FHSU Athletics
EMPORIA, Kan. - The Fort Hays State track and field teams posted a strong showing on Saturday at the MIAA Outdoor Championships, with ten Tigers qualifying for Sunday (May 4) finals, multiple athletes securing NCAA Division II provisional marks, and several scoring valuable team points by finishing inside the top eight of their events.
On the women's side, Annabeth Baalmann delivered a spectacular performance in the pole vault, clearing 14-0.50 to win and claim her first MIAA Champion mark. Her jump not only earned her All-MIAA honors and a national provisional qualifying mark, but also gave Fort Hays State a huge boost in the team standings with 10 points. Baalmann's mark currently ranks third in all of Division II this season.
Another major contributor for the Tigers was Emma Slade, who threw 149-6 in the discus to finish third overall, earning All-MIAA recognition, an NCAA provisional mark, and adding six key points to the team score. Slade already holds the 13th-best mark in DII from earlier this season. She also placed 18th in the hammer throw.
In the women's 400m hurdles, Reba Mader qualified first for Sunday's final with a time of 1:00.79, hitting the NCAA provisional standard. In distance events, Makenzie Premer finished fifth in the 3,000m steeplechase, scoring four points for the team, while Emma Weiner placed sixth in the 10,000m to bring in three more points. In the heptathlon, Kylin Rudzik placed eighth overall, adding one point to the team total.
For the men, Toby Wahlmeier advanced to the 100m final with a provisional time of 10.42, placing fifth in prelims. In the 200m, the Tigers will be well-represented in Sunday's final. Nakari Morrical-Palmer placed third in prelims with a time of 21.23 seconds. Toby Wahlmeier followed in fourth at 21.27, while Hayden Albright took seventh with a mark of 21.58 seconds. Morrical-Palmer also qualified for the 400m final with a time of 47.95. Nolan Churchman will race in the 400m hurdles final after placing eighth in prelims.
In the men's 3,000m steeplechase, Cole Krug represented the Tigers with an 11th-place finish in a time of 9:31.11. In field events, Dean Clark placed tenth in the long jump, just shy of scoring. Churchman took 11th in the same event.
Freshman Drew Tolar wrapped up the decathlon with a seventh-place finish, contributing two points to the team score with a total of 6,114 points. He won the 1500m portion of the event and put up solid marks in the javelin and 110m hurdles.
As the Tigers head into Championship Sunday, the women hold strong at fifth place with 25 team points while the men have a pair of points. The team will look to capitalize on their momentum with several athletes positioned to contend for All-MIAA recognition and more crucial team points.