High Point University men's field athlete Chris Van Niekerk competes with elite throwers at the Tucson Elite Classic this weekend. Van Niekerk, who has qualified for the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field First Round Championships, will compete in the discus this weekend. 

Tucson Elite Classic | Roy P. Drachman Stadium | Tucson, AZ
Thursday, May 18th | 4:00 PM
Saturday, May 20th | 11:00 AM
Live Results | Meet Information

About the Tucson Elite Classic
The Tucson Elite Classic is a meet where in select events you will have the opportunity to compete on Thursday and Saturday and each day will be a different competition. Thursday and Saturday will be a throws only competition where strict qualifying marks have to be met and a limited number of entries are accepted. 

Last Time Out
Van Niekerk competed with the rest of the High Point University track and field teams at the Big South Outdoor Championships last week in Rock Hill, South Carolina. Van Niekerk helped the HPU men capture its third-straight team title while claiming gold medals in two events for his individual efforts. He finished the meet contributing 24 points to HPU's team total. He threw for 53.16m in the javelin for a fifth-place finish on day one before throwing for 18.00m, a season-best, in the shot put on day two to secure the first-place finish. On the final day, Van Niekerk threw the discus for 52.56m to win the event. The two gold medals mark the second time in his career that Van Niekerk has won both events at the outdoor conference championships (2021, 2023) after missing the 2022 championships with an injury. 

Van Niekerk Makes Inspiring Return to Ring
Just over a year since tearing his achilles, Chris Van Niekerk is primed to compete at the highest level. For his efforts to return to competition, he was named High Point University's Male Iron Panther - the male athlete selected by staff who shows the most dedication in the weight room. Van Niekerk posted qualifying marks for the first round of the NCAA Championships which will be held in Jacksonville, Flordia, May 24-27. His marks of 58.08m in the discus (14th in the East) and 18.00m in the shot put (37th in the East) ensured his spot in Jacksonville and set up Van Niekerk for a chance to compete at the National Championships in Austin, Texas, in June. He threw his season-best mark in the discus at HPU's Meet of Champions on April 15th before heaving the shot for 18.00m at the Big South Championships last week. Van Niekerk was the conference champion in both events and finished fifth in the javelin with a mark of 53.16m.