BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The Wichita State men's and women's track and field teams compete at the American Athletic Conference Indoor Championships Friday and Saturday at the Birmingham Crossplex.
 
STARTING LINES
Last year at the AAC Indoor Championships, the Wichita State men placed third of seven and the women finished 10^th of 11.
 
The Shockers return two individual all-conference athletes from last indoor conference in reigning AAC heptathlon champion, Adria Navajon, and Wichita State indoor high jump record holder, Brady Palen, who placed second last year. Three of four all-conference 4x400-meter runners from last year's third-place relay are back, as well.
 
School record-holder Adrian Diaz-Lopez enters the 3,000 meters with the third-fastest seed time behind two Tulsa Runners
 
The Shockers hold 33 scoring marks (top-eight) with 29 of those entered in the events.
 
11 women and 10 men recorded WSU all-time top-10 marks this season.
 
This is Houston, UCF and Cincinnati's final year at the AAC Indoor Championships before moving to the Big 12 Conference.
 
SHOCKERS AT THE TOP
Day one features two Shockers with conference leads. Navajon (No. 1 AAC/No. 27 NCAA DI) is looking to defend his heptathlon title over the two-day competition, and AAC record holder Destiny Masters (No. 1 AAC/No. 20 NCAA DI) is set to go up against the No. 21 and No. 40 pentathletes in the NCAA (DI) from Tulane in hopes of earning her first conference title.
 
On day two, Palen (T-No. 1 AAC/T-No. 5 NCAA DI) and Weston Lewis (No. 3 AAC/T-No.46 NCAA) will duke it out with South Florida's All-American Romaine Beckford. Beckford swept the indoor and outdoor high jump titles last season with Palen coming in second in both meets, but Palen is coming off a triple indoor PR and school record-tying meet and will carry that momentum into this competition.
 
"I know I can rival with my competition that beat me last year, both indoor and outdoor, and I know I can make that next bar," Palen said after clearing 2.22m/7'3.25" at the Arkansas Qualifier last Friday.
 
Houston's Frank Harris III, a graduate transfer from Southern Utah is also in the mix in the high jump, having cleared 2.07m/6'9.5" this season, but holds an outdoor personal-best mark of 2.21m/7'3" from 2019 when he earned All-America honors.
 
TEAM OUTLOOK
Projected team scores put the Houston and Cincinnati men in a battle for first, with South Florida, Wichita State and Tulsa in a close race for third. Houston has won the last seven indoor team titles, with UConn claiming the only other championship in 2014.
 
The reigning champion UCF women are projected to repeat with Cincinnati and Houston behind them, but the fourth through ninth-place positions could be a tossup. Tulane, Tulsa, Memphis, South Florida, SMU and Wichita State are all projected within 20 points of each other, so the competition will be tight.
 
SHOCKERS IN THE AAC TOP 5
Mile – 5. Adrian Diaz-Lopez – 4:01.10
3,000m – Adrian Diaz-Lopez – 7:54.36
60m Hurdles – Joseph Holthusen – 7.90
4x400m Relay – 3. WSU – 3:17.59
High Jump – 1. Brady Palen – 2.22m/7'3.25"
High Jump – 3. Weston Lewis – 2.13m/6'11.75"
Long Jump – 3. Adria Navajon – 7.35m/24'1.5"
Heptathlon – 1. Adria Navajon – 5,587 points
Heptathlon – 3. Hudson Bailey – 4,973 points
Heptathlon – 4. Kolby Caster – 4,893 points
Heptathlon – 5. Wyatt Leutzinger – 4,839 points
 
60m – 3. Faith Turner – 7.43
High Jump – 4. Destiny Masters – 1.80m/5'10.75"
High Jump – 5. Marissa Jensen – 1.76m/5'9.25"
Pentathlon – 1. Destiny Masters – 4,064 points
 
 
OTHER SHOCKERS IN SCORING POSITION
800m – 6. Bryce Merriman – 1:52.81
5,000m – 7. Clayton Duchatschek – 14:08.35
60m Hurdles – 7. Adria Navajon – 8.04
60m Hurdles – 8. Jaleel Montgomery – 8.08
High Jump – 7. Adria Navajon/Hudson Bailey – 2.01m/6'7"
Triple Jump – 6. Harry Barthelemy – 14.22m/46'8"
Triple Jump – 7. Hudson Bailey – 14.08m/46'2.5"
Shot Put – 6. Ridge Estes – 16.89m/55'5"
Weight Throw – 8. Creighton Camp – 15.25m/50'0.5"
Heptathlon – 6. Luke Porter – 4,431 points
Heptathlon – 7. JD Prinsloo – 3,749 points
 
800m – 7. Farrah Miller – 2:11.72
5,000m – 7. Lubna Aldulaimi – 17:34.94
5,000m – 8. Sarah Bertry – 17:35.43
60m Hurdles – 8. Destiny Masters – 8.47
4x400m Relay – 8. WSU – 3:47.98
Pole Vault – 8. Alli Burke – 3.80m/12'5.5"
Long Jump – 8. Destiny Masters/Zarrey Sams – 5.92m/19'5.25"
 
OTHER TEAM LEADING MARKS
60m – 11. Jaleel Montgomery – 6.84
200m – 10. Joakim Genereux – 21.55
400m – 11. JD Prinsloo – 48.60
Pole Vault – 9. Caden Carlson – 4.71m/15'5.5"
 
200m – 12. Sydney Johnson – 24.39
400m – 21. Sydney Johnson – 56.60
Mile – 17. Abeba Sullivan – 4:58.12
3,000m – 16. Abeba Sullivan – 9:47.90
Triple Jump – 11. Chidera Okoro – 12.16m/39'10.75"
Shot Put – 9. Anna Zimmer – 14.12m/46'4"
Weight Throw – 9. Kylie Zimmer – 16.13m/52'11"
 
*not entered in the event