Kansas State University Athletics
Wildcat Runners Hit Their Stride on Final Day in Lincoln
Feb 04, 2017 | Track & Field
SEVIGNE HUSKER INVITATIONAL
LINCOLN, Neb. – Huge personal bests by junior Lukas Koch and sophomore Ranae McKenzie highlighted an impressive day on the track by the Kansas State track and field team as the Sevigne Husker Invitational came to a close on Saturday at the Bob Devaney Sports Center.
The Wildcats finished the star-studded weekend with three first-place finishes, as well as 16 personal-best marks and multiple Wildcats moving into the top-10 in their respective events.
“I think Lukas in the mile, Ranae in the 200-meter dash and Jayce in the shot put were the best marks of the day,” Director of Track and Field and Cross Country Cliff Rovelto said about day two of the meet. “There were some people that probably had personal bests or close to personal bests today, but the bottom line is to compete at the level that they have to compete at, we have a long way to go.”
K-State’s strong performances in the running events was highlighted by Koch, who ran a monster personal-best time of 4:05.95 to win the men’s mile run. His mark is good for ninth on the school’s all-time list in the event, making him the first Wildcat to move into the top-10 in the mile run since 2006 when Christian Smith posted a time of 4:02.58 which is good for third on the all-time list. It is also the fastest time in the Big 12 this season.
McKenzie, a sophomore running in just her second 200-meter dash of the season and the third in her career, posted a huge personal best with a time of 23.87 to win her section and finish sixth overall. The mark is the second-fastest time on the school’s all-time list behind A’Keyla Mitchell, who holds the current school record of 22.96.
In the field, Jayce Brack was the only athlete in action during day two of competition for the Wildcats, finishing in fourth place in men’s shot put with a toss of 17.43m/57-02.25. The mark, which he recorded on his second attempt in the series, fell one centimeter shy of both his season-best mark and his personal best of 17.44m/57-02.75, which he recorded at the DeLoss Dodds Invitational.
Senior Morgan Wedekind led the charge in the women’s mile with a time of 4:52.82 to take sixth place. Freshman Erin Lee also had a good day, running a personal best time of 4:55.22 to claim eighth place, while sophomore Emma Wren and junior Kayla Doll also recorded personal bests with times of 5:00.04 and 5:02.08, respectively.
In the 800-meter run, senior Kain Ellis recorded a top-five finish in his first 800-meter run of the season, posting a time of 1:52.76. Fellow senior Marija Stambolic had an equally impressive performance in the women’s 800-meter run, crossing the finish line in a season-best 2:13.22 to finish in seventh place.
The Wildcats also saw two strong performances out of the men’s 3,000-meter run, as twins Brett Bachman and Jeff Bachman each recorded personal bests with times of 8:27.04 and 8:28.61, respectively.
K-State returns to action next week as the team will split to go to two different teams. The majority of the team will head to Ames, Iowa, for the Iowa State Classic, while the Wildcats’ horizontal jumpers will travel to Fayetteville, Arkansas, for the Tyson Invitational.
For the latest on K-State track and field follow @kstatesports and @KStateTFXC on Twitter or Kansas State Track & Field/Cross Country on Facebook.
Sevigne Husker Invitational
Bob Devaney Sports Center
Lincoln, Neb.
Men’s 200 Meter Dash
25. Nick Albus – 22.04
32. Angelo Gordon – 22.35
Women’s 200 Meter Dash
6. Ranae McKenzie – 23.87 (PR)
27. Akia Guerrier – 25.27 (PR)
Men’s 600 Meter Run
19. Rene Perla – 1:24.18
Men’s 800 Meter Run
4. Kain Ellis – 1:52.76
12. Travis Hodge – 1:55.01
14. Noah Stevenson – 1:55.41
17. Chris Sandquist – 1:56.15
Women’s 800 Meter Run
7. Marija Stambolic – 2:13.22
Men’s Mile Run
1. Lukas Koch – 4:05.95 (PR)
21. Nicholas Skinner – 4:18.14 (PR)
26. Sam Oxandale - 4:23.44
Women’s Mile Run
6. Morgan Wedekind – 4:52.82
8. Erin Lee – 4:55.22 (PR)
15. Emma Wren – 5:00.04 (PR)
18. Kayla Doll – 5:02.08 (PR)
Men’s 3000 Meter Run
12. Brett Bachman – 8:27.04 (PR)
16. Jeff Bachman – 8:28.61 (PR)
Men’s 4x400 Meter Relay
9. Harrison-Davis-Freeman II-Albus – 3:16.47
Women’s 4x400 Meter Relay
16. Stambolic-Wedekind-Lee-Wren – 4:00.55
Men’s Triple Jump
14. NaQuon Shelton – 12.99m/42-07.50
Men’s Shot Put
4. Jayce Brack - 17.43m/57-02.25