Wildcats Lead Through Day Two of the Big 12 Championship
May 12, 2018 | Track & Field
WACO, Texas – The Kansas State track and field teams wrapped up a solid day-two of the Big 12 Outdoor Championships in Waco, Texas on Saturday, as the Wildcats placed 22 individuals on the podium, while securing nine qualifiers into Sunday's finals.
Through day two of events, the Wildcats lead both the men's and the women's competitions, with the men's team accumulating 65 points and the women's team tallying 66 points. The Wildcats will bring the lead into Sunday's action, which will feature 13 event finals.
Saturday served as the continuation of the combined events for the Wildcats, as sophomore Aaron Booth looked to continue his momentum from Friday into the final five events.
Booth, a native of Auckland, New Zealand, helped his cause by finishing first in both the men's decathlon discus competition by throwing 43.30m/142-00.75 and the 1,500 meters, where he clocked a 4:37.07. Booth's effort throughout the two days of competition led him to his first Big 12 podium finish, where he placed second overall with a personal best 7,508 points.
Joining Booth on the podium was a pack of Wildcats, including juniors Simone Fassina (5th, 6,638 pts.) and Max Estill (6th, 6,328 pts.) and freshman Antuane Dennard (7th, 6,213 pts.), who all put together notable performances throughout the weekend, earning the Wildcats 17 points in the men's decathlon.
It was a similar story for the women's heptathlon, as sophomores Ariel Okorie and Lauren Taubert and junior Morgan Coffman looked to build on their momentum from Friday. Entering the final day of the women's heptathlon with 3,417 points and positioned in second place, Okorie was seeking a personal best in the event.
Okorie got the final day of the heptathlon, Okorie started with second-place finishes in both the women's heptathlon long jump and women's javelin, before Taubert capped off the heptathlon with a first-place finish in the 800 meters. All three heptathletes earned personal best scores in the event, as Okorie placed third with 5,632 points, Taubert placed fourth with 5,491 points and Coffman placed sixth with 4,783 points.
In the men's long jump, sophomore Jullane Walker and junior Tom Pyle earned their way into the finals on their first three jumps, before both Wildcats improved upon their marks in the finals to set personal bests. Walker was able to jump into sixth place with a jump of 7.57m/24-10, while Pyle had a big jump of 7.47m/24-06.25 to place him in seventh.
"It was really good to get out there and compete like we were able to today," Walker said of his performance. "We were just looking to execute our training up to this point and it worked out well."
In the men's shot put final, junior Brett Neelly looked to defend his Big 12 Outdoor Championship from a year ago, where we won the event in 2017 with a throw of 18.81m/61-08.50. This year, Neelly had a series of impressive marks, including his best throw of the day of 19.32m/63-04.75, which placed him second overall to earn eight points. Joining Neelly, freshman Kyle Mitchell earned an eighth-place finish with a throw of 17.19m/56-04.75 to earn a spot on the podium.
In the women's 3,000-meter steeplechase, senior Morgan Wedekind led fellow Wildcats Kayla Doll and Cara Melgares onto the podium, as K-State tallied seven points in the event. Wedekind finished fourth overall with a time of 10:16.38, while Doll finished seventh in 10:39.47 and Melgares earned her first outdoor podium finish by placing eighth in personal best fashion of 10:40.98.
Senior Colton Donahue followed up the women's 3,000-meter steeplechase by putting together a notable performance of his own, finishing fifth overall in 9:23.35. The finish marks the best Big 12 steeplechase placing of Donahue's career.
In the women's discus, two-time Big 12 Champion Shadae Lawrence was able to get off to a hot start by throwing 59.04m/193-08 on her first attempt, which held the lead through four rounds of throws. In the fifth round, Kansas' Alexranda Emilianov was able to reach 60.24m/197-08, which went on to win the event. K-State sophomore Ashley Petr unleashed a big personal best throw of 53.17m/174-05 on her second attempt, which earned her a fifth-place medal, while Lawrence placed second overall.
In the men's high jump, freshman Tejaswin Shankar led the way for the Wildcats, where he cleared 2.19m/7-02.25 to place third overall, while junior NaTron Gipson placed fifth with a jump of 2.11m/6-11 and senior Miles Bearden placed 10th with a jump of 2.01m/6-07.
In the women's pole vault, senior Megan Vanderpool wrapped up her senior campaign with a vault of 3.44m/11-03.50 to place 17th overall. Vanderpool will graduate with the fifth-best vault in K-State women's outdoor history of 3.93m/12-10.75, recorded at the Big 12 Championship in 2015.
The Wildcats also benefitted from several placings in the women's long jump, where sophomore Wurrie Njadoe led the way with a leap of 6.17m/20-03 to place her fourth overall, while fellow sophomores Nina Schultz and Konstantina Romaiou placed fifth and eighth. The K-State long jumpers combined to score 10 points in the event.
In addition to the multitude of podium finishes on day two of the Big 12 Championship, the Wildcats also registered nine qualifications into the finals on Sunday, including two from senior Terrell Smith in the men's 100 meters and 200 meters.
Smith, a senior from Vicksburg, Mississippi, got started by running 10.25 in the men's 100 meters to earn an auto-qualifier in Sunday's 100-meter finals, before returning to the track in the men's 200 meters where he registered a 20.57.
"I felt good in both of my races," Smith said. "I just wanted to represent for my team and be able to try to be the number one finisher on Sunday."
In addition to Smith's qualifications, several Wildcats earned a spot in Sunday's event finals, including Sydney Collins (1,500 meters), Travis Hodge (800 meters), Nina Schultz (100-meter hurdles), A'Keyla Mitchell (200 meters), Ranae McKenzie (400-meter hurdles), Taubert (400-meter hurdles), Schultz (100-meter hurdles) and Walker (100 meters).
The final day of competition will include 13 finals in both the men's and women's competition, with events beginning at 2:30 p.m. CT.
For more information on the Big 12 Outdoor Championship, including a full schedule of events, ticket information and more, click here. Live results will be available via Delta Timing by clicking here, while FloTrack will stream the Big 12 Championship available here with a paid subscription.
For the latest on K-State track and field follow @kstatesports and @KStateTFXC on Twitter or Kansas State Track & Field/Cross Country on Facebook.
Big 12 Outdoor Championship (Day Two)
Clyde Hart Stadium
Waco, Texas
Men's Decathlon 110-Meter Hurdles
4. Simone Fassina, 15.46 (3.4) (795 pts.)
6. Aaron Booth, 15.64 (3.5) (774 pts.)
7. Antuane Dennard, 15.66 (3.5) (772 pts.)
10. Max Estill, 16.59 (3.4) (668 pts.)
Women's Heptathlon Long Jump
2. Ariel Okorie, 5.85m/19-02.50 (804 pts.)
5. Lauren Taubert, 5.58m/18-03.75 (723 pts.) (P.R.)
10. Morgan Coffman, 5.18m/17-00 (609 pts.) (P.R.)
Men's Decathlon Discus
1. Aaron Booth, 43.30m/142-00.75 (732 pts.)
3. Simone Fassina, 40.46m/132-09 (674 pts.)
7. Antuane Dennard, 34.69m/113-09.75 (557 pts.) (P.R.)
10. Max Estill, 32.04m/105-01.50 (505 pts.)
Women's Heptathlon Javelin
2. Ariel Okorie, 38.51m/126-04.25 (639 pts.)
4. Lauren Taubert, 34.12m/111-11.50 (555 pts.)
7. Morgan Coffman, 26.23m/86-01 (405 pts.)
Men's Decathlon Pole Vault
3. Aaron Booth, 4.38m/14-04.50 (725 pts.)
5. Simone Fassina, 4.28m/14-00.50 (696 pts.)
7. Max Estill, 3.88m/12-08.75 (584 pts.) (P.R.)
8. Antuane Dennard, 3.48m/11-05 (447 pts.) (P.R.)
Women's Heptathlon 800 Meters
1. Lauren Taubert, 2:18.91 (838 pts.)
4. Morgan Coffman, 2:19.80 (826 pts.)
7. Ariel Okorie, 2:23.81 (772 pts.)
Women's Heptathlon Final Scores
3. Ariel Okorie, 5,632 pts. (P.R.)
4. Lauren Taubert, 5,491 pts. (P.R.)
6. Morgan Coffman, 4,783 pts. (P.R.)
Men's Decathlon Javelin
2. Aaron Booth, 59.15m/194-00.75 (P.R.)
5. Max Estill, 46.04m/151-00.75
8. Simone Fassina, 41.88m/137-05
10. Antuane Dennard, 17.04m/55-11 (P.R.)
Men's High Jump
3. Tejaswin Shankar, 2.19m/7-02.25
5. NaTron Gipson, 2.11m/6-11
10. Miles Bearden, 2.01m/6-07
Women's Long Jump
4. Wurrie Njadoe, 6.17m/20-03
5. Nina Schultz, 6.15m/20-02.25
8. Konstantina Romaiou, 6.08m/19-11.50
-. Claudette Allen, NM
Men's Shot Put
2. Brett Neelly, 19.32m/63-04.75
8. Kyle Mitchell, 17.19m/56-04.75
Women's 1,500 Meter Prelims
9. Sydney Collins, 4:30.61q (P.R.)
11. Emma Wren, 4:33.11
Men's 1,500 Meter Prelims
16. Lukas Koch, 4:06.99
Men's Decathlon 1,500 Meters
1. Aaron Booth, 4:37.07 (699 pts.)
2. Antuane Dennard, 4:38.71 (688 pts.)
5. Max Estill, 5:05.54 (528 pts.)
6. Simone Fassina, 5:10.46 (501 pts.)
Men's Decathlon Final Scores
2. Aaron Booth, 7,508 pts. (P.R.)
5. Simone Fassina, 6,638 pts. (P.R.)
6. Max Estill, 6,328 pts.
7. Antuane Dennard, 6,213 pts. (P.R.)
Women's 100 Meter Hurdles Prelims
5. Nina Schultz, 13.49q
12. Ariel Okorie, 13.71
Women's 100 Meters Prelims
20. Wurrie Njadoe, 13.35
Men's 100 Meters Prelims
4. Terrell Smith, 10.25q (1.3)
5. Jullane Walker, 10.30q (.7)
Women's Pole Vault
17. Megan Vanderpool, 3.44m/11-03.50
Men's Long Jump
6. Jullane Walker, 7.57m/24-10 (P.R.)
7. Tom Pyle, 7.47m/24-06.25 (P.R.)
Men's 800 Meters Prelims
8. Travis Hodge, 1:52.43q
10. Kurt Loevenstein, 1:53.80
Women's 400 Meter Hurdles Prelims
4. Ranae McKenzie, 57.47q (P.R.)
9. Lauren Taubert, 1:00.08q
Women's Discus
2. Shadae Lawrence, 59.04m/193-08
5. Ashley Petr, 53.17m/174-05 (P.R.)
9. Taylor Latimer, 49.44m/162-02
Women's 200 Meters Prelims
3. A'Keyla Mitchell, 23.26q
Men's 200 Meters Prelims
3. Terrell Smith, 20.57q
13. Jullane Walker, 21.42
18. Nick Albus, 21.83
Women's 3,000 Meter Steeplechase
4. Morgan Wedekind, 10:16.38
7. Kayla Doll, 10:39.47
8. Cara Melgares, 10:40.98 (P.R.)
Men's 3,000 Meter Steeplechase
5. Colton Donahue, 9:23.35
Women's Team Scores (Day Two)
1. Kansas State, 66 pts.
2. Texas, 51 pts.
3. Kansas, 46 pts.
4. Oklahoma, 45 pts.
5. Iowa State, 30 pts.
6. Texas Tech, 29 pts.
7. Baylor, 18 pts.
8. West Virginia, 17 pts.
9. Oklahoma, 10 pts.
Men's Team Scores (Day Two)
1. Kansas State, 65 pts.
2. Texas, 60 pts.
3. Texas Tech, 50 pts.
4. Oklahoma, 37 pts.
5. Kansas, 36 pts.
6. Oklahoma State, 23 pts.
7. TCU, 22 pts.
8. Baylor, 7 pts.
Through day two of events, the Wildcats lead both the men's and the women's competitions, with the men's team accumulating 65 points and the women's team tallying 66 points. The Wildcats will bring the lead into Sunday's action, which will feature 13 event finals.
Through day two and entering Sunday, the #KStateTF women lead the women's team competition with 66 points! pic.twitter.com/jjwwTJzAHN
— K-State Track (@KStateTFXC) May 13, 2018
Saturday served as the continuation of the combined events for the Wildcats, as sophomore Aaron Booth looked to continue his momentum from Friday into the final five events.
Booth, a native of Auckland, New Zealand, helped his cause by finishing first in both the men's decathlon discus competition by throwing 43.30m/142-00.75 and the 1,500 meters, where he clocked a 4:37.07. Booth's effort throughout the two days of competition led him to his first Big 12 podium finish, where he placed second overall with a personal best 7,508 points.
Joining Booth on the podium was a pack of Wildcats, including juniors Simone Fassina (5th, 6,638 pts.) and Max Estill (6th, 6,328 pts.) and freshman Antuane Dennard (7th, 6,213 pts.), who all put together notable performances throughout the weekend, earning the Wildcats 17 points in the men's decathlon.
Aaron Booth wins ??! While Fassina and Estill earn podium spots! Great effort from our decathletes this weekend! #KStateTF Men's Decathlon Finals:
— K-State Track (@KStateTFXC) May 12, 2018
2. Aaron Booth, 7,509 pts.
5. Simone Fassina, 6,638 pts.
6. Max Estill, 6,328 pts.
7. Antuane Dennard, 6,213 pts. pic.twitter.com/tKJneQ8KSj
It was a similar story for the women's heptathlon, as sophomores Ariel Okorie and Lauren Taubert and junior Morgan Coffman looked to build on their momentum from Friday. Entering the final day of the women's heptathlon with 3,417 points and positioned in second place, Okorie was seeking a personal best in the event.
Okorie got the final day of the heptathlon, Okorie started with second-place finishes in both the women's heptathlon long jump and women's javelin, before Taubert capped off the heptathlon with a first-place finish in the 800 meters. All three heptathletes earned personal best scores in the event, as Okorie placed third with 5,632 points, Taubert placed fourth with 5,491 points and Coffman placed sixth with 4,783 points.
In the men's long jump, sophomore Jullane Walker and junior Tom Pyle earned their way into the finals on their first three jumps, before both Wildcats improved upon their marks in the finals to set personal bests. Walker was able to jump into sixth place with a jump of 7.57m/24-10, while Pyle had a big jump of 7.47m/24-06.25 to place him in seventh.
"It was really good to get out there and compete like we were able to today," Walker said of his performance. "We were just looking to execute our training up to this point and it worked out well."
In the men's shot put final, junior Brett Neelly looked to defend his Big 12 Outdoor Championship from a year ago, where we won the event in 2017 with a throw of 18.81m/61-08.50. This year, Neelly had a series of impressive marks, including his best throw of the day of 19.32m/63-04.75, which placed him second overall to earn eight points. Joining Neelly, freshman Kyle Mitchell earned an eighth-place finish with a throw of 17.19m/56-04.75 to earn a spot on the podium.
In the women's 3,000-meter steeplechase, senior Morgan Wedekind led fellow Wildcats Kayla Doll and Cara Melgares onto the podium, as K-State tallied seven points in the event. Wedekind finished fourth overall with a time of 10:16.38, while Doll finished seventh in 10:39.47 and Melgares earned her first outdoor podium finish by placing eighth in personal best fashion of 10:40.98.
Senior Colton Donahue followed up the women's 3,000-meter steeplechase by putting together a notable performance of his own, finishing fifth overall in 9:23.35. The finish marks the best Big 12 steeplechase placing of Donahue's career.
In the women's discus, two-time Big 12 Champion Shadae Lawrence was able to get off to a hot start by throwing 59.04m/193-08 on her first attempt, which held the lead through four rounds of throws. In the fifth round, Kansas' Alexranda Emilianov was able to reach 60.24m/197-08, which went on to win the event. K-State sophomore Ashley Petr unleashed a big personal best throw of 53.17m/174-05 on her second attempt, which earned her a fifth-place medal, while Lawrence placed second overall.
In the men's high jump, freshman Tejaswin Shankar led the way for the Wildcats, where he cleared 2.19m/7-02.25 to place third overall, while junior NaTron Gipson placed fifth with a jump of 2.11m/6-11 and senior Miles Bearden placed 10th with a jump of 2.01m/6-07.
In the women's pole vault, senior Megan Vanderpool wrapped up her senior campaign with a vault of 3.44m/11-03.50 to place 17th overall. Vanderpool will graduate with the fifth-best vault in K-State women's outdoor history of 3.93m/12-10.75, recorded at the Big 12 Championship in 2015.
The Wildcats also benefitted from several placings in the women's long jump, where sophomore Wurrie Njadoe led the way with a leap of 6.17m/20-03 to place her fourth overall, while fellow sophomores Nina Schultz and Konstantina Romaiou placed fifth and eighth. The K-State long jumpers combined to score 10 points in the event.
In addition to the multitude of podium finishes on day two of the Big 12 Championship, the Wildcats also registered nine qualifications into the finals on Sunday, including two from senior Terrell Smith in the men's 100 meters and 200 meters.
Smith, a senior from Vicksburg, Mississippi, got started by running 10.25 in the men's 100 meters to earn an auto-qualifier in Sunday's 100-meter finals, before returning to the track in the men's 200 meters where he registered a 20.57.
"I felt good in both of my races," Smith said. "I just wanted to represent for my team and be able to try to be the number one finisher on Sunday."
In addition to Smith's qualifications, several Wildcats earned a spot in Sunday's event finals, including Sydney Collins (1,500 meters), Travis Hodge (800 meters), Nina Schultz (100-meter hurdles), A'Keyla Mitchell (200 meters), Ranae McKenzie (400-meter hurdles), Taubert (400-meter hurdles), Schultz (100-meter hurdles) and Walker (100 meters).
The final day of competition will include 13 finals in both the men's and women's competition, with events beginning at 2:30 p.m. CT.
For more information on the Big 12 Outdoor Championship, including a full schedule of events, ticket information and more, click here. Live results will be available via Delta Timing by clicking here, while FloTrack will stream the Big 12 Championship available here with a paid subscription.
For the latest on K-State track and field follow @kstatesports and @KStateTFXC on Twitter or Kansas State Track & Field/Cross Country on Facebook.
Big 12 Outdoor Championship (Day Two)
Clyde Hart Stadium
Waco, Texas
Men's Decathlon 110-Meter Hurdles
4. Simone Fassina, 15.46 (3.4) (795 pts.)
6. Aaron Booth, 15.64 (3.5) (774 pts.)
7. Antuane Dennard, 15.66 (3.5) (772 pts.)
10. Max Estill, 16.59 (3.4) (668 pts.)
Women's Heptathlon Long Jump
2. Ariel Okorie, 5.85m/19-02.50 (804 pts.)
5. Lauren Taubert, 5.58m/18-03.75 (723 pts.) (P.R.)
10. Morgan Coffman, 5.18m/17-00 (609 pts.) (P.R.)
Men's Decathlon Discus
1. Aaron Booth, 43.30m/142-00.75 (732 pts.)
3. Simone Fassina, 40.46m/132-09 (674 pts.)
7. Antuane Dennard, 34.69m/113-09.75 (557 pts.) (P.R.)
10. Max Estill, 32.04m/105-01.50 (505 pts.)
Women's Heptathlon Javelin
2. Ariel Okorie, 38.51m/126-04.25 (639 pts.)
4. Lauren Taubert, 34.12m/111-11.50 (555 pts.)
7. Morgan Coffman, 26.23m/86-01 (405 pts.)
Men's Decathlon Pole Vault
3. Aaron Booth, 4.38m/14-04.50 (725 pts.)
5. Simone Fassina, 4.28m/14-00.50 (696 pts.)
7. Max Estill, 3.88m/12-08.75 (584 pts.) (P.R.)
8. Antuane Dennard, 3.48m/11-05 (447 pts.) (P.R.)
Women's Heptathlon 800 Meters
1. Lauren Taubert, 2:18.91 (838 pts.)
4. Morgan Coffman, 2:19.80 (826 pts.)
7. Ariel Okorie, 2:23.81 (772 pts.)
Women's Heptathlon Final Scores
3. Ariel Okorie, 5,632 pts. (P.R.)
4. Lauren Taubert, 5,491 pts. (P.R.)
6. Morgan Coffman, 4,783 pts. (P.R.)
Men's Decathlon Javelin
2. Aaron Booth, 59.15m/194-00.75 (P.R.)
5. Max Estill, 46.04m/151-00.75
8. Simone Fassina, 41.88m/137-05
10. Antuane Dennard, 17.04m/55-11 (P.R.)
Men's High Jump
3. Tejaswin Shankar, 2.19m/7-02.25
5. NaTron Gipson, 2.11m/6-11
10. Miles Bearden, 2.01m/6-07
Women's Long Jump
4. Wurrie Njadoe, 6.17m/20-03
5. Nina Schultz, 6.15m/20-02.25
8. Konstantina Romaiou, 6.08m/19-11.50
-. Claudette Allen, NM
Men's Shot Put
2. Brett Neelly, 19.32m/63-04.75
8. Kyle Mitchell, 17.19m/56-04.75
Women's 1,500 Meter Prelims
9. Sydney Collins, 4:30.61q (P.R.)
11. Emma Wren, 4:33.11
Men's 1,500 Meter Prelims
16. Lukas Koch, 4:06.99
Men's Decathlon 1,500 Meters
1. Aaron Booth, 4:37.07 (699 pts.)
2. Antuane Dennard, 4:38.71 (688 pts.)
5. Max Estill, 5:05.54 (528 pts.)
6. Simone Fassina, 5:10.46 (501 pts.)
Men's Decathlon Final Scores
2. Aaron Booth, 7,508 pts. (P.R.)
5. Simone Fassina, 6,638 pts. (P.R.)
6. Max Estill, 6,328 pts.
7. Antuane Dennard, 6,213 pts. (P.R.)
Women's 100 Meter Hurdles Prelims
5. Nina Schultz, 13.49q
12. Ariel Okorie, 13.71
Women's 100 Meters Prelims
20. Wurrie Njadoe, 13.35
Men's 100 Meters Prelims
4. Terrell Smith, 10.25q (1.3)
5. Jullane Walker, 10.30q (.7)
Women's Pole Vault
17. Megan Vanderpool, 3.44m/11-03.50
Men's Long Jump
6. Jullane Walker, 7.57m/24-10 (P.R.)
7. Tom Pyle, 7.47m/24-06.25 (P.R.)
Men's 800 Meters Prelims
8. Travis Hodge, 1:52.43q
10. Kurt Loevenstein, 1:53.80
Women's 400 Meter Hurdles Prelims
4. Ranae McKenzie, 57.47q (P.R.)
9. Lauren Taubert, 1:00.08q
Women's Discus
2. Shadae Lawrence, 59.04m/193-08
5. Ashley Petr, 53.17m/174-05 (P.R.)
9. Taylor Latimer, 49.44m/162-02
Women's 200 Meters Prelims
3. A'Keyla Mitchell, 23.26q
Men's 200 Meters Prelims
3. Terrell Smith, 20.57q
13. Jullane Walker, 21.42
18. Nick Albus, 21.83
Women's 3,000 Meter Steeplechase
4. Morgan Wedekind, 10:16.38
7. Kayla Doll, 10:39.47
8. Cara Melgares, 10:40.98 (P.R.)
Men's 3,000 Meter Steeplechase
5. Colton Donahue, 9:23.35
Women's Team Scores (Day Two)
1. Kansas State, 66 pts.
2. Texas, 51 pts.
3. Kansas, 46 pts.
4. Oklahoma, 45 pts.
5. Iowa State, 30 pts.
6. Texas Tech, 29 pts.
7. Baylor, 18 pts.
8. West Virginia, 17 pts.
9. Oklahoma, 10 pts.
Men's Team Scores (Day Two)
1. Kansas State, 65 pts.
2. Texas, 60 pts.
3. Texas Tech, 50 pts.
4. Oklahoma, 37 pts.
5. Kansas, 36 pts.
6. Oklahoma State, 23 pts.
7. TCU, 22 pts.
8. Baylor, 7 pts.
Players Mentioned
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