameron Horton in the men's 100-meter dash and Trevor Hudnall in the men's 800-meter run.
Gilbert recorded a distance of 14.96m to secure a victory in the women's shot put, while Horton clocked a 10.38 finish in the men's 100-meter dash to secure third place and mark a second consecutive meet placing in an event. Hudnall finished with a new personal-best time of 1:49.65 in the men's 800-meter run to secure a third-place finish for WKU.Â
Carolina Bannach added a second-place finish in the women's pole vault open with a mark of 3.82m to round out the Hilltoppers' top-three finishers for the weekend.
The Hilltoppers posted strong showings at the WashU Distance Carnival and Jim Vargo Invitational to open 2026 outdoor competition. Kinley Kunkel headlined the distance meet for the Tops, placing second in the 5000-meter run with a time of 16:20.19.Â
Van Thrasher led the Tops' effort at the Jim Vargo Invitational, sweeping the hurdles and high jump. Thrasher posted a first-place finishing time of 14.38 seconds for the 110-meter hurdles before clearing 1.92 meters (6 feet, 3.5 inches) to take first in the high jump.
Myles Gentry added another win on the track at the Jim Vargo Invitational, capturing first in the 100-meter dash with a time of 10.89 seconds. WKU placed a total of four athletes inside the top seven of the men's 100-meter dash, including Brunel Desinor (10.98) in fourth, Zachariah Taylor (11.01) in sixth and Sterling Weldon (11.07) in seventh.
Devon Rogers claimed first in the men's javelin throw with a distance of 61.93 meters, while Hunter Coslow led a standout effort in the hammer throw, finishing first with a mark of 50.34 meters (165-2). Connor Owens followed with a runner-up finish. Coslow also posted a third-place finish in the shot put (15.80m) and a fourth-place finish in the discus (44.41m).
Horton turned in a runner-up finish in the 400 meters (49.36) and Sam Crenshaw finished second in the pole vault (4.86m). The men's 4x400 relay team also finished in third place with a time of 3:27.59.
Leland Taylor placed third in the men's 200-meter dash at 21.85 and Joey Raybourne added another second-place effort in the 800 meters with a time of 1:56.53.
The women's side was highlighted by a win from Tatum McGlynn in the javelin with a throw of 45.20 meters and a first-place finish for Gianna Huerta in the women's 100-meter hurdles. WKU also picked up a victory in the women's 4x100-meter relay, finishing in 47.18 seconds.
Gilbert charted a second-place finish in the shot put (14.02m) and Jas Hampton finished with a fourth-place finish in the 100-meter dash (12.28). Huerta also posted a top-five finish in the 400-meter dash (58.22) and Hannah Glassmeyer placed fourth in the 800 meters (2:19.31).
FOLLOW THE TOPS: For more information on WKU Track and Field, follow the team on social media @WKUXCTF.
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