INDIANAPOLIS, IN – Freshman Austin Melvin set another school record in the Pole Vault for the Roberts Wesleyan University Men's Track and Field team and placed 10th overall to finish as a Second Team All-American at the NCAA Division II Indoor Track and Field Championships Saturday afternoon.

Melvin opened the competition by clearing the first three bars including a new personal best and school-record height of 5.14 meters (16' 10 ¼"). After that third round of jumps, Melvin sat in second place overall.

On the next height, Melvin missed on each of his three attempts at 5.24 meters (17' 2 ¼") and slipped to 10th in the final standings. The effort caps an outstanding first college campaign for Melvin, whose personal record in high school was 14-7.

"Austin jumped extremely well in a great competition with a lot of quality jumpers," Roberts pole vault coordinator Jenn Suhr said. "He broke his own school record with a new PR and had really close attempts at the bar that would have made him an All-American.

"As a freshman, he composed himself like a veteran which is nice to see in big meets. Knowing an athlete can focus in and execute on the big stage is promising, especially for Austin because he is so new to the event. He was the least experienced on the runway, but jumped some big bars. His future is bright!"

The competition ends the 2024-25 Indoor Track and Field season for the Redhawks. The first outdoor meet is scheduled for Wednesday at Roberts.