WKU Track and Field had an exciting weekend that consisted of two meets and a handful of accomplishments, including nine top-10 finishes and another program record broken by fifth-year senior Savannah Heckman. 

RALEIGH RELAYS 

The competitive Raleigh Relays hosted on Thursday and Friday included four Hilltopper runners, and a few states over at the Ole Miss Classic, the rest of the squad competed on Friday and Saturday.

In Raleigh, N.C., Heckman raced in the 5k, clocking in the fourth-fastest time in school history with 16:37.30 while knocking eight seconds off her personal best time. She placed 45th out of 151 total runners. Her run was the fastest 5k since 2010 when Janet Jesang logged the second-fastest time in program history.  

Sophomore Lucy Rutherford logged a new personal record of 17:25.65. 

As for the men’s side, senior Dedrick Troxell finished with a 3:49.26 time in 73rd place out of 200 runners in the 1500m. WKU senior Clint Sherman finished with a 3:53.98 in 147th place.

“The opportunity to compete at a prestigious meet like the Raleigh Relays is essential for this group to continue to progress,” WKU assistant coach Brooks LeCompte said in a press release. “It gave us much needed exposure to the top talent in the NCAA, racing in heats faster than we will compete in even at the conference championship level.”

OLE MISS CLASSIC 

Over in Oxford, Miss., the female Hilltoppers brought in all of the squad’s outstanding top-10 finishes. 

In the women’s events, freshman Queen Couch took the best finish of the weekend, placing fourth in the 100m with 12.17 time. In hammer throws, freshman Aija Basic finished fifth, throwing 56.87 meters while Aitana Safont Falomir threw 55.92 meters to finish in sixth. Senior Maddy Hurt finished in seventh in the 2k steeple with a 7:37.04 time. 

In men’s events, senior Steven Simmons ran a 10.71 time in the 100-meter dash, posting a fifth. Sophomore Zackery Martinez placed sixth in the 400-meter hurdles, putting up a personal record of 54.34. Freshman Keegan Barnette finished sixth in the 2k steeple with a time of 6:07.79.

Up next, the Hilltoppers will be returning home to host their very own Hilltopper Relays on Friday and Saturday.

Sports Reporter Lynda Eernisse can be reached at [email protected].