FHSU Sports Information Department
Fort Hays State men’s track and field competed in a pair of events this weekend (April 7-8), splitting time between the Friends Invitational in Wichita, Kan. and the West Texas A&M Classic in Canyon, Texas. The Tigers saw 10 individuals reach the podium, with four of them touching provisional marks.
Friends Invitational
Sam Dreiling and Layton Werth were the lone champions for the Tigers, finishing on top of the field in the pole vault and 5000m run, respectively. Dreiling increased his provisional mark on the year with a vault of 16′ 1.25” while Werth claimed the win crossing the line in with a time of 15:04.10.
The Tigers also had five runner-ups on the day thanks to Jake Morrow, TJ Dozier, Brock Elgin, Brett Meyer and Kolt Newell. Morrow tied with Dreiling by setting a provisional mark at 16′ 1.25” in the pole vault, but Dreiling cleared the height in a try before Morrow to take first. Dozier took second place in the hammer throw for the second consecutive week with a toss of 177′ 0.5”. Rounding out the second place finishers was Elgin in the 3000m steeplechase (9:56.88), Meyer in the 1500m run (3:56.54) and Newell, who picked up a provisional mark in the high jump leaping 6′ 9”. Newell rounded out the top three finishers for FHSU with a third-place finish in the long jump, clearing a distance of 21′ 8”.
West Texas A&M Classic
The Tigers also sent a few athletes south to compete in the West Texas A&M Classic. Derek Bixenman came back with a provisional mark of 6,437 in the decathlon, placing second in the event with a new personal-best. The junior was the top finisher in three of the 10 events, including clearing the 6′ 4.25″ bar in the high jump and tossing the javelin 173′ 11″.
Cameron Fouts won the javelin throw with a heave of 189′ 0″, a personal best for the freshman.
Next up for the Tigers is a trip to Kearney, Neb. on Saturday (April 15) when they compete in the UNK Loper Invitational.