West Virginia track and field earned a pair of top-six finishes this weekend at the Big 12 Outdoor Track and Field Championships in Waco, Texas -- including one mark that broke a school record.
The big performances started rolling in for the Mountaineers on the second day of the meet, as redshirt senior Mikenna Vanderheyden took the track Friday for the 3000 meter steeplechase event. Vanderheyden was able to snag a podium finish, crossing the line in fourth place with a mark of 10 minutes, 13.39 seconds.
Ran into the midnight hour 🌌
— WVU Cross Country/Track & Field (@WVUXCTF) May 11, 2024
Late last night, Mikenna Vanderheyden finished fourth in the steeplechase with a time of 10:13.39 while Sarah Tait added a time of 10:22.24 in ninth place 🙌#HailWV pic.twitter.com/FyDCPTEjHj
The fun continued Saturday as redshirt junior Cassandra Williamson was able to knock off her own program record again. Williamson glided to a sixth-place finish in the 800 meter run with a new school best of 2 minutes, 3.97 seconds.
WE’VE GOT A NEW PROGRAM RECORD 🙌@cassiewill03 breaks her own record in the women’s 800 meters that she set previously this season with a time of 2:03.87 claiming sixth place ‼️#HailWV pic.twitter.com/i02u2ZDgK0
— WVU Cross Country/Track & Field (@WVUXCTF) May 11, 2024
A number of other Mountaineers left the three-day meet in Waco with personal best marks. Vanderheyden, Williamson, and others also find themselves ranked amongst the Top 48 marks in their respective events amongst the NCAA East Regional -- this is important as the Top 48 athletes that declare for each event will earn the spot to compete at the regional meet.
Those with a shot at advancing to the regional meet will watch Thursday, May 16 on NCAA.com, as the list of competitors for each event will be announced then. The Mountaineers will take the week off before heading to the NCAA East Preliminary Round on May 23-25. hosted by Kentucky at the Outdoor Track and Field Facility in Lexington, Kentucky.