By FHSU SPORTS INFORMATION
PITTSBURG, Kan. – Ryan Stanley’s second national title was one of four All-American trophies earned by the Fort Hays State track and field team Saturday (March 12) on day two of the NCAA DII Indoor Championships. The men finished 15th in the team race with 15 points, while the women were 35th with four points.
Stanley cleared heights rarely before seen at the Division II level. After clinching the championship with a clearance of the 17-6.5 bar, four inches above his prior indoor best, the Bennington, Kan. junior then surpassed the 17-9.25 bar on his first attempt. That height is fifth-best all-time in Division II and is the third-best mark in DII Championship history. He missed on only one jump all afternoon, clearing four of five bars on his first attempt.
He was joined on the All-American podium by teammate Jacob Clark, who also had a career day. The freshman did not miss an attempt on any of the four bars he cleared, finishing off the afternoon by soaring over the 16-10.75 bar. That height is six inches past his previous indoor best and is tied for second on the DII era performance chart at Fort Hays State.
A pair of multi-athletes also reached the All-American stage, with Mattie Rossi placing fifth in the pentathlon and Nolan Churchman wrapping up the heptathlon in seventh place. Rossi broke her own record in the pentathlon by 96 points, finishing with a five-event total of 3,766 points. After racking up a high of 976 points in the 60m hurdles (8.69), the junior finished the event with back-to-back personal-bests. She added nearly one foot to her PR in the long jump, clearing 18-10.75, before running the 800m in 2:20.38 for 818 points.
Churchman moved up one spot in the heptathlon, finishing in seventh place with a total of 5,269 points. He finished the day with a personal-best time of 2:44.04 in the 1,000m run, good for 829 points.
Xavier Robinson finished 13th in the triple jump with a top clearance of 48-4.5. Taylor Savolt was 17th in the same event after a top mark of 37-9.25. Ethan Lang qualified for the 800m finals, but was disqualified.
Fort Hays State finished the week with 10 All-Americans, four first team and six second team. The men’s and women’s teams each had five All-Americans.
The Tigers are scheduled to open the outdoor season March 25-26 at the ESU Relays.
Full FHSU Results – Day Two
Women
Triple Jump
17th – Taylor Savolt – 37-9.25
Pentathlon
5th – Mattie Rossi – 3,766 points – 4 team points ! @
60mH – 8.69 – 976
HJ – 5-2.25 – 712
SP – 30-5.75 – 483
LJ – 18-10.75 – 777
800m – 2:20.38 – 818
Men
800m finals
DQ – Ethan Lang
Pole Vault
1st – Ryan Stanley – 17-9.25 – 10 team points ! @
6th – Jacob Clark – 16-10.75 – 3 team points @
Triple Jump
13th – Xavier Robinson – 48-4.5
Heptathlon
7th – Nolan Churchman – 5,269 points – 2 team points @
60m – 6.96 – 897
LJ – 22-11.75 – 814
SP – 37-3.25 – 568
HJ – 6-3.25 – 723
60mH – 8.85 – 779
PV – 13-7.25 – 659
1,000m – 2:44.04 – 829
Day 1 Results
Women
60m prelims
10th – Lyric Holman – 7.51 &
60mH prelims
12th – Mattie Rossi – 8.62 &
200m prelims
11th – Lyric Holman – 24.53 &
High Jump
9th – Alexandra Hart – 5-7 &
Men
60m prelims
9th – Philip Landrum – 6.80 &
200m prelims
11th – Philip Landrum – 21.56 &
800m prelims
9th – Ethan Lang – 1:51.62 Q
! indicates school record
@ indicates first team All-America performance
& indicates second team All-America performance
Q indicates qualified for Saturday’s finals