K-State’s Bearden Named Big 12 Athlete of the Week
May 10, 2017 | Track & Field
MANHATTAN, Kan. – Coming off an exciting high jump victory at the Ward Haylett Invitational, junior Miles Bearden has been honored for his efforts by being named Big 12 Athlete of the Week, the conference office announced on Wednesday.
Bearden cleared 2.15m/7-00.50 to win the men’s high jump at the Wildcats’ lone home meet of the outdoor season to become the ninth male in program history to win the weekly award in the Big 12 era and the first since Christoff Bryan won it on May 11, 2016. This is the first time that Bearden has been named Athlete of the Week.
“This is a tremendous honor for Miles,” Director of Track and Field and Cross Country Cliff Rovelto said about his high jumper. “He has had to deal with chronic shin issues and occasional hip issues. However, he does the work and has persevered. We are glad his body is now letting him do his thing.”
The Cartersville, Georgia, native opened competition at 1.96m/6-05 and recorded just one miss through his first four bars. When he got to 2.15m/7-00.50, he narrowly missed his first two attempts before recording his winning mark on his final try. He went on to post three solid attempts at 2.18m/7-01.75, but he could not get over the bar.
Bearden now holds the third-best mark in the Big 12 and is tied for the 16th-best mark in the West Region heading into the Big 12 Championship.
“I am very honored to receive the Big 12 Athlete of the Week award,” Bearden said. “After a long season of struggles, I was finally able to bring it all together just before the Big 12 Championship. I jumped a personal best of 2.15m/7-00.50 at last weekend’s home meet, which puts me in a great position going forward into conference and regionals. I want to thank my coaches and teammates for all of the support this year. I am confident and excited about what the rest of the season will bring.”
K-State returns to action on May 12-14 at Rock Chalk Park in Lawrence, Kansas for the Big 12 Championship. More information on the meet can be found by visiting the tournament central page here.
For the latest on K-State track and field follow @kstatesports and @KStateTFXC on Twitter or Kansas State Track & Field/Cross Country on Facebook.
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