FHSU Athletics
EMPORIA, Kan. - The Fort Hays State track and field team earned a second team All-American honor Friday (May 22) on day two of the 2026 NCAA Division II Outdoor Championships.
Drew Tolar finished in 11th place in the decathlon with a point total of 6,946, earning second team All-American status. He started the day by earning 768 points in the 110m hurdles with a time of 15.69. He then added 594 points with a toss of 110-10 in the discus before clearing a personal-best 13-1.5 in the pole vault, contributing 617 points. The Cheney, Kan. native later recorded a top heave of 151-2 in the javelin, good for 531 points, before finishing the day with a personal-best 4:51.28 in the 1,500m, adding the final 611 points.
Emma Slade finished in 15th place in the discus thanks to a top toss of 151-4. The school record holder at 163-11, Slade recorded a heave of 144-11 on her first attempt before fouling on throw number two. Her final attempt was her best, finishing less than 10 feet shy of advancing to the finals.
Natalee North was just behind her teammate in 16th in the discus after recording a mark of 150-10 on her third and final attempt. Her first two attempts were marked as fouls. She finished five spots higher than her ranking entering the event after coming into the week 21st on the descending order list.
The women's team enters the final day in ninth place in the team standings with 10.5 points after Annabeth Baalmann (pole vault) and Emily Diercks McCullough (10,000m) both finished in the top four on day one. The women have one athlete scheduled to compete on day three Saturday (May 23), with Katie Linenberger competing in the pole vault beginning at 3:15 p.m. Three men will wrap up the weekend Saturday, including Jackson Rumford in the javelin at noon and Hunter Angove and Josiah Ball in the pole vault beginning at 2 p.m.