NASHVILLE – WKU track and field wrapped its regular season of outdoor competition for 2026 earning 10 podium finishes over the weekend at the Music City Challenge hosted by Vanderbilt. Sam Crenshaw highlighted the team's effort with a first-place finish in the men's pole vault, while Kinley Kunkel led the Hilltoppers' effort on the women's side with a second-place finish and new personal best in the women's 5000-meter run.
MUSIC CITY CHALLENGE
Kunkel took second in the women's 5000 meters with a time of 16:04.61, good for a PR in the event. Crenshaw cleared a height of 5.10m to take first in the men's pole vault, with freshman teammate Jackson Gray following in third place after recording a mark 4.85m in the event. Sophomore Ella Cleveland added another podium finish on the women's side, taking third place in the women's pole vault after clearing a height of 3.61m.
WKU's men's 4x100 relay team of Kameron Horton, Leland Taylor, Brunel Desinor and Zachariah Taylor took second place in the event with a time of 40.10. Leland Taylor also participated in the men's 4x400 relay with teammates Landon Kempema, Ben Dunkle and Wade Balcom as the team earned a third-place finish with a time of 3:17.77, and recorded a third-place finish in the men's 400 meters with a time of 47.17.
Desinor added a third-place finish in the men's 200 meters with a time of 21.13, while Zachariah Taylor also took third in the men's 100 meters final with a time of 10.69 and fifth in the men's 200 meters with a time of 21.33.
Trevor Hudnall rounded out the Tops' podium finishers with a second-place finish in the men's 800-meter run, clocking a time of 1:51.10. Teammate Balcom followed in fifth place with a time of 1:51.47.
Ricardo Smith finished just shy of the podium in the men's 110-meter hurdles, taking fourth in the event with a time of 14.28.Â
Though no team scores were finalized or made official for the meet, WKU finished third in total points on the score sheet with 83.5 points on the men's side.
Music City Challenge Final ResultsÂ
UP NEXT
WKU closed out its outdoor regular season at the Music City Challenge and will enter postseason competition at the Conference USA Outdoor Championships from May 14-16 at Dean A. Hayes Track & Soccer Stadium in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. A full schedule of events for the outdoor championship can be found here with more information to follow.
FOLLOW THE TOPS: For more information on WKU Track and Field, follow the team on social media @WKUXCTF as the Hilltoppers prepare for CUSA outdoor championship competition.
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