Northern Kentucky University Norse track and field athletes posted several personal bests and four top-five finishes at the Clark/Wood Invitational in Louisville, Ky., according to an April 25 announcement. The event marked NKU’s final meet before the upcoming 2026 Horizon League Outdoor Championships.
The competition was notable for strong performances from both men’s and women’s teams. On the men’s side, Natnael Weldemichael finished fourth in the 1500-meter run with a time of 3:48.56, while Nathan Ruth set a personal best of 3:51.19 to finish tenth in the same event. Bash Hedger recorded a new personal best of 21.85 seconds in the 200-meter run, making it the fastest time among Norse competitors for that distance. Osayi Ogbebor set a personal record in the 110-meter hurdles with a time of 14.79 seconds, placing fifteenth overall.
Camden Pawlick achieved personal best throws in both discus (45.64 meters) and hammer (39 meters), with his discus throw earning him ninth place overall. Brayden Holland also set a season-best mark by finishing the 800-meter run in 1:53.83.
For the women’s team, Grace Biddle took second place overall in the 1500-meter run with a time of 4:31.98, shaving five seconds off her previous best performance. Maddie Neary cleared a height of 1.63 meters to win her division in high jump and set a new personal record as well.
Other notable results included Sierra Kendall’s sixth-place finish in the women’s 400-meter hurdles (1:00.52). Cameron Bittermann placed fifth in the women’s 200-meter run (23.62) and ninth in the women’s 400 meters (55.34). Olivia Kennedy ran an impressive time of 2:11.58 for eighth place overall—the fastest by any Norse athlete—in the women’s 800 meters.
The Clark/Wood Invitational served as valuable preparation for Northern Kentucky University as they look ahead to competing at their conference championships.
