2023-2024 Men's XC and T&F

[shoxlax]

That is a terrific signing.

Brady Palen's personal best in high school was 6-10.5 in the high jump for comparison. Brady is jumping this evening at 7:00pm CDT at the U.S. Olympic Trials.

Josh Parrish's personal best in high school in the long jump was 24-1 and in the triple jump it was 47-11 In addition, to his 24-4 long jump noted by shoxlax Darius has a best of 46-7 in the triple jump.

Probably need to be 50+ in the TJ to be in scoring contention in the AAC and 53+ to be in contention for the top spot. But Darius is already at a level that he can compete at the top of the AAC in the high jump and his 24-4 would probably score points in the long jump. It will be interesting to see how they use his as a Shocker but I suspect we will see him jumping both vertical and horizontal.

This is like a 4 or 5 star basketball recruit level signing.

[1972Shocker]

It looks like Darius initially signed to play both football and compete in track and field with D-II Missouri S&T in Rolla, Mo.

https://www.semoball.com/story/3038812.html

He is actually still listed (at 6-0, 170) on the Missouri S&T 2024 Football roster.

https://minerathletics.com/sports/football/roster/darius-graham/9092

In addition to track and field (HJ, LJ, TJ, etc) and football (WR, FS) he was also a combo guard on that basketball team at Poplar Bluff High School.

You don't see a lot of 6 foot athletes clearing 7-0 foot which tells you something about the athleticism this kid has. I wonder if Coach Rainbolt might have designs on making him a heptathlete/decathlete. That might appeal to an all-round athlete like this young man.

[1972Shocker]

The opening height for the men's high jump was a challenging 7-0.25. Unfortunately, Brady (along with a half dozen other guys) was unable to clear that bar and ended up no-heighting.

[1972Shocker]

I was thinking about the possibility of Darius Graham as a heptathlete/decathlete at Wichita State.

Hunter Veith, from Cheney, is the gold standard from Shocker multi-event athletes. Hunter ran track and played basketball in high school. He came to Wichita State with experience mostly in the sprints and jumps. To grow into an elite multi-event athlete, he learned to pole vault and master the hurdles. I think Hunter also threw the javelin in high school.

Hunter, who I believe is 6-4, had high school best marks of 6-4 in the high jump, 23-0.5 in the long jump, 46-4.25 in the triple jump, 24.95 in the 200m dash, 2:25.68 in the 800m run and 187-4 in the javelin.

Incoming freshman Darius Graham, a 6 footer from Poplar Bluffs, MO, played football and basketball in high school in addition to track and field. His high school best marks are 7-1 in the high jump, 24-4 in the long jump, 46-7 in the triple jump, 12.02 in the 100m dash and 24.88 in the 200m dash. The challenge for Darius would be to become proficient at the hurdles, pole vault. and 1000/1500 meter runs, javelin and shot put. Hunter had some high school experience in the javelin and the 800m run.

Just saying the possibility is there although that is a very tough gig. But even if Darius decides to stick with the jumps this is an exciting addition to the Shocker Track and Field team.

[1972Shocker]

Jackson Caldwell Named AAC Male Scholar Athlete of the Year

Jackson Caldwell was named the American Athletic Conference Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year and the Men's Cross Country Scholar-Athlete of the Year, the conference announced Wednesday afternoon.

Caldwell is the second-straight Shocker to be named the AAC Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year, after Brock Rodden (baseball) claimed the honor last year, and is the Shockers' first Cross Country Scholar-Athlete of the Year since Wichita State joined The American in 2017.

The Faculty Athletic Representatives annually select 22 student-athletes (10 males, 12 females), one from each AAC sponsored sport, who receive a post-graduate, post-eligibility financial scholarship of $2,000 and a trophy. Caldwell will receive an additional $2,000 as the overall male scholar-athlete.

Caldwell, an Overland Park, Kan. native, graduated in December after breaking Wichita State's 8,000-meter cross country record at the AAC Championships in Greenville, N.C. to finish 15^th and be named all-conference with a time of 23:31.7.

He was named to the Athletic Director's Honor Roll every semester, earning a 4.0 GPA in five of six semesters. Caldwell finished his career with a 52^nd-place finish at the NCAA Midwest Regional.

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Not a bad resume enhancer as you enter life in the world, especially for a long distance runner who does his work mostly in the shadows.

BTW, Mr. Caldwell earned a Bachelor of Science in Applied Science - Aerospace Engineering degree which certainly qualifies him as a STUDENT-Athlete.