HPU TRACK: Panthers Sweep Big South Field Athlete of the Week Honors

HIGH POINT, N.C. – High Point University track and field sweeps Big South Indoor Field event honors for the first time since 2015 this Wednesday, with Nathalie Elliott and Carter Clasper each receiving recognition for their performances in the pole vault.

Competing at the Virginia Tech Invitational, sophomore Nathalie Elliott cleared 4.12m on her first attempt this past Saturday to set a new indoor HPU record. Her performance beat High Point’s previous program-best by .17 meters, toppling the record Elliott had previously set at the 2018 Big South Indoor Championship. The Pennsylvania-native went on to finish second among college-attached athletes in the event, as her mark is currently ranked 16th among Division I women’s pole vaulters this season.

Carter Clasper provided a superior performance of his own in Blacksburg, clearing a height of 5.02m over in the men’s pole vault. His tally set a new personal record for the junior, after hitting a 4.95m at the 2018 Big South Indoor Championship. Clasper’s performance was good enough to finish second among college-attached athletes competing at the Virginia Tech Invite, and is the top-mark in the Big South thus far this season.

With Elliott and Clasper both competing in Blacksburg last week, the rest of the Panther squad participated in the Gene Anderson Invite in Chapel Hill. Both the men’s and women’s squads combined for four event wins apiece, while recording season-bests in 11 different events.

Big South Women’s Indoor Field Athlete of the Week
Nathalie Elliott | Pole Vault | Sophomore | Spring Grove, Pa.

• Second career Big South Women’s Indoor Field Athlete of the Week honor; first of the season
• Cleared an indoor program record of 4.12m in the pole vault on her first attempt
• Final mark finished second among college-attached athletes at the Virginia Tech Invite
• Her 4.12m tally currently ranks 16th in Division I track and field
• First female Panther athlete to ever clear more than four meters in an indoor pole vault

Big South Men’s Indoor Field Athlete of the Week
Carter Clasper | Pole Vault | Junior | Waxhaw, N.C.

• First career Big South Men’s Indoor Field Athlete of the Week honor
• Set a personal record with a 5.02m clearance
• Performance finished second among college-attached athletes at the Virginia Tech Invite
• Weekend tally ranks first in the Big South, and is a full meter better than any non-Panther in the conference
• 5.02m mark currently sits 43rd in Division I track and field

Coming Up Next
The Panthers will send a full regalia to Lexington, Va. this weekend, with 55 athletes competing at the VMI Keydet Invite on Friday and Saturday. The competition will be High Point’s first chance of the indoor season to score in the combined events, competing alongside the likes of Virginia, West Point, and Big South foes, Hampton, Gardner-Webb and UNC Asheville.