FHSU Athletics
KEARNEY, Neb. - The Fort Hays State men's and women's track and field teams posted several standout performances at the UNK Pre-Holiday Classic Friday, including one broken school record, four national qualifying marks, multiple event wins and personal bests.
Annabeth Baalmann stole the show by breaking her own school record in the pole vault, clearing 13-3.75 to surpass her previous indoor best by three inches. The junior easily cleared her first two heights before first breaking the record at 13-1.75 (4.01m), becoming the first woman in school history to surpass the four-meter mark, indoors or outdoors. She then pushed the bar up another five centimeters, clearing her school-record height on her third attempt. The NCAA Division II national qualifying mark ranks her fourth in the country to date.
Her performance was one of six event titles for the women's team. Jayme Hagerman added two victories of her own, claiming the long jump with a personal-best leap of 18-2.25 and securing the triple jump crown with a mark of 35-9.25.On the track, Reba Mader dominated at two distances, winning the 60-meter dash in 8.02 and the 600-yard run in 1:27.33. Taylor Hoskinson led the distance runners with a commanding first-place finish in the 3,000 meters, clocking 10:46.95.Other notable performances for the Tiger women included Donna Jackson's second-place finishes in the 60-meter hurdles (9.31) and long jump (17-0.75), while Makenzie Premer delivered a strong double, finishing third in the 600-yard run (1:30.09) and second in the 3,000 meters (11:33.78).
The Tiger men also enjoyed a stellar outing, highlighted by national-qualifying marks from Jacob Clark and Brady Deges in the pole vault. Clark cleared 16-6.75 to take the top spot, while Deges cleared an indoor personal-best 16-0.75 to take second place on the day and move into the top 10 on the national performance chart.
In the sprints, Hayden Albright claimed the 60-meter dash title with a national-qualifying time of 6.84, while teammate Toby Wahlmeier followed closely in second with a personal-best time of 6.87. The Tigers swept the top five spots in the final, with four athletes setting personal bests. Ethan Salmans gave the Tigers another victory in the 60m hurdles, taking first in 8.42.Distance standout Christian Darrah was victorious in the 3,000 meters, finishing in 8:41.87, while Daniel Bechle (4:32.98) and Ian Weich (4:33.86) took the top two spots in the mile.
Fort Hays State will now look to carry this momentum into the new year when the Tigers travel to Topeka, Kan. on January 17th) for the Washburn Rust Buster.
Full FHSU Men's Results
60m Dash Prelims
1st – Toby Wahlmeier – 6.88
2nd – Hayden Albright – 6.89
3rd – Kenny Fritsch – 6.94
4th – Avrey Albright – 6.95
6th – Eddie McVay – 6.98
7th – Nakari Morrical-Palmer – 7.02
15th – Dean Clark – 7.24
17th – Dylan Velasco – 7.34
22nd – Cole Darling – 7.34
24th – Asher Wassom – 7.58
60m Dash Finals
1st – Hayden Albright – 6.84 #
2nd – Toby Wahlmeier – 6.87
3rd – Eddie McVay – 6.92
4th – Kenny Fritsch – 6.93
5th – Nakari Morrical-Palmer – 6.95
7th – Avrey Albright – 6.97
600y Run
2nd – Braylon Moore –1:20.58
800m Run
2nd – Emery Wolfe – 2:00.56
Mile Run
1st – Daniel Bechle – 4:32.98
2nd – Ian Weich – 4:33.86
3,000m Run
1st – Christian Darrah – 8:41.87
3rd – Brady Conway – 9:14.98
4th – Ian Weich – 9:16.66
5th – Daniel Bechle – 9:24.44
Chayse McCullough - DNF
60m Hurdles
1st – Ethan Salmans – 8.42
3rd – Spencer Rich – 8.92
Pole Vault
1st – Jacob Clark – 16-6.75 #
2nd – Brady Deges – 16-0.75 #
2nd – Josiah Ball – 15-7
5th – Kurtis McCormick – 14-7.25
6th – Mason Younger – 14-1.25
9th – Trevor Christensen – 14-1.25
Rylan White - NH
Long Jump
2nd – Dean Clark – 22-8
13th – Kade Harris – 19-8
17th – Spencer Rich – 18-5
18th – Ervin Fierro – 18-4.5
Triple Jump
6th – Ervin Fierro – 38-10.5
Full FHSU Women's Results
60m Dash Finals
1st – Reba Mader – 8.02
5th – Chloe Mader – 8.36
8th – Amelia Foster – 8.55
600y
1st – Reba Mader – 1:27.33
3rd – Makenzie Premer – 1:30.09
4th – Amelia Foster – 1:33.21
800m Run
2nd – Kyra Nippert – 2:31.66
3,000m Run
1st – Taylor Hoskinson – 10:46.95
2nd – Makenzie Premer – 11:33.78
3rd – Keziah Bachman – 11:36.93
60m Hurdles
2nd – Donna Jackson – 9.31
3rd – Chloe Mader – 9.51
7th – Elysia Kunkler – 9.97
8th – Kylin Rudzik – 10.31
High Jump
5th – Lanie Page – 4-11.75
Kylin Rudzik - NH
Pole Vault
1st - Annabeth Baalmann - 13-3.75 ! #
7th – Liz Moore – 10-8.75
8th – Piper Robinson – 10-8.75
Long Jump
1st – Jayme Hagerman – 18-2.25
2nd – Donna Jackson – 17-0.75
3rd – Elysia Kunkler – 16-4.25
6th – Brynlee Frank – 15-8.75
8th – Lanie Page – 15-5.50
Triple Jump
1st - Jayme Hagerman - 35-9.25
2nd – Brynlee Frank – 34-7.50
3rd – Abby Rueschhoff – 33-11.50
Shot Put
13th – Kylin Rudzik – 32-4.25
! indicates school record
# indicates NCAA DII national qualifying mark