BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - Fort Hays State track and field had a strong showing on day 2 of the 2021 NCAA Division II Indoor Championships Friday (March 12), winning one national championship, lifting two All-American trophies, earning one trip to a finals race on Saturday and setting two school records.
Alexandra Hart finished an undefeated freshman season by winning the national championship in the high jump. The Rolla, Kan. native secured the win by being the only athlete to clear the 5-9.75 bar before going on to shatter her school record by 1.5 inches after soaring over the 6-0 bar on her second attempt. The jump is the seventh-best mark for an NCAA DII indoor high jump champion all-time, is tied for seventh on the all-time NCAA DII performance list and is the top mark by a Division II athlete since 2015. The mark could qualify Hart for the USATF Olympic Trials where she currently sits in a tie for 13th on the national performance chart. Hart is the first Tiger to clear 6 feet both indoors and outdoors.
She is the eighth NCAA DII National Champion in the history of the women's program and the first since Madison Wolf (javelin) in 2018. She is the fourth indoor national champ and the first in 10 years (Christa Bergmann, weight throw, 2011). It is the third national championship in the high jump for a Tiger, joining Janet Eck's outdoor titles in 1998 and 1999.
Matthew Pieper earned All-American honors with his sixth-place finish in the heptathlon, collecting 5,115 points. The senior posted a time of 8.81 in the 60m hurdles before clearing the 13-1.5 bar in the pole vault. He entered the 1000m run 67 points behind sixth place and made up precisely that with a personal-best time of 2:43.65 to climb into a tie for sixth place. He earned the Tigers 2.5 team points with his finish.
Lyric Holman capped off the day with an incredible run in the 60m dash prelims. Running in lane three, Holman was in the middle of the pack until the final 25 meters where a late burst propelled her to a time of 7.53. The junior shattered her old school record of 7.59, set two weeks ago in her MIAA Championship victory. Holman's late push gave her a second-place finish in her heat and a tie for third overall, giving her a spot in the finals Saturday evening.
The Tiger women are currently ninth overall in the team competition with 10 points, while the men's team is 30th with 2.5 points.
The Tigers will wrap up competition at the National Championships Saturday with two more competitors. Holman will run in her finals at 6:10 p.m. after two-time All-American Ryan Stanley competes in the pole vault beginning at 12:30 p.m.
Full FHSU Results
Heptathlon
t-6th - Matthew Pieper - 5,115 @
60m - 7.22 - 806
LJ - 23-3.5 - 838
SP - 37-0.5 - 563
HJ - 6-0.75 - 670
60mh - 8.81 - 788
PV - 13-1.5 - 617
1000m - 2:43.65 - 833
High Jump
1st - Alexandra Hart - 6-0 ! @ #
60m dash Prelims
t-3rd - Lyric Holman - 7.53Q #
! indicates NCAA DII National Champion
@ indicates first team All-American
# indicates school record