Cardinals Prepare for ACC Indoor Championships

Thursday, February 25

Clemson, S.C.

All Day

University of Louisville

ACC Indoor Championships

Olajuwon Wilson, David Spalding, Sterling Warner, Michael Johnson

Photo by: Taris Smith | Louisville Athletics

February 24, 2021 | Track & Field

ACC Start Lists Friday Watch Link Saturday Watch Link Championship Central Live Results

By: Lori Harmon

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The University of Louisville men's and women's track and field programs will travel to Clemson, South Carolina for the 2021 ACC Indoor Championships which will take place February 25-27.

"We are excited to make the trip to Clemson this week," said UofL head coach Dale Cowper. "Our teams have done a great job so far this season of progressing and we are looking forward to lining up to compete at the ACC Championships. Our goal has been to maintain health while gaining event specific fitness throughout the regular season. This group is well-prepared and we look forward to seeing who can take advantage of a great competitive opportunity."

2021 ACC Indoor Track & Field Championships
Site: Clemson, S.C.
Date: Feb. 25-27, 2021
Meet Information
Printable Schedule | Live results | Tournament Central
Watch Links: Friday, Feb. 26, 9:30 am – 4 pm | Saturday, Feb. 27,10:30 am – 4 pm

The Cardinals are coming off of hosting their first indoor meet at the brand new Norton Healthcare Sports and Learning Center. In last week's Lenny Lyles Cardinal Invitational, Louisville tallied 16 wins, with the men and women's teams picking up eight apiece. The women won with a score of 182 and the men tallied 159 points for the win.

Louisville Athletes to Watch (Women):
Makenli Forrest has four wins in the weight throw this season with season-best mark of 22.16m (72-8.5) to take the event at the Notre Dame Invitational. The mark is currently ranked sixth nationally and stands ninth on Louisville's all-time list. The two-time All-ACC performer and 2020 NCAA Indoor All-American has tallied 12 career wins in the weight throw.

Senior Halee Hudson has tallied top-three finished three times this season. Her mark of 20.79m in the weight throw at the Notre Dame Invitational is tied for 16^th nationally. Hudson earned second team all-ACC honors in the event in 2020.

Gabriela Leon has two pole vault wins this season, most recently taking first place at the Lenny Lyles Cardinal Invitational with a season-best clearance of 4.23m (13-10.50), placing her eighth on Louisville's all-time list. The senior owns the school pole vault record and was the ACC Pole Vault champion and NCAA Indoor All-American in the event in 2020. She also owns eight of Louisville's top 10 performances in the pole vault.

Ariel Lawrence is off to an impressive start with two wins and a runner-up showing in the long jump, and a win in the triple jump. Most recently, she finished second in the Lenny Lyles Cardinal Invitational. The freshman made her debut by winning the long jump at the McCravy Green Invitational with a leap of 5.91m (19-4.75) and followed with a runner-up finish in the triple jump. She picked up two more wins at the Notre Dame Invitational with a personal-best mark of 12.21 in the triple jump going 5.72m (18-9.25).

Aliyah Welter was an all-ACC second team performer in the pole vault last year's ACC Indoor Championships. The junior registered a personal best in the event, clearing 4.14m (13-7) at the Doc Hale Virginia Tech Elite.

Dorcas Wasike owns Louisville's top three times in the 3000m and 5000m. The senior recently returned to action after recovering from injury and won the 5000m at the Lenny Lyles Cardinal Invitational. Last season, Wasike posted a runner-up finish in the 5000m at the 2020 ACC Indoor Championships. The four-time All-ACC indoor performer was an NCAA All-American in the 5000m at 2019 NCAA Indoor Championships. She was the ACC indoor champion in the 3000m in 2019 and won the 5000m in 2018.

Purity Sanga is coming off of a third-place finish in the 1 Mile Run at the Lenny Lyles Cardinal Invitational where she clocked a personal best time of 4:53:09. Prior to that she finished third in the 5000m at the Music City Challenge, registering a personal-best time of 16:11.62 – a whopping 34 seconds off of her previous record and placing her fourth on UofL's all-time list. The time is currently ranked No. 22 nationally. She also won the 3000m at the McCravy-Green Invitational with a time of 9:44.69, placing her fourth on Louisville's list for 3000-meter performances. The junior finished second in 3000m at Notre Dame Invitational.

Emma Bryant has had four top-three finishes this season while competing in the mile and 800m. Most recently, her personal-best time of 4:50.07 was good for second in the Lenny Lyles Cardinal invitational, placing her ninth on Louisville's all-time performance list for that event. She clocked a career-best time of 2:10.75 in the 800m which stands seventh on the program's list.

Freshman McKenzie Bell is coming off of a 400m win at the Lenny Lyles Cardinal Invitational where she clocked a personal-best time of 54.97. The time stands second on Louisville's all-time performances in the event. All four of Bell's 400m performances rank among the top 10 on Louisville's all-time list.

The 4X400 relay team of Bell, Kiyah Yeast, Isabelle Angerman and Sharnae Alston recently won the Lenny Lyles Cardinal Invitational with a time of 3.51.85. They also finished runner-up in the Notre Dame Invitational clocking in at 3:51.45.

Louisville Athletes to Watch (Men)
The Cardinals feature several standout performers on the men's side as well.

Sterling Warner-Savage has amassed four wins in the 60m dash this season. The junior set a school record – and a personal best of 6.65 for the event in the season-opening McCravy-Green Invitational and then matched it at last week's Doc Hale Virginia Elite. The mark stands as tied for the 11^th best time in the nation this year. Warner-Savage owns the top nine spots on Louisville's all-time list for 60m dash performances. He was an All-ACC second team performer in the 2020 ACC Indoor Championships.

Isiah Pantiere has tallied wins in the 60m dash, the 200m dash this season. The sophomore turned in the third best performance in program history in the event with a time of 21.57 at the Doc Hale Virginia Tech Elite.

The 4X400 relay team of Aaron Johnson, Micah Oberhausen, Justin Lehmkuhler and Zach Frye recently won event in the Lenny Lyles Invitational with a time of 3:18.12.

Trey Allen recently led Louisville at the Lenny Lyles Cardinal Invitational with wins matching a career best in the high jump (2.11m/6-11) and establishing a personal-best leap of 6.84m (22-5.25) in the long jump. The sophomore has collected two wins in the high jump this season and finished among the top three four times. He was a second team all-ACC performer in the high jump in the 2020 ACC Indoor Championships.

Sean Roth set a school record with a 5.31m (17-5) mark in the pole vault in the Doc Hale Virginia Tech Elite. The vault is currently tied for 19^th in the nation and set an Irish Indoor Track and Field record. The senior also posted a second-place finish in pole vault at the Notre Dame Invitational.

Adar Sheere has collected three wins and two runner-up showings in the weight throw this season. His career-best toss of 19.99m at the Notre Dame Invitational placed sixth on Louisville's all-time list in the weight throw.

Micah Oberhausen won ACC Field performer of the week after posting a personal-best mark of 5,248 in heptathlon competition at the Hokie Invitational. The score currently ranks 28^th nationally. The junior stands eighth on Louisville's all-time list for heptathlon performances. He was an all-ACC first team performer in the 2020 after finishing third in the heptathlon.

Cayden Spencer-Thompson was a second team all-ACC performer in the high jump at the 2020 ACC Indoor Championships. The season, the sophomore has tallied four top-three finishes in the event, notching a personal-best mark of 2.11m (6-11) at the Hokie Invitational. Additionally, he has collected two wins in the triple jump, with his season-best showing of 15.44 at the Hokie Invitational.

Cade Richeson has a pair of shotput wins and has finished among the top three in the shot put three times this season. The senior has won the event at the Lenny Lyles Cardinal Invitational and the Notre Dame Invitational.

Jeremiah Willis opened the season by winning the triple jump at the McCravy Green Invitational with a personal-best of 15.07m (49-5.5). The sophomore has also amassed four of top-three finishes in the long jump, winning the event at the Notre Dame Invitational.