Western Kentucky freshman sprinter Julian Klenner claimed victory in the men's 200-meter dash as the Hilltoppers opened the 2023 outdoor season Friday and Saturday at the Tiger Track Classic in Auburn, Ala.
Klenner ran a time of 21.45 seconds to give WKU its lone victory of the day.
Close behind Klenner was teammate Gabriel Dozier, who competed in both the 100 and 200. In the 200, he finished fifth with a time of 21.85 while his mark of 10.91 earned him 14th in the 100. Demetrius Rolle was WKU's top finisher in the 100 after clocking in at 10.68 to finish fourth.
In the field events on the men's side, Brett Brannon claimed fifth in the hammer throw with a distance of 54.45 meters. Luke Stegman and John Elam also joined Brannon in the top 10 of the event. Stegman also provided the Tops with a ninth-place finish in the discus, and Kaison Barton came in at sixth in the in the shot put with a mark of 15.81 meters.
Ajla Basic was the top finisher on the women's side for WKU, throwing a 57.78 in the hammer throw to finish as the runner up. Rachel Flinchum finished 10th in the event with a 45.00, and Ilana Anderson threw the javelin 27.68 meters to snag another top-10 finish. Allison Arnett and Grace Turner represented the Hilltoppers' dynamic group of high jumpers, and finished sixth and ninth, respectively.
Madison Rabe competed in both the 100 and 400 hurdles, and brought home a seventh-place result in the 400 hurdles with a time of 1:10.62.
WKU will now gear up for its lone home meet of the season at the Hilltopper Relays on March 31-April 1. The April 1 date will feature the annual Fastest Kid in Bowling Green competition, and WKU will then retire the jersey of national champion shot putter Jesse Stuart.
