Good afternoon Wildcats!

Today is the final day of the fiscal year and I am grateful to report to you that for the second straight year we fully expect to have achieved a balanced budget for FY2011 when we finish closing the books later this summer.

Two years ago we promised in the K-State Pledge that fiscal integrity and transparency would be among our five core goals for K-State Athletics.  Through your support and participation as ticket holders and in the Ahearn Fund, new measures promoting efficiency and cost containment, and the excitement generated by the performances of Wildcat student-athletes, we have been able to fulfill that promise.  It takes a total team effort to achieve this goal - our fans buying tickets and contributing to the Ahearn Fund while trusting us to be good stewards of their gifts, along with the budget consciousness of our staff and coaches.

As I have said before, the grass roots support of our fans provides us a unique advantage here at K-State and nothing reflects that any more than when you make it to Manhattan to be a part of capacity crowds at Bill Snyder Family Stadium, Bramlage Coliseum and all of our other venues.

Good afternoon Wildcats!

I trust your week is going well - ours started off great Monday night with a very special department reception at the beautiful Colbert Hills clubhouse in honor of our track and field student-athletes and coaches and their Top-20 national finishes a few weeks ago. Both of our 2011 national champions, Ryann Krais and Erik Kynard, were in attendance along with a number of our 2011 All-Americans and their teammates. Seeing these young people have the opportunity to enjoy team fellowship and be recognized for their success is an important component towards our goal of providing our student-athletes a world-class experience at Kansas State.

I'm already looking forward to Manhattan having the opportunity to experience live and up close these incredible competitors and the rest of the next year's Big 12 Outdoor Championships - mark your calendars now for May 11-13, 2012, and be a part of the action!

Good morning Wildcats!

We trust your summer is off to an enjoyable start -- it's already been an action-packed month here on campus as we push to the end of the fiscal year and prepare for 2011-12.  The new infill artificial turf in Bill Snyder Family Stadium looks awesome and many of our student-athletes have told me how much they like the feel of the new surface.  If you ride by the east side of the stadium you can see that the upper-deck restrooms are about to get their roofs and the contractor will soon begin cladding the new structures with Flint Hills limestone.  And of course, the final excavation is almost complete for the Basketball Training Facility!

KRAIS, 'WOW!'

By Mark Janssen

In a word, the response has been "WOW" to the performance of multi-athlete Ryann Krais at last week's NCAA Track and Field Outdoor Championships staged in Des Moines, Iowa.
    
The junior from Eagleville, Pa., won the heptathlon positioning her as the greatest all-around female track athlete in the nation, plus placed third in the intermediate hurdles.

Also See: Wildcats Close Best Season in School History

EVANS LOOKS AT K-STATE OPPORTUNITY AS 'A BLESSING'

By Mark Janssen    

Lamont Evans says "basketball has been a blessing."
    
For the 33-year-old Evans, one basketball prayer after another has been answered starting with his playing career that weaved him through a pair of junior colleges - Seminole (Fla.) and St. Catharine (Ky.) College - before enrolling at Drake for two seasons in 1999-2001 where he averaged eight points and six assists per game.

Also See: 'Cats Continue Play at NCAA Championships

KYNARD GREATEST OF THE GREAT K-STATE JUMPERS

By Mark Janssen

If an all-sport historian searched Kansas State's athletics program for one area that stands out taller than all the rest, it would not be producing guards in basketball, nor would it be being a product of dual-purpose quarterbacks.

To the degree of not even being up for debate, K-State would be known as "High Jump U."

KRAIS SET TO TURN HEADS AT NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS

By Mark Janssen

Ryann Krais will attempt to clear her first hurdle, literally and figuratively, today in what could be a semi-historic NCAA Track and Field Championships in Des Moines, Iowa.

"Most people will be preoccupied with who wins and who sets records, but Ryann is trying to do something people will be talking about for a long time ... if she can pull it off," said K-State head coach Cliff Rovelto.  "Coaches I've talked to are shocked at what she's trying to do, but on the other hand they know it's Ryann."

FOUR WILDCATS GO IN THE FIRST SEVEN ROUNDS

By Mark Janssen    

Individually, but collectively, they glued their eyes to a computer screen starting at 11 Tuesday morning.

Each Wildcat - Evan Marshall, Jason King, Nick Martini and James Allen - was visually attached to the scroll of players being listed on the "Draft Tracker" portion of mlb.com.

SEVERAL WILDCATS AWAIT DRAFT CALL

By Mark Janssen

The baseball lives of at least four Kansas State players could very well change today with dreams realized with the ring of the cell phone.
 
Based in Secaucus, N.J., and televised by the Major League Baseball Network, the 2011 Major League Draft will take place today through Wednesday.

SEVERAL WILDCATS AWAIT DRAFT CALL

By Mark Janssen

The baseball lives of at least four Kansas State players could very well change today with dreams realized with the ring of the cell phone.
 
Based in Secaucus, N.J., and televised by the Major League Baseball Network, the 2011 Major League Draft will take place today through Wednesday.

Also See: Allen Named Louisville Slugger All-American;
Kokot Selected Second Team Academic All-District

WILDCATS' MARSHALL GOING HOME

By Mark Janssen

Don't blame Evan Marshall for trying to politic with Wildcat baseball coach Brad Hill to be the starting pitcher today when Kansas State takes on Stanford at the Fullerton Regional of the NCAA Baseball Tournament.
 
Now, Marshall, the Wildcats' setup man for All-American closer James Allen out of the bullpen, has no chance of winning the debate, but the K-State right-hander admits, "The longer I have the ball in my hand the better against this team."

Good afternoon Wildcats!

I hope you had a nice and relaxing Memorial Day holiday. Certainly all of us are grateful for the service and sacrifice through the years of all our servicemen and women ... and their families.

Like many of you Memorial Day was busy for our family - my son and I joined the baseball team at Tointon Family Stadium to watch the NCAA selection show, and the whole family hit Aggieville for lunch at Kites before a little pool time.

K-STATE ATHLETICS AMONG ELITE COMPANY

By Tom Gilbert

With the baseball team's selection to a third consecutive NCAA Regional on Monday, Kansas State not only continued an outstanding 2010-11 athletics season, but also put the school in some elite company.  K-State is one of just six schools nationally to have its football team in a bowl game, its men's and women's basketball squads in the NCAA Tournament and its baseball team in an NCAA Regional.  The school joined Connecticut, Florida State, Georgia, North Carolina and Texas A&M to earn this feat.

"Our student-athletes and coaches should be commended for a terrific 2010-11 season, one that ranks as one of the most successful in school history. We have had championship-level performances across the board this year that have propelled our athletics program into elite company on the national stage and look forward to even more as our track and field and baseball teams continue competition at the NCAA Championship level. Our student-athletes continue to set a national standard for both academic and athletic achievement and play a pivotal role in us achieving our vision of a model intercollegiate athletics program."