Men's Results | Women's Results | Day 2 Live Results | Day 2 Video

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Wichita State's men's team sits in first place with 52 points after day one of the American Athletic Conference Championships.  

Men's Team
All-American Jared Belardo won the long jump with a mark of 7.70m/25-3.25, becoming the first Wichita State track and field athlete to be crowned an American Athletic Conference champion. After sweeping both the long jump and triple jump Missouri Valley Championships in indoor and outdoor as a freshman, Belardo battled injuries as a sophomore while winning an indoor triple jump championship. The junior now adds a sixth conference title to his shelf.
 
"We've been talking about everyone getting on the podium in the long jump," said Belardo. "One, 3 and 4, that's not a bad finish. It's fun to be back training and competing fully healthy."
 
True freshman Rayvon Allen earned all-conference honors finishing third in the long jump (7.47m/24-6.25) and Hunter Veith placed fourth (7.40m/24-3.5), in all the long jump group scored 21 points.
 
"It feels good," Allen said. "We compete the same way in practice and there's no other way I would want it to be. When he jumped 25 feet today, it pushed me, he went 25 feet so now I have to go 25 feet."
 
Earlier in the day junior Hayden Bugner finished third in the pole vault clearing 5.09m/16-8.25, becoming the first Shocker to earn all-conference honors. The distance medley relay team of Austin Sturdy, Isaac Poe, Stan Skwarlo, III and Nathan Wickoren each earned all-conference honors.
 
"Going up against good competitors and guys who have been at the top gives me something to shoot for," Bugner said. "All-Conference was one of my goals, we worked all indoor for it and I'm happy to be up there."
 
Isaiah Evans advanced to the finals of the men's weight throw with a mark of 17.97m/58-11.5, on his second throw of the finals he recorded a mark of 18.01m/59-1.25 to finish fourth
 
Ben Johnson and Kaden Griffin finished day one of the heptathlon in the top five, Johnson won the shot put (13.61m/44-8) and placed second in the high jump (1.98m/6-6) to finished the day in fourth. Griffin had two fourth place finishes, including the 60m (7.12) and long jump (6.99m/22-11.25) to finish day one in fifth place.
 
Numerous athletes advanced from the preliminary round to the finals tomorrow, including three Shockers in the mile, two in the 60m hurdles and one each in the 60m and 800m. Zack Penrod led the Shockers winning the mile in 4:09.99, followed by Ben Flowers in 10th (4:13.65) and Reno Law in 12th (4:17.10). Veith placed fourth in the 60m hurdles with a time of 8.18 and Johnson advanced finishing seventh (8.34). Penrod also advanced in the 800m finishing in seventh with a time of 1:53.21 and Denvoir Griffin clocked in at 6.82 in the 60m to advance in eighth place.

Women's Team
Five athletes recorded top fifteen finishes, including freshman Winny Koskei placing sixth in the 5000m with a time of 17:05.16. Senior Meghan Holmes finished tenth in the long jump (5.51/18-1), Natalie Halfman ran 56.93 in the 400m to place 13th and Jewel Eck cleared 3.54m/11-7.25 to finish 14th in the pole vault. The distance medley relay team of Tangy Wiseman, Natalie Halfman, Emma Stamm and McKenna Paintin finished the race in ninth with a time of 12:24.22.
 
Kendra Henry finished the pentathlon in ninth with 3,436 points, she had fourth place finishes in the high jump (1.65m/5-5) and shot put (11.43m/37-6). Carlea Miles recorded two top five finishes, including a second place finish in the shot put (11.85m/38-10.5) and fifth in the 60m hurdles (9.04) to finish the multi-event in 13th.
 
Men's heptathlon continues tomorrow morning at 9 a.m., with the 60m hurdles. Field events start with the women's high jump at 9:45 a.m., and running events begin at 11:15 a.m., with the women's mile.
 

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