High jumper Kason O’Riley wows crowd in setting meet record

CAPTION: Marble Falls graduate Kason O’riley is all business as he sprints to the high jumping pit to set a new record. Courtesy photo 

In his debut for Texas State University, high jumper Kason O’Riley sent a clear message during his first meet of the 2025 indoor season.

The 2021 Marble Falls High School graduate cleared 7 feet and 2.5 inches to set a Ted Nelson Invitational Meet record and a personal record and tie the Texas A&M facility record all on Jan. 25. It’s the second best jump in Texas State program history.

As a result, O’Riley is the Sun Belt Men’s Indoor Field Athlete of the Week with the conference’s best mark.

“No one else came close to that height,” he said. “I was pretty confident. I cleared that bar a million times in practice.”

He also cleared 7-1.75 and 6-10.75 during the meet at a facility very familiar to him. He has competed at the R.A. “Murray” Fasken ’38 Indoor Track and Field facility as a member of the University of Arkansas team before transferring to Texas State during the summer of 2024.

“It was awesome,” the former Mustang said. “I have that new mentality – I’m the guy to beat. It felt like a home meet. The announcer said facts about me before I jumped. The crowd was getting into me jumping.”

O’Riley attempted to clear 7-3.75 but couldn’t get past the height.

“I got a couple of things I need to work on,” he said.

Still, the height he did clear puts him in the top 16 high jumpers nationally, good enough to compete at the NCAA Men’s Indoor National Championships.

“The top 16 in the country get to go,” O’Riley said. “I’m currently ranked fourth.”

And on a personal note, O’Riley’s name is etched in the Texas State program record book, close to Charles Austin’s name. Austin won the 1996 Olympic gold medal in the event, and his son, Alex, was O’Riley’s private coach when the Mustang was in high school.

“That was a pretty cool moment. I get my name around his,” he said. “It felt great. It’s time to do it, it’s time to win for Texas State, ‘the little school.'”