Hart wins national title in high jump

BY FHSU SPORTS INFORMATION

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 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

Saturday

Fort Hays State track and field picked up two more All-American trophies Saturday (March 13) on the final day of the 2021 NCAA Division II Indoor Track and Field National Championships. The Tigers sent four athletes to Birmingham and are returning with four All-American finishes, one national title and three school records. All four national qualifiers broke at least one school record this season.

Ryan Stanley opened the day with a strong performance in the pole vault. The Bennington, Kan. native earned his third All-American honor after placing fourth at the national meet for the second time (2019 outdoors). Stanley broke the indoor school record when he cleared the 16-11.5 bar on his first attempt, matching his collegiate best and surpassing the school record by .75 inches. He committed just one foul over the first four heights, clearing three of the four on his first attempt. The junior was the lone competitor to clear the initial height on his first attempt.

Lyric Holman capped off the event with an appearance in the 60m dash finals. Running in lane No. 3, the same lane in which she ran a school-record 7.53 in the prelims, Holman turned in a seventh-place finish with a time of 7.60. The junior earned FHSU two team points with her finish.

Holman and Alexandra Hart combined for 12 team points, placing Fort Hays State 16th on the team score list, its top national finish in 10 years (14th in 2011). Stanley and Matthew Pieper combined for 7.5 team points, good for 33rd place out of 51 schools with at least one entry.

Fort Hays State finished the year with eight broken indoor school records, including four on both the men’s and women’s teams. Men’s records broken this year include Stanley in the pole vault, Pieper’s top mark of 5,258 points in the heptathlon, Ethan Lang’s time of 1:10.91 in the 600y dash and the 4x400m relay team of Jack Pakkebier, Lang, Pieper and Kaden Wren’s combined time of 3:16.62. Women’s records that went down this season include Holman’s 7.53 in the 60m prelims, her time of 24.92 in the 200m dash, Hart’s national-championship winning jump of 6-0 in the high jump and Mattie Rossi’s total of 3,450 points in the pentathlon.

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 #

60m Dash Finals
7th – Lyric Holman – 7.60 @

Pole Vault
4th – Ryan Stanley – 16-11.5 @ #

! indicates NCAA DII National Champion
@ indicates first team All-American
# indicates school record