Graduate thrower Kaison Barton had one goal in mind following his coach, Brent Chumbley’s, death in late January.
At the time, Barton held the program’s second-best marks in both the indoor weight throw and outdoor hammer throw. He said being able to immortalize Chumbley gave him all the more motivation to jump in first.
“My biggest motivation is to get those records,” Barton told the Herald in February. “Because not only will my name be in the record books, but it would be my name which is coached by Coach Chumbley.”
While Barton came up short on the indoor weight throw, he cemented his name in Hilltopper history during the hammer throw at the Brent Chumbley Memorial Hilltopper Relays on March 28.
His first throw went right into the cage. While the throw resulted in nothing, Barton said it felt great, earning an “oh my gosh” from his teammate Luke Stegman who was watching him work.
“I knew that I’d get one in,” Barton said, recounting his first throw of the day.
He got one in on his next throw, a 60.80m toss, which, at the time, was a personal record. Even then, Barton knew he had more in the tank.
“I was really happy with that, but I missed the finish. I missed it at the end,” Barton said. “I was like, ‘okay, well if that’s going on 61, then, you know, something’s brewing here.”
In the first round of the finals, Barton etched his name in the record books with a 63.89-meter throw, a new program record.
“I had never seen a ball go that far from me throwing. I just knew I obliterated my PR (personal record),” Barton said. “I’m waiting and waiting and waiting to hear what it is, and the guy says ‘63.89’ and it went pretty chaotic… it was a great moment.”
Breaking the record at the first Brent Chumbley Memorial Hilltopper Relays and his last home meet as a Hilltopper made for “the perfect moment,” Barton said. Chumbley’s wife, Jennifer, and his daughter, Alex, were in attendance, allowing Barton to show that Chumbley made an impact.
“I think it’s bigger than the milestone itself,” Barton said.
Barton said he understood what it would mean to break the record at the relays, but said that didn’t change his preparation leading up to the event.
“I’ve been asked that a couple times, like, ‘What did you change?’ And it really wasn’t much at all,” Barton said. “I just think things fell in place and I did what I needed to do.”
With two meets remaining before the Conference USA Outdoor Championships, Barton still has one major goal in mind.
In NCAA Track & Field, the top 48 competitors in the East and West regions qualify for the NCAA Regionals. Barton’s 63.89-meter throw has him firmly in those regionals at No. 22.
“This is my fifth year here, and I’ve always been on the brink of qualifying for the NCAA First Round Regionals,” Barton said. “If I get more consistent at those 63 to 65-meter throws, I still have a fighting chance to go to nationals, which would be a dream come true.”
Sports Editor Jake McMahon can be reached at michael.mcmahon480@topper.wku.edu.
