Tarleton heads to Seattle for WAC Outdoor Championships to conclude 2022 season

The Meet: Western Athletic Conference Outdoor Championships

Date: May 12-14

Where: Husky Track in Seattle, Washington

Streaming Platform: ESPN+

ABOUT THE WAC OUTDOOR CHAMPIONSHIPS

For Tarleton track and field, nine months of training and a full slate of regular season meets boils down to this exact moment.

Three days for athletes to cement their status among the best in their individual events in the conference, create a legacy as one of the all-time greats to pass through Stephenville and help establish the program as a fixture within the WAC and NCAA Division I ranks.

The meet marks the fifth conference championship appearance for Tarleton track and field and cross country in the university's WAC and D1 era.

Certainly, the pressure will reach a fever pitch in the pacific northwest.

For Tarleton, the WAC Outdoor Championships signifies the conclusion of its 2022 season. The Texans are ineligible to qualify athletes for the NCAA West Preliminaries and the NCAA Championships due to reclassification rules. The conference championships, in turn, act as a "national meet" for the program.

Even though further postseason advancement is not possible, Tarleton track and field has the unique distinction of being the only sport on campus eligible to compete for and win team and individual conference championships.

It's a privilege not lost on athletes alike. The Texans' past performances on the WAC Championship stage reflect the "chip on a shoulder" attitude the program approaches the meet with.

In 2021, the Texans captured five conference titles and saw 22 athletes garner All-WAC first or second team credentials in their first-ever appearance at the WAC Outdoor Championships. This winter, Tarleton smashed seven indoor school records and placed 11 athletes on the WAC Indoor Championships podium.

Similar success should follow the Texans on their trek to Seattle. As of May 10, Tarleton has 17 athletes featured in the top-10 of the WAC Outdoor Performance List in at least one event and in position to make a run at all-conference accolades. Additionally, eight athletes are ranked in the top-30 of the NCAA D1 South Central Region Outdoor Performance List, four of whom are included in the top-100 of the NCAA DI Outdoor Qualifying List.

In addition to the high stakes nature of a conference championship, the competition is bound to be robust.

This will be the first time Tarleton has competed against all 12 of its conference peers on the outdoor track. The annexation of Abilene Christian, Lamar, Sam Houston and Stephen F. Austin from the Southland Conference has transformed the WAC into arguably the strongest mid-major track and field conference in the country.

For the men, five teams are ranked inside the top-150 of the USTFCCCA National Track and Field Rating Index; SHSU (No. 45), SFA (No. 78), Grand Canyon (No. 83), ACU (No. 88) and Utah Valley (No. 135).

The competition is even tougher on the women's side, as seven teams cracked the top-150 of the USTFCCCA National TFRI; UVU (No. 61), SFA (No. 65), ACU (No. 68), California Baptist (No. 92), GCU (No. 120), New Mexico State (No. 129) and SHSU (No. 136).

Both the Tarleton men's and women's teams enter the meet ranked seventh out of 13 teams in the WAC in the latest USTFCCCA Conference TFRI.

POSTSEASON AWARDS

All athletes who advance to the finals (top-eight) in individual events earn All-WAC credentials. First team accolades are reserved for athletes who place in the top-three. Athletes who finish fourth through eighth receive all-conference second team honors.

Winning relay teams obtain All-WAC first team credentials. Relay teams that finish second or third take home second team recognition.

The WAC will also distribute the following awards across both genders at the conclusion of the meet and as voted on by head coaches; Coach of the Year, Most Outstanding Freshman, Outstanding Track Performer and Outstanding Field Performer. A high point award winner will be crowned for each gender as well. The conference will choose a Male and Female Athlete of the Year following the meet and after selections for the NCAA West Preliminaries are announced.

MEET COVERAGE

A live stream for track events will be available all three days on ESPN+. Live results for the meet are provided by Pacific Northwest Track and Field Officials.

The three-day affair begins on Thursday with the start of the decathlon and heptathlon at 11:30 a.m. CT. Individual field events commence at noon with the hammer throw and continue throughout the afternoon with women's javelin and pole vault. The meet then transitions to the track at 6:30 p.m. for prelims in the 1,500m, 200m, 400m hurdles and the 10,000m final.

Friday's schedule begins with the conclusion of combined events. The action in the field begins at 2 p.m. and features finals for the shot put and long jump. The track will host prelims for short hurdles, the 100m, 400m and 800m and the 3k steeplechase final.

Saturday's finale gets rolling at noon in the field with finals for the triple jump, high jump, discus and men's pole vault and javelin. Finals for all individual running events and both the 4x100m and 4x400m relays are scheduled to start at 5:30 p.m. and conclude around 8:45 p.m.

Links to the broadcast, live results and a complete meet schedule can be accessed on the Tarleton track and field page on TarletonSports.com.

COMPETING FOR TARLETON

4x100m Relay

The Texan women - , , and - enter the meet seeded sixth behind a season personal record of 45.92. The foursome is more than talented enough to challenge for a medal. Less than six-tenths of a second separate Tarleton from the No. 3 seed, which is occupied by ACU at 45.36. Dudley and Campbell are tied for 19th in the 100m on the WAC Outdoor Performance List with lifetime personal records of 11.91. Barlow is Tarleton's top 200m sprinter and ranks eighth in the WAC at 24.08.

Tarleton is entering a men's contingent featuring four of the top individual sprinters and jumpers in the WAC. Reigning WAC Indoor Freshman of the Year is set to lead off. He'll hand the baton off to fellow freshman , who skyrocketed to seventh in the WAC in the long jump at 24' 2.25" after winning the UTA Invitational on Apr. 28. Seniors and will anchor. It will be the first time the four have raced together.

4x400m Relay

Tarleton is set to trot out its same men's lineup from the WAC Indoor Championships; McKissick, , and Vincent. They placed sixth in 3:15.89 to earn All-WAC second team recognition. Tarleton's season personal record of 3:14.31 ranks sixth ahead of Saturday's race - just two seconds back of the No. 3 spot and a medal. McKissick, Martinez and Smotek comprised three-fourths of Tarleton's 2021 WAC Outdoor Championship-winning 4x400m relay team.

It's all about legacy for Tarleton's women's quartet of , Barlow, Dudley and . The quartet broke Tarleton's indoor 4x400m school record in February at the WAC Indoor Championships in 3:47.78 and placed fourth to garner second team all-conference credentials. They are in position to earn another set of postseason All-WAC accolades. Tarleton's season personal record is 3:45.72. Just four seconds separate the top-seven relay teams on the WAC Outdoor Performance List.

Barlow and Dudley will become the first women's athletes in program history to earn four-or-more sets of All-WAC first or second team accolades should they advance to the finals in an individual event or either relay team place high enough.

Sprints

Raines and Vincent are entered in the 100m prelims as are Dudley, Campbell, Croxton and .

Raines is looking to become the first multi-event WAC champion in school history. He won the 60m and broke Tarleton's school record in 6.71 in February and boasts the fastest 100m time (10.23) in the WAC. Raines' time is also tied for 58th among all D1 athletes.

Vincent enters with a season personal record of 10.83.

Dudley and Campbell are tied for fourth on Tarleton's all-time outdoor top-10 list in the 100m.

Croxton, who will also run the 200m, owns lifetime personal records of 12.24 and 24.84, respectively, in both sprints. Her 200m time ranks 10th in outdoor school history.

The 200m features a collection of athletes competing on relay teams and/or racing in the 400m.

Raines, McKissick and comprise the men's entries. Raines is Tarleton's highest-seeded athlete, as his lifetime personal record of 21.33 is tied for 14th in the conference. McKissick clocked a lifetime personal best of his own (21.48) at the UTA Invitational to enter the top-20 of the WAC Outdoor Performance List. Stone, a graduate student, is Tarleton's indoor 200m school record holder at 21.66.

All four members of Tarleton's women's 4x100m relay will race in the 200m as will Thomas. Barlow, Campbell (24.48) and Dudley (24.55) rank No. 2-4 on Tarleton's all-time outdoor top-10 list. Barlow placed sixth in the event at the WAC Indoor Championships and owns Tarleton's indoor school record (24.53).

The 400m is likely to produce a collection of all-conference performers.

McKissick, Martinez and Smotek are racing for the men. McKissick enters the meet seeded seventh behind a lifetime personal record of 47.41. He finished fourth in the 400m at the 2021 WAC Outdoor Championships to supplement his All-WAC first team honors as a part of the 4x400m relay team with a set of All-WAC second team accolades. Martinez is one of three athletes who owns multiple sets of All-WAC first team credentials, as he finished third in 47.66 at last season's outdoor conference championships.

Tarleton's women's 400m crew is particularly talented. The Texans have five athletes ranked in the top-25 of the WAC and are ranked third in the conference and 81st nationally in the USTFCCA Event Squad Rankings with an average split of 56.63. Anglin headlines a list of four athletes racing, as she heads to Seattle ranked second in outdoor program history and eighth in the WAC with a time of 55.50. Fellow junior (56.75) sits four spots back of Anglin at 12th on the WAC Outdoor Performance List. Freshmen (57.50) and (58.07) are also racing and will serve as alternates on the 4x400m relay.

Mid-Distance and Distance

School records are teetering in both the women's 800m and men's 5,000m when and toe the start line in their respective races.

Brazeal is already Tarleton's all-time school record holder in the 800m and is fresh off notching a lifetime personal record of 2:12.13 and victory at the UTA Invitational. The junior finished fourth in the event at the WAC Indoor Championships in February. The 800m is the lone event Brazeal is slated to race in.

Baez clocked a 5,000m time of 14:36.20 at the North Texas Classic on Apr. 9 to come within two seconds of breaking Dylan Willett's 2016 school record of 14:34.17. The 5,000m wraps up a combined cross country and track and field season for the ages for Baez. He notched Tarleton's fastest recorded 8k cross country time in school history (24:01.30) in September and moved to sixth on Tarleton's all-time outdoor top-10 list in the 1,500m after blistering home a time of 3:54.60 at the SFA Invite on Apr. 15.

Hurdles

The Texans have four athletes - three men and one women - racing in the short hurdles.

leads the men's entries as the best bet to advance to Saturday's 110m hurdles final. He is seeded ninth and boasts a lifetime personal record of 14.44, which he obtained at the SFA Invite in April. Sanders' time also catapulted him to sixth in program history. He'll be joined by freshman and 400m hurdles specialist . Hoerman crossed the finish line in 14.77 at the North Texas Classic to move to 10th in school history. Sisneroz broke 15 seconds for the first time at the SFA Invite to finish third and register a lifetime personal record of 14.91.

On the women's side, heptathlete is penciled in for the 100m hurdles as well as the 400m hurdles. The freshman is peaking at the right time. She comes in as Tarleton's top performer in the 400m hurdles after placing second at the UTA Invitational in 1:04.24.

The 400m hurdles is arguably where Tarleton is deepest. The men, who will race Sisneroz and senior , rank 31st nationally in the USTFCCCA Event Squad Rankings on the strength of an average time of 56.66. The women aren't far off, as they sit 47th in the rankings with a collective mark of 1:04.78.

Sisneroz is trending toward his first set of All-WAC accolades. He is seventh in the conference with a mark of 54.07. Ortiz-Martinez is shooting for his second straight trip to the 400m hurdles final on the WAC Outdoor Championships stage. He notched a lifetime personal record of 54.40 in April and finished seventh at the 2021 WAC Outdoor Championships.

All four women's 400m hurdlers Tarleton has entered own season and lifetime personal records that rank in the top-20 in the conference. Joining Schoonover are (1:04.51), (1:04.63) and heptathlete (1:05.74).

High Jump

Tarleton's women's contingent is second in the WAC in the USTFCCCA Event Squad Rankings at No. 48 (5' 4.75").

is set to defend her WAC Outdoor high jump title. The senior claimed the first conference championship of her collegiate career after clearing 5' 6.5" at the 2021 WAC Outdoor Championships in Edinburg. Her lifetime personal record of 5' 7.25" is tied for third on the WAC Outdoor Performance List and tied for the second-best mark among athletes jumping on Saturday. Should Munden win, she will become the first repeat conference champion in Tarleton's WAC and D1 era. A top-eight finish gives Munden her third straight set of All-WAC accolades.

Before Munden begins her title defense, the Texans will take aim at securing multiple sets of all-conference credentials in the men's high jump. All four athletes Tarleton has entered rank in the top-15 in the WAC. boasts Tarleton's top mark this season at 6' 7.5" and enters Saturday's competition ranked sixth in the WAC and 24th in the NCAA South Central Region. Palmer undoubtedly is looking to recapture the focus and energy that shined through in his performance at the 2021 WAC Outdoor Championships. He leapt 6' 9.5" to place second and become the first athlete in program history to earn multiple sets of All-WAC first team honors. (6' 5.5") and (6' 4.75") round out Tarleton's entrants and are seeded 11th and 13th ahead of the meet.

Long Jump

Palmer is the first of three reigning WAC outdoor champions looking to repeat as the conference's indisputable best. He won the long jump in 2021 with a mark of 24' 11.75". He is seeded seventh ahead of Friday's finale behind a season personal record of 24' 7," although he is separated from the top spot in the conference by just seven inches and his lifetime personal record of 25' 2" would rank second this season. The Oklahoman is no stranger to success on the big stage. Palmer broke his indoor school record and finished fourth at the 2022 WAC Indoor Championships after leaping 24' 5". He was leading the event through four-of-six attempts before an injury forced him to depart the competition early.

Vincent and Howlett are also competing. Vincent's top mark (24' 2.25") ranks ninth in the WAC and gives the Texans a bonafide one-two punch alongside Palmer.

The Tarleton women have an intriguing trio headed to the Seattle sandpits. Gladson will compete in the open long jump and is Tarleton's top performer this season at 18' 8". Junior , who specializes in the triple jump, ranks in the top-20 in the WAC with a mark of 18' 3." Keep an eye on , Tarleton's third entry in the event, as well. She has only competed in three collegiate meets but already ranks fourth in school history in the outdoor triple jump with a mark of 39' 3.25".

Triple Jump

Dunn and are both competed and again are projected to give Tarleton a pair of All-WAC honors. Dunn is a two-time recipient of All-WAC second team accolades in the event and enters the meet seeded eighth behind a season personal record of 39' 0.25". Hall owns Tarleton's indoor school record and captured All-WAC second team credentials as a freshman in 2021. His lifetime personal record (48' 2.75") ranks third on the WAC Outdoor Performance List.

Javelin

is as good a bet to medal as any athlete competing for Tarleton. She ranks third in the WAC, 15th in the NCAA South Central Region and 81st nationally behind a season personal record of 152' 10. Smith finished fifth in the javelin at the 2021 Southland Conference Outdoor Championships.

The men will be represented by and , who rank eighth and 12th in the conference. Presley has added 15 feet to his lifetime personal record (177' 5") this spring after earning All-WAC second team credentials and placing sixth at the 2021 WAC Outdoor Championships as a freshman. Pimentel has already exceeded 50 meters despite having never thrown the javelin prior to this spring and has a personal record of 165' 5".

Shot Put, Discus, and Hammer Throw

and are hunting history in King County. They both will compete in the discus and hammer throw.

Rodriguez surpassed his school record in the hammer throw with a heave of 175' 1" at the UTA Invitational and is throwing consistently. He is also the reigning WAC discus champion. The junior claimed the conference crown in 2021 behind a lifetime personal record of 174' 6", which is five feet removed from Tarleton's all-time record of 179' 7".

Reagan is competing in her final collegiate meet and will exit Tarleton in style should she shatter either program record. She came within less than two feet of breaking Tarleton's school record (160' 0") at the UTA Invitational after slinging the implement 158' 3". Reagan's lifetime personal record in the discus (144' 6") ranks third in school history and is less than five feet shy of being the program's top all-time mark.

is the third member of Tarleton's throwers crew competing. He'll throw the shot put and discus. Bratton finished seventh in the discus at the 2021 WAC Outdoor Championships and is fresh off a lifetime personal record of 155' 9" at the UTA Invitational.

Pole Vault

is the lone vaulter Tarleton is sending to Seattle. The freshman matched her lifetime personal record by clearing 11' 1.75" at the UTA Invitational and enters the meet ranked fourth in school history and 13th in the WAC.

TEXANS AMONG THE NATION'S ELITE

Oscar Frazier Memorial Track is home to quartet of athletes who are among the best amateur competitors in the country in their respective events. Tarleton has four athletes featured in the top-100 of the NCAA DI Outdoor Qualifying List as of May 10.

Men

100m

T-58. - 10.23

Long Jump

T-95. - 24' 7"

Women

High Jump

T-79. - 5' 8.75"

Javelin

81. - 152' 10"

ACROSS THE SOUTH CENTRAL REGION

The Texans have eight athletes - five men and three women - ranked in the top-30 of the NCAA D1 South Central Region Outdoor Performance List in at least one individual event as of May 10.

Men

100m

17. - 10.23

5,000m

25. - 14:36.20

High Jump

T-24. - 6' 7.5"

Long Jump

T-19. - 24' 7"

Discus

27. - 164' 1"

Hammer Throw

30. - 175' 1"

Women

High Jump

T-15. - 5' 8.75"

T-24. - 5' 7"

Javelin

15. - 152' 10"

BEST IN THE WAC

Tarleton is featured prominently across the top-10 of the WAC Outdoor Performance List ahead of the conference championships.

Men

100m

1. - 10:23

400m

7. - 47.41

110m Hurdles

9. - 14.44

400m Hurdles

7. - 54.07

9. - 54.40

High Jump

T-6. - 6' 7.5"

Long Jump

7. - 24' 7"

Triple Jump

5. - 47' 3.75"

Discus

8. - 164' 1"

Javelin

8. - 177' 5"

Women

200m

8. - 24.08

400m

8. - 55.50

800m

10. - 2:12.13

High Jump

2. - 5' 8.75"

T-6. - 5' 7"

T-10. - 5' 5"

Triple Jump

8. - 39' 0.25"

Discus

10. - 143' 10"

Javelin

3. - 152' 10"

Heptathlon

7. - 4,175 points

10. - 3,838 points

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