JACKSON, Miss. — The Asbury men's and women's track & field teams opened their 2026 outdoor seasons this weekend at the Belhaven Invitational. Four Asbury student-athletes qualified for the NCCAA National Outdoor Meet May 6-8.
The highlight of the day came from freshman Matthew Wilson, who cleared 4.2 meters (13'9") in the pole vault to break the school record of 13'0", originally set in 1976 by Steve Rehner and later tied by his son, Daniel Rehner, in 2010. Steve Rehner currently serves as a part-time coach for the Asbury track and field team, working closely with the pole vaulters.
Wilson's performance earned him a second-place finish and qualified him for the NCCAA National Championship meet.
Also in the pole vault, Emma Groff cleared 2.9 meters (9'6") to surpass her own school record set a year ago, earning her qualification for the national meet.
Mikayla Riccio matched that accomplishment in the high jump, clearing 1.55 meters (5'1") to break her own school record set last season and secure her spot at the NCCAA Championships.
The fourth national qualifying performance came from Brooke O'Carroll in the 1500-meter run. Her time of 5:04.4 ranks as the third-fastest in program history, behind Bailey Gassmann and Carolina Trumpower.
The Eagles also received strong performances from Jesse Gassmann and Emma Le Duc in the 5000-meter run, as both athletes finished second in their respective races and narrowly missed qualifying for nationals.
Men's Results
Women's Results
"We had a lot of nice results from our freshman who were running their first outdoor collegiate competition. I felt like it was a good start to the season for us. He gives us a starting point to build on and also revealed some key things we need to work on."
Randy Crist | Head Track and Field Coach
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