High Point Leads 2025 Men's Outdoor Track & Field Championships After Day 1

High Point Leads 2025 Men's Outdoor Track & Field Championships After Day 1

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ASHEVILLE, N.C. (www.BigSouthSports.com) – High Point sits atop the standings with 59 points following the first day of the 2025 Big South Men’s Outdoor Track & Field Championships Monday at the Karl Straus Track on the campus of UNC Asheville.  The Panthers had three individual champions and six All-Conference performers to build their opening day lead.  Gardner-Webb is in second-place with 27 points, while USC Upstate is third with 25 points.

With the Championship Meet schedule adjusted to an earlier start due to weather, the event endured two separate lightning/rain delays late in the afternoon that lasted just over a combined two hours.  Champions were still crowned on Monday in the Hammer Throw, Long Jump, Pole Vault and 10,000-meter run, while the Javelin was postponed to Tuesday morning at 10:00am.
 
Gardner-Webb’s Quentin Peterson won the hammer with a distance of 62.50m, the top throw in the Championship Meet since 2010.  High Point’s Justin Sluijter was the victor in the long jump with a leap of 7.69m -- the first Panther to win the event in 25 years.  High Point swept the pole vault for the third consecutive year and fifth time since 2019, with Ricardo Montes de Oca earning the gold medal with a clearance of 4.91m.  HPU’s Hunter Steinau became the Panthers’ first 10,000m champion since 2011 as he crossed the line in 30:33.78.
 
In preliminary action, USC Upstate’s Shriyaan Krishnaraj finished with the top time in the 400m Hurdles at 53.65.  In the 200m prelims, High Point’s Keshon Sapp had the top time at 20.99, while UNC Asheville’s Jan Malek paced the 1,500m runners with a top qualifying time of 3:58.95.
 
Meanwhile, High Point holds the top three spots in the decathlon after five events.  Defending champion Cole Wilson leads with 3,994 points, ahead of Evan Mills (3,653 points) and Will Reeves (3,279).
 
The Big South Men’s Outdoor Track & Field Championships continue Tuesday, May 13 from the Karl Straus Track at 10:00am.  Coverage on ESPN+ begins at 5:00pm.
 
Men’s Standings – Day 1
  1. High Point - 69
  2. Gardner-Webb - 27
  3. USC Upstate - 25
  4. UNC Asheville - 23
  5. Charleston Southern - 14
  6. Winthrop – 4
  7. Longwood – 1
Men’s Individual Champions – Day 1
Hammer Throw – Quentin Peterson, Gardner-Webb
Long Jump – Justin Sluijter, High Point
Pole Vault – Ricardo Montes de Oca, High Point
10,000m – Hunter Steinau, High Point
 
Men’s All-Conference Performers – Day 1
Hammer Throw
  1. Quentin Peterson, Gardner-Webb
  2. Alex Hoffman, High Point
  3. Gabriel Walker, USC Upstate 
Long Jump
  1. Justin Sluijter, High Point
  2. Nkosinamandla Jeju, UNC Asheville
  3. Noah Meadows, Gardner-Webb 
Pole Vault
  1. Ricardo Montes de Oca, High Point
  2. Jackson Toumey, High Point
  3. Jason Olivera, High Point 
10,000m
  1. Hunter Steinau, High Point
  2. Paul Kiprotich, UNC Asheville
  3. Adam Hessler, UNC Asheville