FHSU Athletics
The Fort Hays State track and field team turned in a strong weekend of performances across three meets, highlighted by a school record and several NCAA Division II provisional qualifying marks.
Emily Diercks delivered the standout moment of the weekend at the Franson Last Chance meet, placing third in the 10,000m run with a time of 34:37.64, setting a new school record and currently ranking 15th in Division II.
At the Ward Haylett Invitational, Josiah Ball strengthened his case for nationals in the pole vault by clearing 16-7.5, moving up to a tie for 14th on the national performance list. Reba Mader hit a provisional mark in the 400m hurdles, finishing sixth in 1:01.62, while Annabeth Baalmann cleared 13-4.5 in the pole vault to also earn a qualifying mark. However, Baalmann already has a better mark that has her ranked third nationally.
The Loper Twilight meet on Saturday saw continued success. Mader improved her 400m hurdle time to 1:00.33, good for second place and another provisional mark. Liberty Booker hit the provisional qualifying distance in the hammer throw, placing second with a throw of 174-10, but she already has a stronger mark in the event this year.
On the men's side, the 4x100m relay team of Hayden Albright, Toby Wahlmeier, Avrey Albright, and Nolan Churchman won the event in 40.17, a provisional time that currently ranks 16th nationally.
These performances continued to bolster FHSU's postseason hopes for NCAA qualifiers. The NCAA Championships await in a week and a half, set for Thursday (March 22) to Saturday (March 24).