19th-Ranked Women Rally for Win in New Mexico

NEW MEXICO TEAM INVITATIONAL

? FINAL RESULTS
? @KSTATETFXC

MANHATTAN, Kan. – The 19th-ranked Kansas State women used a season-best time in the final event of the day to overcome host New Mexico and win the New Mexico Team Invitational on Saturday in the Albuquerque Convention Center.

Trailing by two points heading into the 4x400 meter relay, the women used a second-place finish in the race with a time of 3:49.30 to win the competition with 114 points, two points ahead of New Mexico. The 29th-ranked Wildcat men finished in sixth place with a final score of 78 points.

“I thought our women did a really nice job of competing,” Director of Track and Field and Cross Country Cliff Rovelto said. “They were able to win the meet and we had no entries over 400 meters. On the men’s side, I thought the guys competed well for the most part. A couple of guys had personal bests as well.”

The Wildcats saw athletes finish runner-up in both the men’s and women’s high jump to open the competition as senior Miles Bearden posted a mark of 2.05m/6-08.75 and freshman Morgan Coffman recorded a mark of 1.75m/5-08.75. Fellow freshman Nina Schultz also posted jump of 1.75m/5-08.75 to finish in third, while junior Rhizlane Siba finished fourth with a mark of 1.70m/5-07.

Two strong results came out of the women’s long jump as junior Claudette Allen and freshman Ariel Okorie took the top-two spots in the event. Allen won the competition with a huge personal-best leap of 6.20m/20-04.25, good for fifth on the school’s all-time list, while Okorie’s personal-best jump of 5.90m/19-04.25 sealed her a second-place finish.

In men’s triple jump, newcomer Javier Lowe, jumping for the first time as a Wildcat, posted a huge mark of 15.45m/50-08.25 to finish in second place and move up to seventh in the school’s top 10, while fellow freshman Angelo Gordon finished in third place after a leap of 14.78m/48-06.

The women had an equally impressive showing in triple jump as sophomore Shardia Lawrence’s massive personal best jump of 13.34m/43-09.25 not only saw her win the event, but also moved her to third on the school’s all-time list. Freshman Konstantina Romaiou also set a new personal best, topping her previous best by one centimeter with a jump of 12.42m/40-09 to take fourth place.

Pole vaulter Zack Supple closed out the day for the Wildcat jumpers, matching his season-best height of 4.90m/16-00.75 to finish in second place for the Wildcats and earn seven points towards the final team score.

Senior Janee' Kassanavoid won her fifth meet of the season in women’s weight throw, posting a mark of 20.02m/65-08.25. Freshman Helene Ingvaldsen also finished in the top five, claiming second place after a throw of 19.76m/64-10.

In the men’s weight throw, senior Brady Grunder also won his fifth-straight competition in weight throw, recording a mark of 20.42m/67-00. Junior Mitchell Dixon posted a huge personal best throw of 20.23m/66-04.50 to finish runner-up and move to third on the school’s all-time list, while senior Kyle Smith’s mark of 18.66m/61-02.75 was good for fifth place. Sophomore Jayce Brack, the Wildcats’ only shot putter in action Saturday, used a mark of 16.66m/54-08 to finish in fourth place.

On the track, sophomore Nick Albus and freshman Akia Guerrier both made the finals in the 60 meter dash after claiming second place in their respective heats and finishing seventh and sixth with times of 6.93 and 7.81, respectively. Albus went on to finish in seventh place after running the same time he posted in the prelims, while Guerrier finished in sixth place in the finals after crossing the finish line in 7.72.

Junior Terrell Smith used a season-best time of 21.05 to win the men’s 200 meter dash, his third win in the event this season, while Albus also finishes in the top-10 with a personal-best time of 21.74 to finish in seventh place.

The Wildcats also saw strong marks in the 400 meter dash, highlighted by a big personal-effort by Ranae McKenzie, who claimed second place with a time of 54.99 and moved up to seventh on the school’s all-time list. In the men’s race, freshman Justin Davis finished in 15th place with a personal-best time of 49.91, while sophomore Rene Perla also recorded a new personal best with a time of 50.42 to finish in 18th place.

K-State also had four hurdlers make the finals in the women’s 60 meter dash, led by Nina Schultz, who qualified for the finals after finishing in first place with a time of 8.35. Okorie claimed fourth overall in the prelims with a time of 8.62, while Allen and freshman Lauren Taubert also qualified for the finals with times of 8.70 and 8.79 to claim fifth place and seventh place, respectively.

Schultz continued to assert her dominance in the finals, recording a personal-best time of 8.33, good for fifth on the school’s all-time list, to finish in fifth. Okorie also improved in the finals, using a time of 8.51 to claim second place. Allen also moved up one spot from the prelims, taking fifth place with at time 8.64, while Taubert’s time of 8.82 was good for seventh place.

K-State returns to action on February 3-4 as the team heads north to Lincoln, Nebraska, to compete in the Sevigne Husker Invitational at the Bob Devaney Sports Center. More information on the meet can be found on Nebraska’s track and field website by clicking here.

For the latest on K-State track and field follow @kstatesports and @KStateTFXC on Twitter or Kansas State Track & Field/Cross Country on Facebook.

New Mexico Team Invitational

Albuquerque Convention Center

Albuquerque, N.M.

Men’s Team Scores

1. New Mexico – 106 pts.

2. Utah State – 104 pts.

3. TCU – 101 pts.

4. Air Force Academy – 84.50 pts.

5. Washington State – 81.50 pts.

6. K-State – 78 pts.

Women Team Scores

1. K-State – 114 pts.

2. New Mexico – 112 pts.

3. TCU – 104 pts.

4. Washington State – 85.50 pts.

5. Utah State – 58 pts.

6. Fresno State – 47 pts.

7. Air Force Academy – 30.50 pts.

Men’s 60 Meter Dash Prelims

7. Nick Albus – 6.93q

Women’s 60 Meter Dash Prelims

6. Akia Guerrier – 7.81Q

Men’s 60 Meter Dash Finals

7. Nick Albus – 6.93

Women’s 60 Meter Dash Finals

6. Akia Guerrier – 7.72

Men’s 200 Meter Dash

1. Terrell Smith – 21.05

7. Nick Albus – 21.74 (PR)

14. Angelo Gordon – 22.14 (PR)

15. Kaneil Harrison – 22.25 (PR)

Men’s 400 Meter Dash

15. Justin Davis – 49.91 (PR)

18. Rene Perla – 50.42 (PR)

Women’s 400 Meter Dash

2. Ranae McKenzie – 54.99

Women’s 60 Meter Hurdles Prelims

1. Nina Schultz – 8.35Q

4. Ariel Okorie – 8.62Q

5. Claudette Allen – 8.70Q

7. Lauren Taubert – 8.79q (PR)

9. Ranae McKenzie – 8.92

Women’s 60 Meter Hurdles Finals

1. Nina Schultz – 8.33 (PR)

2. Ariel Okorie – 8.51

4. Claudette Allen – 8.64

7. Lauren Taubert – 8.82

Men’s 4x400 Meter Relay

5. Harrison-Davis-Perla-Albus – 3:18.79

Women’s 4x400 Meter Relay

2. Taubert-Schultz-Coffman-Okorie – 3:49.30

Men’s High Jump

2. Miles Bearden – 2.05m/6-08.75

Women’s High Jump

2. Morgan Coffman – 1.75m/5-08.75

3. Nina Schultz – 1.75m/5-08.75

4. Rhizlane Siba – 1.70m/5-07

Men’s Pole Vault

2. Zack Supple – 4.90m/16-00.75

Women’s Pole Vault

- Megan Vanderpool – NH

Men’s Long Jump

5. Tom Pyle – 6.77m/22-02.50

Women’s Long Jump

1. Claudette Allen – 6.20m/20-04.25 (PR)

2. Ariel Okorie – 5.90m/19-04.25 (PR)

Men’s Triple Jump

2. Javier Lowe – 15.45m/50-08.25 (PR)

3. Angelo Gordon – 14.78m/48-06

Women’s Triple Jump

1. Shardia Lawrence – 13.34m/43-09.25 (PR)

4. Konstantina Romaiou – 12.42m/40-09

Men’s Shot Put

4. Jayce Brack – 16.66m/54-08

Men’s Weight Throw

1. Brady Grunder – 20.42m/67-00

2. Mitch Dixon – 20.23m/66-04.50 (PR)

5. Kyle Smith – 18.66m/61-02.75

Women’s Weight Throw

1. Janee’ Kassanavoid – 20.02m/65-08.25

2. Helene Ingvaldsen – 19.76m/64-10

Kansas State University Athletics

NEW MEXICO TEAM INVITATIONAL

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