MOBILE, Ala. - Led by three individual Sun Belt champions, 17 podium finishes, multiple school, facility and meet records, and one of the best pole vault performances in NCAA history, the App State men's and women's track and field teams both captured their best finishes at the Sun Belt Outdoor Championships since joining the league in 2015.
The men took home second place with a score of 128, behind only Texas State (157). The men's previous best Sun Belt outdoor finish was fourth in 2024, and it was their best at a conference meet since winning the Southern Conference team title in 2012.
The women accomplished their best team result with a third-place finish and a score of 80.5, behind Louisiana (96) and Texas State (128.83). The women's previous best Sun Belt outdoor finish was fourth in 2016 and 2017, and it was their best overall since a runner-up SoCon finish in 2013.
How it Happened
Matthew Gray had a pole vault performance for the ages on Friday as he continued his undefeated season. He shattered the Sun Belt, facility, and his own App State record with a clearance of 5.84m/19-2 to take home gold. His clearance set a new standard in the NCAA this outdoor season and ranks him 13th in the world this year and 11th in NCAA history.
Distance runners Derek Waite and Thomas Wlazlowski led the men's side in scoring with 16 points each. Waite led a dominant 1-2-3 Mountaineer finish in the 1500 meters Saturday with a time of 3:45.82, a personal best by more than four seconds. He stormed back from fourth place, running a 55.7 on his last lap to secure gold. Noah Martinson finished second, and Rowan Gwin passed an opponent in the last 50 meters to capture bronze and complete the podium sweep for the Mountaineers.
"I'm really proud of the men, women and staff for how hard they've worked this year," Director of Track & Field/Cross Country Damion McLean said. "It's been a long, up-and-down year, but they have made the best of it and turned it into something amazing we will remember for a long time."
On Friday, Waite also helped the Mountaineers sweep the podium in the 3000-meter steeplechase, grabbing bronze and only getting beaten out by Wlazlowski (silver) and Ethan Lipham (gold). Lipham and Wlazlowski finished neck-and-neck down the stretch, but Lipham got the edge and defended his steeplechase title with a facility-record time of 8:49.64. They all finished within three seconds of each other, and the next closest runner to third place was 16 seconds back.
App State was the only school to sweep the podium in multiple events in Mobile, and it was the first time the men had ever finished 1-2-3 in multiple events at the Sun Belt outdoor meet.
The 5,000 meters was yet another distance race that scored big points for App State. Wlazlowski and Aaron Kidd led a 2-3-4-5-7 Mountaineer finish that added a whopping 25 points to their team scoring from a single event.
Parker Kinney put an exclamation point on his stellar outdoor season with a second-place finish in the 400 meters in a time of 46.75. It was his third straight year scoring points in the 400 at the conference outdoor meet and his best finish yet.
Kidd and Memphis Rich started the men's scoring Thursday night with a strong 2-3 finish in the 10,000 meters with times of 30:36.00 and 30:46.94, respectively.
A pair of freshman jumpers, Ashlynn Wimberly and Alana Braxton, took home silver and bronze in the women's triple jump. Their marks of 12.57m/41-3 and 12.54/41-1.75 proved to be the dagger that clinched the Mountaineers third overall.
The team of Nicole Wells, Damyja Alejandro-Ortiz, Daye Talley and Jayla Adams executed a flawless race in the 4x400-meter relay, breaking the App State outdoor record (previously set at the 2024 SBC meet) with a time of 3:38.19 for third place.
Lilly Nichols landed herself on the podium for the second straight year as she cleared a bar of 4.03m/13-2.5, taking home bronze in the pole vault.
Savannah Moore finished her sophomore season strong in the 1500 meters. She qualified with a time of 4:34.52, then improved that time in the finals by a second to capture bronze.
Other athletes who scored points for App State:
Up Next
App State athletes who qualify for the NCAA East First Round will compete May 27-30 in Lexington, Ky., for a chance to earn their way to the June 10-13 NCAA Outdoor Championships in Eugene, Ore.
