Friday, November 10
Ames, Iowa
10:45 A.M.
Kansas State University
vs
NCAA Midwest Regional Championships
Wildcats Enter NCAA Midwest Regional with High Expectations
Nov 08, 2017 | Cross Country
MANHATTAN, Kan. – The Kansas State men's and women's teams will compete at the NCAA Midwest Regional meet at the Iowa State Cross Country Course in Ames, Iowa on Friday, following an impressive outing at the Big 12 Championship two weeks ago.
The men's team enters the Midwest Regional ranked 12th in the region, following a program-best finish of fourth place in the Big 12 Championship in Round Rock, Texas. At the Big 12 Championship, the Wildcat men pushed across five runners under 25 minutes, with the top-five K-State runners finishing within 20 seconds of each other. The Wildcats were led by a 23rd place finish by senior Colton Donahue, and personal bests from Lukas Koch and Bryan Zack.
"The men's team is ranked 12th, it would be nice to see them finish within the top 12," head coach Ryun Godfrey said. "If they do what did at conference, stay tight with 20-30 seconds between our 1-5 runners, we should be in good shape."
The women's team enters the Midwest Regional after a ninth-place performance at the Big 12 Championship, in a race that saw every K-State runner record a personal best. The Wildcats were led out by senior Kayla Doll, who finished 21st overall at the Big 12 Championship in 21:00.2, and was followed by freshman Cara Melgares who finished in 37th with a time of 21:30.2. The Wildcat women were ranked ninth in the Midwest Region in week four of this year, and seek strong performances is Ames.
"It would be nice to see Kayla [Doll] in the top-35, and Emma [Wren], Sydney [Collins] and Cara [Melgares] in the top-55, that would be good to see in a crowded field," Godfrey said of the women's team.
Friday's Midwest Regional action will begin at 10:45 a.m., with the women's 6k race, and will be followed by the men's 10k race at 11:45 a.m. The top two teams from each race will automatically qualify for the NCAA Championship on November 18 in Louisville, Kentucky, with 13 at-large bids to be determined. After teams have been determined, 38 additional individuals per gender are selected to compete at the NCAA Championships.
This year's NCAA Midwest Regional marks the second consecutive regional meet to be held in the state of Iowa, as the K-State men's team placed 18th with 491 points, and the women's team placed 21st with 567 points last year in Iowa City, Iowa. Oklahoma State has claimed four consecutive Midwest Regional titles in the men's race, while Missouri won the Midwest Regional title in the women's race in 2016. K-State has won the Midwest Regional six times in its program history, with the last regional title coming from the women's team in 2000.
For more information on the NCAA Midwest Regional, including meet history, live results and more, click here. For a complete recap, highlight and results from the Big 12 Championship, click here.
For the latest on K-State cross country, follow @kstatesports and @KStateTFXC on Twitter using the hashtag #KStateXC or on the team's Facebook page.
The men's team enters the Midwest Regional ranked 12th in the region, following a program-best finish of fourth place in the Big 12 Championship in Round Rock, Texas. At the Big 12 Championship, the Wildcat men pushed across five runners under 25 minutes, with the top-five K-State runners finishing within 20 seconds of each other. The Wildcats were led by a 23rd place finish by senior Colton Donahue, and personal bests from Lukas Koch and Bryan Zack.
"The men's team is ranked 12th, it would be nice to see them finish within the top 12," head coach Ryun Godfrey said. "If they do what did at conference, stay tight with 20-30 seconds between our 1-5 runners, we should be in good shape."
The women's team enters the Midwest Regional after a ninth-place performance at the Big 12 Championship, in a race that saw every K-State runner record a personal best. The Wildcats were led out by senior Kayla Doll, who finished 21st overall at the Big 12 Championship in 21:00.2, and was followed by freshman Cara Melgares who finished in 37th with a time of 21:30.2. The Wildcat women were ranked ninth in the Midwest Region in week four of this year, and seek strong performances is Ames.
"It would be nice to see Kayla [Doll] in the top-35, and Emma [Wren], Sydney [Collins] and Cara [Melgares] in the top-55, that would be good to see in a crowded field," Godfrey said of the women's team.
Friday's Midwest Regional action will begin at 10:45 a.m., with the women's 6k race, and will be followed by the men's 10k race at 11:45 a.m. The top two teams from each race will automatically qualify for the NCAA Championship on November 18 in Louisville, Kentucky, with 13 at-large bids to be determined. After teams have been determined, 38 additional individuals per gender are selected to compete at the NCAA Championships.
This year's NCAA Midwest Regional marks the second consecutive regional meet to be held in the state of Iowa, as the K-State men's team placed 18th with 491 points, and the women's team placed 21st with 567 points last year in Iowa City, Iowa. Oklahoma State has claimed four consecutive Midwest Regional titles in the men's race, while Missouri won the Midwest Regional title in the women's race in 2016. K-State has won the Midwest Regional six times in its program history, with the last regional title coming from the women's team in 2000.
For more information on the NCAA Midwest Regional, including meet history, live results and more, click here. For a complete recap, highlight and results from the Big 12 Championship, click here.
For the latest on K-State cross country, follow @kstatesports and @KStateTFXC on Twitter using the hashtag #KStateXC or on the team's Facebook page.
Players Mentioned
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