MANHATTAN, Kan. Senior James Ball opened the 2006 Kansas State track and field season by capturing the men’s title in the Carol Robinson Winter Pentathlon on Friday afternoon in Ahearn Field House. It is the second straight year a Wildcat male has won the event.
Ball, a native of Aurora, Colo., won his second career combined event title with a point total of 3,775. He earned discipline wins in the long jump and 1,000-meter run. In the long jump, Ball reached a distance of 22-07.25 and finished the 1,000 in 2:44.63.
A season ago, Ball finished fifth in the Carol Robinson with a point total of 3,312. Ball’s first career combined event win came during the 2005 Wildcat Heptathlon on Jan. 15, 2005 in Ahearn with a point total of 4,923.
The other K-State male to finish the Winter Pentathlon was freshman Adam Fretwell. The product of Houston, Texas made his K-State debut with 3,478 points and a third place finish. He finished second in two disciplines, 60-meter hurdles (8.51) and the long jump (21-11.50).
On the women’s side, sophomore Marianne Schlachter finished third in her first Carol Robinson appearance with a point total of 3,403. The Albbruck, Germany, product finished tied for second in the long jump with a mark of 17-05.50 and third in the high jump at a height of 5-05.00.
Trailing Schlachter for Kansas State was senior Breanna Eveland, junior Obialon Ikwuakor and junior Tasha Harvey. Eveland tallied 3,170 points on the afternoon, winning the 60-meter hurdles in a time of 9.33.
Ikwuakor scored 3,072 points for a fifth-place finish. She finished second in the shot put with a mark of 40-00.50. Harvey finished sixth with 2,797 points and won the shot put title with a mark of 41-04.25.
Taking the women’s title was Deidra Wesley of North Texas with a total of 3,506 points.
Kansas State will round out the weekend with the KSU All-Comers Meet on Saturday. The first event, the weight throw, will begin at 10 a.m. in Ahearn Field House.
