HPU Track & Field Panthers Collect Three of Four Big South Weekly Honors

* * * Men’s & Women’s recaps included * * *

Panther Women Sweep Big South Weekly Honors

HIGH POINT, N.C. – High Point University women’s track and field sweeps Big South Athlete of the Week honors, after Keaton Case and Nathalie Elliott claim a pair of first-place finishes at last weekend’s Aggie Invitational.

Big South Women’s Outdoor Track Athlete of the Week
Keaton Case | Middle | Senior | Springboro, Ohio

• First career Big South Women’s Outdoor Athlete of the Week honor
• Took first in the Aggie Invitational 800m with a time of 2:08.61
• Pace is the top mark in Big South by nearly two full seconds
• Her 2:08.61 is less than a second shy of the program record she set just last year (2:07.82)
• Just six spots shy of qualifying for the NCAA East Regional

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

• Third career Big South Women’s Outdoor Athlete of the Week honor; Second this season
• Cleared 4.03m for first place in the Aggie Invitational pole vault
• Her performance is a new outdoor personal record
• Elliott currently ranks first in the Big South and 21st in the NCAA East
• Her vault moves her to fifth in conference history, as she is one of just six Big South athletes to ever clear four meters

Running in less than ideal conditions in Greensboro, senior Keaton Case crossed the finish line in 2:08.61 this past Friday, to take first in the Aggie Invitational 800m. Her time is the fastest in the Big South this year, and is less than a second off the program record-setting pace she collected at the 2018 Duke Invitational (2:07.82). Sitting 54th in the NCAA East Region, Case is just three-tenths of a second off a qualifying time for NCAA East Regionals, as she returns to Durham for the 2019 Duke Invitational this Friday.

One of just six Big South female athletes to ever clear four meters in the pole vault, Nathalie Elliott set a new outdoor PR this past Saturday with a 4.03m at the Aggie Invitational. Her clearance was the top mark in the field by over 20 centimeters, and currently leads the Big South by 17 centimeters. Elliott’s vault ranks 21st in the NCAA East to qualify for a regional spot, as her performance places her fifth all-time in the women’s Big South pole vault.

Coming Up Next
The Panthers split their squad for a second week in a row, sending athletes to both the Duke Invitational and Virginia Challenge this weekend. This will be the fourth year in a row that HPU will be sending athletes to both meets, as the Purple & White have competed in Durham and/or Charlottesville every outdoor season for the past decade.


HPU Men’s Track & Field: Romero Collects Big South Weekly Accolades

HIGH POINT, N.C. – Pablo Romero becomes the second High Point University men’s track and field athlete to earn Big South Outdoor Field Athlete of the Week honors in 2019, after setting a qualifying mark in the decathlon at Tennessee Relays.

Big South Men’s Outdoor Field Athlete of the Week
Pablo Romero | Decathlon | Junior | Madrid, Spain

• First career Big South Men’s Outdoor Athlete of the Week honor
• 6,856 points were good for a runner-up finish among attached athletes at Tennessee Relays
• Point total was a new PR and was 146 points from tying the standing HPU record
• Romero’s performance currently ranks ninth in the NCAA East Region and 26th in the country
• Set new PRs in the long jump (6.99m) and 110m hurdles (14.89) and tied a career best in the pole vault (4.55m)

Collecting 6,856 points at last weekend’s Tennessee Relays, junior Pablo Romero earned a runner-up finish among college-attached athletes at the meet, on the way to setting a new personal record in the event. Romero’s mark is tops in the Big South, while ranking ninth in the NCAA East Region and as high as 26th in the country. Over his two days of competition, Romero set new personal records in the long jump (6.99m) and 110m hurdles (14.89) and tied his current career best with a 4.55m in the pole vault.

Coming Up Next
The Panthers split their squad for a second week in a row, sending athletes to both the Duke Invitational and Virginia Challenge this weekend. This will be the fourth year in a row that HPU will be sending athletes to both meets, as the Purple & White have competed in Durham and/or Charlottesville every outdoor season for the past decade.