Sherman and Barnette break two facility records at UAB’s Green and Gold Invite

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Arthur H. Trickett-Wile

Seniors Clint Sherman (left) and Dedrick Troxell (right) compete in a distance race during day one the Western Kentucky University Hilltopper Relays Friday, April 1, 2022 at the Charles M. Ruter Track and Field Complex in Bowling Green, Kentucky.

Cassady Lamb, Sports Reporter

WKU Track and Field broke records Friday and Saturday at UAB’s Green and Gold Invite. The Hilltoppers won six event titles while the program picked up 15 top-five finishes. 

Senior distance runner Clint Sherman broke a facility record with a time of 14:56.01 for the men’s 5k, and freshman runner Keegan Barnette broke a facility record for the men’s 3,000-meter steeplechase with a time of 9:33.51. 

Sherman led WKU with two different event titles also taking first place in the 1500-meter by 19 one-hundredths of a second over teammate senior Dedrick Troxell. Everyone else in the run trailed Sherman by at least 25 seconds.

Hilltopper freshman Queen Couch won the largest field of the day out of 35 other runners after breaking the 12-second barrier. She claimed the women’s 100-meter dash with a time of 11.99, a new PR. 

Fifth-year senior Savannah Heckman won the women’s 5k while sophomore Lucy Rutherford was runner up. Rutherford beat her personal best by 14 seconds, and Heckman defeated everyone in the field by 16 seconds with a time of 16:55.40. 

Freshman thrower Ajla Basic claimed her second win in a row during the women’s hammer throw with a length of 54.67 meters.

Up next, WKU will take a break before heading to Lexington for the Kentucky Invitational April 22-23.

Sports Reporter Cassady Lamb can be reached at [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter @lambp0p.