Courtesy of Mike Kiral

This past weekend, the men’s track and field team competed in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Indoor Championship and by the end of the two-day meet, three members earned multiple honors.

The championship, which was on Fri., Mar. 11 and Sat., Mar. 12 in Birmingham, Alabama, resulted in senior thrower Alex Young, sophomore pole vaulter Devin King and junior maltis Steven Barze all earning All-America honors. Young, who is in his last season, also became a national champion for Division I of the NCAA in track and field. 

Young is the first Lion in school history to make it as a national championship for Division I; and it was made possible by his performance in his sixth and final throw in the weight throw, throwing a school and Birmingham CrossPlex record of 78 feet, 1 inch. Joining Division II title winners Robert Martin (1974) and Donald Dykes (1977), Young makes as the university’s third Lion to become an NCAA individual national champion overall. Young’s first place performance added ten points to the team’s overall score.

Head Track and Field/Cross Country Coach Sean Brady felt that this achievement was a life-changing moment for Young. 

“It was a special moment for him,” said Brady. “That moment kind of encapsulated everything that he has prepared and worked for, moving into that competition. He was ready for that situation, for that opportunity.” 

Brady had never before seen a performance made quite like Young’s. 

“In all my years of coaching, I’ve seen some great things happen and some people put in situations that will allow them to do great things, and Alex [Young] responded about as well as anybody I’ve ever seen,” said Brady. “His sixth throw in the last round of competition to move him to get to the lead was something pretty special, and to do it was a huge personal and lifetime best.” 

Following the competition, Young felt taken aback by his achievement. 

“It’s pretty surreal,” said Young. “Today, I’ve just kind of been sitting around the house and just sitting there in my room and looking at my training made me realize that everything that could have happened did happen, considering it’s my last season and one my last throws. It’s incredible.” 

In pole vaulting, King tied for third with Deakin Volz from Virginia Tech after clearing 17 feet, 6.5 inches. King’s performance added 5.5 points to the team’s overall score.

King felt that leading up this, his determination to achieve greatness was all worth it. 

“To get third at nationals is a great feeling,” said King. “It feels good to know that you worked for it during the season and it paid off in the end.” 

In Barze’s second attempt, he jumped 22-6.5 which allowed him to place 16th in the long jump. 

Making the All-America honor, Barze at first was in shock, but then felt proud to be a Lion. 

“It felt amazing,” said Barze. “I wasn’t actually looking forward to actually making a national team in my first meet, so it was a shock to me, but actually then, it was amazing.”

Coach Brady felt proud of the team for their achievements in the championship. 

“We had three all-Americas, two of them were on the podium and one was a national champion,” said Brady. “I think that worked out about as well as it could have. We were ranked 21st in the country going into that meet and walked out of there as the 12th team in the country. They certainly hit some marks they set out for themselves.”

The team finished 12th overall in the championship out of 70 with 15.5 points. 

Up next for the team is the Alabama Relays in Tuscaloosa, Alabama this weekend. For more information, visit lionsports.net