By FHSU SPORTS INFORMATION
INDIANAPOLIS – The Fort Hays State track and field teams had 16 individuals selected to compete in 18 entries at the 2022 NCAA Division II Outdoor Championships later this month in Allendale, Mich. (May 26-28). Five women will compete in eight separate events, while 11 male student-athletes will represent Fort Hays State in 10 events. This year’s National Championships are being held in Allendale, Mich. for the second year in a row, with Grand Valley State once again assuming the hosting duties.
On the women’s side, Mattie Rossi will compete in three events (100m hurdles, 400m hurdles, heptathlon), while Lyric Holman will run in a pair of sprints (100m dash, 200m dash). Alexandra Hart will again compete in the high jump, while Addie Berens and Rhyann Brown will both return to the national meet to compete in the javelin.
Five Tigers from the men’s squad will compete in multiple events. FHSU had two relay teams selected to compete, including Cole Diffenbaugh, Hayden Albright, Xavier Robinson and Philip Landrum in the 4x100m relay and Albright, Jack Pakkebier, Ethan Lang and Nolan Churchman will team up in the 4x400m relay. Lang will also run in the 800m run, while Robinson is also entered in the triple jump and Churchman will also compete in the decathlon. Robbie Schmidt will run in both the 5,000m run and the 10,000m run, with Jacob Clark and Ryan Stanley both entered in the pole vault and David Enns competing in the javelin.
Holman is heading to the national meet for the fourth time in her career. She has earned five All-America honors in all five of her entries at the national level, including two podium finishes and three second-team awards. The Junction City, Kan. native advanced to the finals in the 200m dash last year, placing eighth.
Rossi is entered in multiple events for the third national meet in a row, however this is the first time she has qualified in three separate events. She is a three-time All-American, placing fifth in the indoor pentathlon this season in addition to a pair of second-team honors (indoor 60m hurdles, outdoor heptathlon).
Hart is competing in her fourth National Championship after winning the indoor title as a freshman in 2021. She added a second All-American trophy with a seventh-place finish outdoors last year before picking up second team All-America status indoors this season.
Berens and Brown are both in the javelin competition at the national meet for the second year in a row. The pair made the trip to Michigan last spring, with Berens finishing 11th to earn second team All-America honors and Brown placing 17th.
This is the second year in a row that the men had two relay teams selected to compete in the outdoor meet. Both squads reached the All-American podium last season, with the same team returning this year in the 4x400m relay and three of the four 4x100m legs identical to last year’s unit.
Lang is in the field at the national meet for the third time. He has a pair of All-American trophies to his name after advancing to the finals in indoor 800m run this season and placing seventh as a part of last season’s outdoor 4x400m relay team.
Schmidt is competing at the final meet in track and field for the first time after twice advancing to the NCAA DII Cross Country Championships. He placed 62nd last fall as an individual while leading the Tigers with a 125th-place finish when FHSU qualified as a team in 2019.
Clark is competing at the national meet for the second time after earning an All-American trophy with a sixth-place finish indoors earlier this season. This is the sophomore’s first trip to the outdoor meet. The England native set the outdoor school record with a clearance of 17-3 last month.
Two-time National Champion Stanley will look to defend his outdoor title after being selected to compete at the national meet for the sixth time. A five-time All-American, the Bennington, Kan. native won the national title with a clearance of 17-2.75 last year in Michigan before grabbing the indoor championship earlier this year after soaring over a school-record 17-9.25.
Robinson is in the field in the triple jump at the national meet for the second time this year after placing 13th indoors, one spot outside second team All-America honors. He earned a spot on the All-American podium as a part of the 4x100m relay team that placed sixth last year in Allendale.
This is Enns’ first trip to the NCAA Championships, however the Montezuma, Kan. native is no stranger to national competition. The senior placed first at the NJCAA Division I Championships in 2019 when he was competing for Garden City CC. He qualified for nationals after a personal-best toss of 208-9 earlier this month at the MIAA Championships.
Churchman is off to his third NCAA meet in hopes to add to his two All-American trophies. The multi-athlete placed seventh in the indoor heptathlon earlier this season while picking up a trophy as a part of the 4x400m relay team that placed seventh last spring. He also qualified to run in the 400m dash at the national meet, but chose to focus on the decathlon and the 4x400m relay.
FHSU Women’s Qualifiers for 2022 NCAA Division II Outdoor Championships
Event – Athlete(s) – Qualifying Mark
100m Dash – Lyric Holman – 11.53 !*
200m Dash – Lyric Holman – 23.78
100m Hurdles – Mattie Rossi – 13.77
400m Hurdles – Mattie Rossi – 58.54 !
High Jump – Alexandra Hart – 5-8
Javelin – Addie Berens – 154-4
Javelin – Rhyann Brown – 150-8
Heptathlon – Mattie Rossi – 5,214 !
FHSU Men’s Qualifiers for 2022 NCAA Division II Outdoor Championships
Event – Athlete(s) – Qualifying Mark
800m Run – Ethan Lang – 1:49.48
5,000m Run – Robbie Schmidt – 14:05.87 !
10,000m Run – Robbie Schmidt – 29:22.63 !
4x100m Relay – Cole Diffenbaugh, Hayden Albright, Xavier Robinson, Philip Landrum – 40.54
4x400m Relay – Hayden Albright, Jack Pakkebier, Ethan Lang, Nolan Churchman – 3:11.06 !
Pole Vault – Jacob Clark – 17-3 !
Pole Vault – Ryan Stanley – 17-0.75
Triple Jump – Xavier Robinson – 49-9
Javelin – David Enns – 208-9
Decathlon – Nolan Churchman – 7,119 !
! indicates school record
!* Holman’s 100m school record time of 11.41 does not count as qualifying mark due to wind
FHSU Schedule for 2022 NCAA Division II Outdoor Championships
Thursday, May 26
9:30 a.m. – Start of Decathlon Day 1 – Nolan Churchman
10:00 a.m. – Start of Heptathlon Day 1 – Mattie Rossi
1:00 p.m. – Pole Vault – Jacob Clark, Ryan Stanley
3:50 p.m. – 4x100m Relay Prelims – Cole Diffenbaugh, Hayden Albright, Xavier Robinson, Philip Landrum
5:25 p.m. – 100m Dash Prelims – Lyric Holman
6:55 p.m. – 400m Hurdles Prelims – Mattie Rossi
7:10 p.m. – 10,000m Run – Robbie Schmidt
Friday, May 27
8:30 a.m. – Start of Decathlon Day 2 – Nolan Churchman
9:30 a.m. – Start of Heptathlon Day 2 – Mattie Rossi
4:45 p.m. – 200m Dash Prelims – Lyric Holman
5:00 p.m. – 800m Run Prelims – Ethan Lang
5:50 p.m. – 100m Hurdles Prelims – Mattie Rossi
6:50 p.m. – 4x400m Relay Prelims – Hayden Albright, Jack Pakkebier, Ethan Lang, Nolan Churchman
Saturday, May 28
9:30 a.m. – Javelin Throw – David Enns
11:45 a.m. – Triple Jump – Xavier Robinson
12:30 p.m. – Javelin Throw – Addie Berens, Rhyann Brown
1:00 p.m. – 4x100m Relay Finals – Cole Diffenbaugh, Hayden Albright, Xavier Robinson, Philip Landrum
1:05 p.m. – High Jump – Alexandra Hart
1:55 p.m. – 100m Hurdles Finals – Mattie Rossi
2:35 p.m. – 100m Dash Finals – Lyric Holman
2:45 p.m. – 800m Run Finals – Ethan Lang
3:20 p.m. – 400m Hurdles Finals – Mattie Rossi
3:50 p.m. – 200m Dash Finals – Lyric Holman
4:00 p.m. – 5,000m Run – Robbie Schmidt
4:50 p.m. – 4x400m Relay Finals – Hayden Albright, Jack Pakkebier, Ethan Lang, Nolan Churchman
(all times Central)