RCW: Sport Spotlight 4.19 (Track & Field)
Bryce Hoppel moves from 3rd to 1st on the final turn of the mile and holds ’em off for the win! He clocks a PR of 4:09.95! #KUtrack pic.twitter.com/GFg2PSnFOh
— Kansas Track & Field (@KUTrack) January 20, 2018
Wins in the mile and the 800 and the hair is still on point. No sweat. ?? #KUtrack
A post shared by Kansas Track & Field (@kutrack) on Jan 20, 2018 at 12:53pm PST
Kansas track & field competed at the Mark Colligan Memorial in Lincoln, Nebraska, on January 20, picking up eight victories, including two by sophomore Bryce Hoppel.
Hoppel’s double-victory day marked the second meet in a row he was able to snag multiple victories. The Midland, Texas native won the 800 meters and the mile at the Mark Colligan Memorial, notching a career-best time in the mile at 4:09.95.
At the KU-KSU-WSU Triangular the weekend prior, Hoppel took home victories in the same two events.
The sophomore will be a student-athlete to keep an eye on in the coming weeks, as he is knocking on the door of the Kansas men’s all-time top-10 performers list in the mile, needing to cut his time down to 4:05 to surpass Tim Gundy (1983) in the 10th spot on the list.
Hoppel’s time at the Mark Colligan Memorial currently ranks 33rd in NCAA Division I this season. He will need to be in the top-16 by February 25 to qualify for the NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships in College Station, Texas, March 9-10.
Kansas will host the Jayhawk Classic at Anschutz Sports Pavilion January 25-26, but Hoppel will have the weekend off, as he is not slated to compete. Action at the Jayhawk Classic is scheduled to begin at 2 p.m., on Thursday, and Friday’s competition is slated to begin at 9 a.m.