Bluestone News

Twenty-four freshmen and redshirt freshmen athletes will make their collegiate indoor track and field debuts Saturday when the Bluefield State Men's and Women's track teams open up the 2022-23 campaign at the Commonwealth College Opener at Louisville, Kentucky's Norton Healthcare Sports and Learning Center. 

Competing as an independent squad within the NCAA's Division II Atlantic Region, B-State's indoor track and field schedule will test the young B-State Squad against some of the top teams in the nation. After opening competition this weekend at the Commonwealth College Opener in Louisville, Kentucky, B-State will return to Louisville on Jan. 15 to celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day by competing in the 2023 Humana HBCU Classic. The Big Blue will travel to Boone, North Carolina on Jan. 20 to compete in the Appalachian State Split Invite, followed with a trip to East Tennessee State University on Feb. 3-4.  

"We recruit like a Division I program, we train like a Division I program, and we're going to compete against Division I programs—and some of the best ones out there—as we build this team and begin to make a name for ourselves on the regional and national stage," said B-State Head Coach Brooks Rexroat. "We don't have the amenities and comforts a power conference D-I school has, but we're creative in how we train and we're gritty and determined in creating success for ourselves. Our student-athletes are excited to step out there with the best athletes in the nation and show we belong while we continue to build our own personal successes and trajectories of growth. There's a lot of excitement around this season, and we're going to see some exceptional accomplishments by these young men and women." 

Last season saw the debut of B-State's track and field programs with a skeleton group, and this season will mark the school's first full-squad performance, with the program's first full recruiting class on board. In all, the squad hails from 12 states and two countries, with six returners joining a large freshman class.  

And they'll be tested right out of the gate. Saturday, B-State will compete against opponents from the three of the NCAA's power five conferences, along with strong regional competition from the NCAA Division II ranks. 

Texas, which finished the 2021-2022 indoor season ranked number one among NCAA Division I men's programs and number two among women's programs according the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Association's Track and Field Ratings Index, will highlight the opening week competition. Kentucky, whose women finished last indoor season ranked number three in the nation and men were ranked twenty-first, will send an elite group to the competition, as will Louisville, which finished last season with its women ranked number forty among D-I squads. 

"This is the kind of meet every college athlete dreams of competing in," Rexroat said. "This is what high school athletes daydream about on the bus to local invitationals. We'll have future Olympians in the lanes and runways and throwing circles. This is big-time college track and field—we promised our athletes during the recruiting process they would compete against the best squads out there, and we're doing just that from day one of their careers." 

The B-State women's squad will be led by a strong group of hurdlers, including 2022 West Virginia Class AA state champion Nikki Walker (Winfield, WV/Winfield), Texas regional meet qualifier Khrisalyn Kegler (Houston, TX/Alief Hastings), Florida Region I finalist Kayla Havens (Orange Park, FL/Oak Leaf), New Balance Games qualifier Raelyn Vadala (West Seneca, NY/ West Seneca West), and Tennessee Section 3 AAA finalist Arianna Wickliff (Clarksville, TN/West Creek). 

A pair 2022 of West Virginia state meet finalists will pace the women's throws squad, with Oliviah Green (Coal City, WV/Independence) and Beyonka Lee (Bluefield, WV/Bluefield HS) looking to expand on their successful prep careers.  

In the sprints, B-State will be led by 2022 West Virginia state championship meet medalist in both the 100 and 200-meter races Trinity Blue (Jefferson, WV/Jefferson). 

Emma Flynn (Milton, WV/Cabell Midland) and Kellie Williams (King George, VA/King George) spent their falls leading B-State's cross country team to new heights and re-writing program records at four distances, and they'll look to continue that work in the distance races (Flynn) and long sprint/middle distance races (Williams). 

"Our women's team is still growing, and we'll have some mid-year additions supplementing the excellent group we already have, but each athlete has the opportunity to contribute at a high level," Rexroat said. "This is an immensely talented group, and they're growing every day in practice. The sky is the limit individually and as a group for these ladies.  

The men will be paced by an exceptional throws group, including returners Zack Pennington, Sherman Franklin, and Thomas Smith, who have shown considerable growth during fall training, along with newcomer including 2022 West Virginia state meet shot put finalist Myles Rice (Weirton, WV/Weir), 2022 UIL Region 3 discus finalist Dominic Escamilla (Freeport, Texas/Clute Brazosport), and 2022 West Virginia state championship qualifier in the shot put Ethan Spangler (Bluefield, WV/Bluefield).  

A pair of high school teammates—Darius Brown and McKinley Pennix of Lynchburg, Virginia's Heritage H.S.—will anchor the B-State jump squad. Both athletes wrapped up their prep careers as Virginia state championship meet and New Balance National Championship meet qualifiers. Pennix will also feature in the hurdles and long sprints for B-State, as will returning jump/hurdle athlete Trevor Nefe. 

Dieuvens Lebreton, a 2021 West Virginia state championship runner-up in the high jump, will see his first action for the Big Blue in the jump events. Ben Walker (Princeton, WV/Princeton Senior) also sees his first action after a redshirt year, with contributions expected in the sprints, jumps, and hurdles. 

Austin Sigman (Winder, GA/Apalachee), Tyler Davis (Winfield, WV/Winfield), Javon McBride (Charlotte, NC/West Mecklenburg), and Christon Hardemon (Houston, TX/Alief Hastings) will look to build on their strong cross country campaigns, competing across a range of events from the long sprints to middle-distance. 

Joey Isaacs, a state qualifier last spring in the 100m dash, 200m dash, and sprint relays for Lord Botetourt H.S. in Daleville, VA, will look to anchor the B-State men's sprint group, which will also receive contributions from Lebreton, Walker, Hardemon, and long sprint specialist Jalen Jones (Orange Park FL/Oak Leaf). 

"This is an electric group," Rexroat said. "Our men have experience at high-profile, national meets and in intense state championship situations, but they've come ready to learn and continue their growth and we've seen a great deal of progress in fall training. We can't wait to put this group into competition and see what we're capable of." 

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