The Thrill of the Hilltoppers: Exploring Western Kentucky University Athletics

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – WKU Track and Field will carry on with the 2025 indoor season at the Bellarmine Open on Friday, January 17. The event will take place at the Norton Healthcare Sports and Learning Center in Louisville, Ky., hosted by Bellarmine.

MEET INFORMATION

 
ABOUT THE HILLTOPPERS 

• WKU is coming off their inaugural weekend of competition at the Rod McCravy Invitational, a two-day event held in Louisville last weekend.
• Wade Balcom marked the first day for the Tops by achieving a third-place finish in the 600-meter run, setting a personal record (1:20).
• Mary Dye established a personal best in the 3000-meter race, finishing in 10:39, placing 14th.
• Kameron Horton set a personal best on both days. On Friday, Horton recorded a time of 6.93 in the 60-meter dash, qualifying him for the semifinals on Saturday. On Saturday, Horton surpassed his previous best in the 60 with a time of 6.85, a new career record.
• A total of 26 Hilltoppers finished within the top-20 in their respective events in the opening meet of the season.
• There were five new personal bests achieved over the course of the weekend.

  
MEET HISTORY

• This season’s open meet will signify the third consecutive year in which WKU has participated in the meet organized by the Knights, dating back to 2023.
• Last season, the Hilltoppers were guided by Kameron Horton, who earned a first-place finish in the 60-meter hurdles and also placed fourth in the 200-meter dash.
• Wade Balcom secured sixth place in the men’s 800-meter run, while Addie Frisch took 10th in the women’s race.

 
EVENT DETAILS

• Action on Friday will commence at 9 a.m. with the men’s and women’s 60-meter hurdle preliminaries. (All times CST)
• Field events will also kick off at 9 a.m. starting with the women’s weight throw. 
• The men’s shot put will complete the field events, scheduled to begin at 3 p.m.
• The final event of the single-day meet, the 4×400 relays, will start at 3:45 with the men’s relay, followed by the women’s race set for 4:05 p.m.
• A complete schedule of events can be accessed here. 

SCOUTING THE COMPETITION

• The meet will showcase several teams from the commonwealth, including various other DI programs.
• Host Bellarmine will be joined by crosstown rival Louisville, along with EKU and Northern Kentucky.
• Southern Indiana is the only DI school from outside Kentucky that will participate in the one-day event.