It was another strong weekend for the Hilltoppers Indoor Track and Field team this past weekend in Huntington, W.Va. as they competed in the Mountain East Conference (MEC) Indoor Track Championships hosted by Marshall University at the Chris Cline Athletic Center.

After an indoor season that saw numerous school records fall for West Liberty, a strong showing was in order as the season culminated in the MEC Championships where the Hilltoppers delivered. Coach Justin Simpson’s women’s team placed second in conference with 126 points, trailing Charleston with 188. Additionally, the men’s team put up a strong showing as well, scoring 80 points and finishing third behind Charleston and Wheeling.

The women’s effort was helped greatly by the dynamic running duo of Hailey Carreon and Hannah Kemp. Carreon set school record times in both the 60-meter dash and 60-meter hurdles, placing third in the dash and second in the hurdle events. Kemp placed runner-up in both the 3000 and 5000 meter run events, setting a school record time of 10:13.62 in the 3000 meter run. Zayne Brakeall added another school record in the women’s pentathlon, scoring 2,592 for a third place finish.

West Liberty’s best event of the weekend was the women’s shot put event in which a staggering five Hilltoppers earned points with Kelsi Hulit placing first and setting a school record with a mark of 12.42 meters. Hulit wasn’t done yet, though, as she placed first once again in the weight throw event, setting yet another school record with a mark of 15.01 meters.

The Hilltoppers men’s team was helped out by a strong performance in the 800 meter run, with Michael Harriman and Tavian Richardson earning second and third place finishes. Harriman’s time of 1:52.86 set a school record. Mikhi Anderson added another school record in the 60-meter hurdles and placed third in the event. West Liberty also broke school records as a team in the 4×400 relay and distance medley events, with times of 3:23.28 in the relay and 10:11.34 in the medley.

Adam O’Donnell finished his strong indoor track campaign by placing first in the heptathlon with a score of 4,988, setting yet another Hilltopper record. O’Donnell also had strong performances in the long jump, where he placed second and sixth in pole vaulting. O’Donnell was overshadowed in the pole vault by freshman teammate Reese Burnside, who set a West Liberty record with a distance of 4.78 meters.

West Liberty’s strong performance in the MEC Championship was a continuation of an incredible indoor track campaign that seemed to see school records fall every time the team competed. The Hilltoppers’ outdoor track season begins March 17 with the Forty Niner Classic in Charlotte, N.C. For more information, visit Hilltopper Sports at hilltoppersports.com.