SHAWNEE – Oklahoma Baptist will have two field athletes compete at the 2023 NCAA Division II Outdoor Championships for the first time in program history.
Senior Matthew Higdon will participate in the hammer, while junior Alexander Schovanec will throw the discus at nationals on May 25-27 in Pueblo, Colorado.
Higdon, a native of Tecumseh, Okla., qualified with the nation's 15th-best throw of 60.57m (198-9), earned at the Corky/Crofoot Shootout in late April. The mark broke his school record by nearly a meter and ranked as the 12th furthest heave in DII at the time.
This season, Higdon has placed top five in the hammer six times, including a couple of wins at the OBU Invite and GAC Outdoor Championships. Additionally, he was named the conference Field Athlete of the Week once.
Schovanec, also a native of Tecumseh, will make his first appearance at the championships with a qualifying mark of 53.19m (174-6) in the discus. He charted the mark in April at the Corky/Crofoot Shootout, which at the time, was the seventh-best throw in the country.
Schovanec has won the event at two meets this season while adding two other top-five finishes. He also claimed GAC Field Athlete of the Week honors once this year.
Higdon will throw on Thursday at 4:30 p.m. (CT) and Schovanec will compete on Friday at 6 p.m. (CT).
Oklahoma Baptist Men's Track & Field Outdoor Division II All-Americans
2021
Jax Holland - 4x100 Relay - First Team
Shirvante Knauls - 4x100 Relay - First Team
Marcus Petersen - 4x100 Relay - First Team
Mahcoe Smith - 4x100 Relay - First Team
Tarees Rhoden - 400 meters - First Team
