Completed Event: Track & Field at BU David Hemery Valentine Invite on February 13, 2026 ,
Final
Track & Field
at BU David Hemery Valentine Invite
Friday, March 13
Fayetteville, Ark.
University of Kansas
vs
NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships
Five Jayhawks Ready for National Stage at NCAA Indoor Championships
3/12/2026 3:00:00 PM | Track & Field
LAWRENCE, Kan. - Kansas track & field is set to have five athletes compete in the NCAA Indoor Championships this weekend, March 13-14 at the Randal Tyson Indoor Center in Fayetteville, Ark.Â
John Swabik and Tayton Klein will compete in the men's heptathlon beginning both Friday and Saturday at 11 a.m. Ashton Barkdull and Anthony Meacham will compete on Friday in the men's pole vault, beginning at 4:45 p.m., and Mason Meinershagen will wrap up the action in the women's pole vault at 4 p.m. Saturday.
"I'm excited for our athletes that are competing. It's a great time and a great honor for them to qualify," Kansas head coach Stanley Redwine said when previewing the weekend. "One thing, though, is that we're here for a competition and I'm excited that they understand that and I'm looking forward to them doing great things."
In the latest USTFCCCA rankings, the Kansas men's team jumped six spots to the 25th ranked team in the country and fourth in the Big 12. Swabik and Klein helped anchor the second ranked heptathlon group in the country, while Barkdull and Meacham headline the second ranked men's pole vaulting group.
Heading into the national meet, Klein and Swabik hold the top three heptathlon marks in Kansas school history, with Klein's 5,923 point performance to win the school's first Big 12 Heptathlon title two weeks ago leading the way. Swabik set a personal best and, at the time, school record with his 5,864 point performance to win the DeLoss Dodds Invitational. Klein scored 5,861 points in the meet as well, a then personal best for him.
"It's exciting to be at the level of this meet," Kansas multi events coach Paul Thornton said. "I've always believed this is one of the hardest meets to qualify for because they only take 16 competitors in each field. To have two guys in that grouping says a lot about those two, and anytime that you have two guys that are the top two event performers in the history of the school, I think that bodes well."
The meet marks the first time Klein has qualified for the Indoor NCAA Championship, but he has participated in the decathlon three times and the long jump once at the NCAA Outdoor Championship in his first three seasons. This will be Swabik's first NCAA Championship appearance.
Klein's qualifying mark was the ninth highest in the country and best in the Big 12, while Swabik's was good for 10th and second, respectively.
After finishing as last season's NCAA Outdoor runner-up, Barkdull will be looking to bring home the crown this season. Barkdull finished with the fifth highest clearance in the country in the men's pole vault when he vaulted 5.71 meters to win the Thane Baker Invitational. The vault put him tied for tenth highest clearance in Kansas indoor history and made him the second best performer ever for the Jayhawks.
His vault teammate, Meacham, is hoping to continue to build upon his upward trajectory in the last couple of weeks. Meacham won his second career Big 12 title when he won the Big 12 Indoor meet two weeks ago, clearing a personal best 5.65 meters. He will now look to continue to climb as he competes in his first NCAA Championship.
Meinershagen will be the final Kansas athlete to compete, pole vaulting in her third NCAA Indoor Championship in as many seasons. She finished third at the Big 12 meet this season, and fourth nationally last year, but her 4.47 meter qualifying clearance was good for second best in the Big 12 this season. Meinershagen was the top collegiate finisher in four of the six pole vaults she competed in.
The meet will be live streamed on ESPN+ beginning at 11 a.m. on Friday and 11:30 a.m. on Saturday. Live results will be available on FlashResults. More meet information, including a full schedule and start lists can be found here.
HOW TO FOLLOW ALONG
Fans can stay current with the events by following the official Kansas Track & Field and Cross Country X or Instagram account @kansastfxc. Final results and a meet recap will be posted at the conclusion of the meet on kuathletics.com
John Swabik and Tayton Klein will compete in the men's heptathlon beginning both Friday and Saturday at 11 a.m. Ashton Barkdull and Anthony Meacham will compete on Friday in the men's pole vault, beginning at 4:45 p.m., and Mason Meinershagen will wrap up the action in the women's pole vault at 4 p.m. Saturday.
"I'm excited for our athletes that are competing. It's a great time and a great honor for them to qualify," Kansas head coach Stanley Redwine said when previewing the weekend. "One thing, though, is that we're here for a competition and I'm excited that they understand that and I'm looking forward to them doing great things."
In the latest USTFCCCA rankings, the Kansas men's team jumped six spots to the 25th ranked team in the country and fourth in the Big 12. Swabik and Klein helped anchor the second ranked heptathlon group in the country, while Barkdull and Meacham headline the second ranked men's pole vaulting group.
Heading into the national meet, Klein and Swabik hold the top three heptathlon marks in Kansas school history, with Klein's 5,923 point performance to win the school's first Big 12 Heptathlon title two weeks ago leading the way. Swabik set a personal best and, at the time, school record with his 5,864 point performance to win the DeLoss Dodds Invitational. Klein scored 5,861 points in the meet as well, a then personal best for him.
"It's exciting to be at the level of this meet," Kansas multi events coach Paul Thornton said. "I've always believed this is one of the hardest meets to qualify for because they only take 16 competitors in each field. To have two guys in that grouping says a lot about those two, and anytime that you have two guys that are the top two event performers in the history of the school, I think that bodes well."
The meet marks the first time Klein has qualified for the Indoor NCAA Championship, but he has participated in the decathlon three times and the long jump once at the NCAA Outdoor Championship in his first three seasons. This will be Swabik's first NCAA Championship appearance.
Klein's qualifying mark was the ninth highest in the country and best in the Big 12, while Swabik's was good for 10th and second, respectively.
After finishing as last season's NCAA Outdoor runner-up, Barkdull will be looking to bring home the crown this season. Barkdull finished with the fifth highest clearance in the country in the men's pole vault when he vaulted 5.71 meters to win the Thane Baker Invitational. The vault put him tied for tenth highest clearance in Kansas indoor history and made him the second best performer ever for the Jayhawks.
His vault teammate, Meacham, is hoping to continue to build upon his upward trajectory in the last couple of weeks. Meacham won his second career Big 12 title when he won the Big 12 Indoor meet two weeks ago, clearing a personal best 5.65 meters. He will now look to continue to climb as he competes in his first NCAA Championship.
Meinershagen will be the final Kansas athlete to compete, pole vaulting in her third NCAA Indoor Championship in as many seasons. She finished third at the Big 12 meet this season, and fourth nationally last year, but her 4.47 meter qualifying clearance was good for second best in the Big 12 this season. Meinershagen was the top collegiate finisher in four of the six pole vaults she competed in.
The meet will be live streamed on ESPN+ beginning at 11 a.m. on Friday and 11:30 a.m. on Saturday. Live results will be available on FlashResults. More meet information, including a full schedule and start lists can be found here.
HOW TO FOLLOW ALONG
Fans can stay current with the events by following the official Kansas Track & Field and Cross Country X or Instagram account @kansastfxc. Final results and a meet recap will be posted at the conclusion of the meet on kuathletics.com
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