K-State Heads to Lawrence for Big 12 Championship
May 11, 2017 | Track & Field
BIG 12 CHAMPIONSHIP
- ? MEET NOTES
- ? LIVE RESULTS
- ? LIVE VIDEO
- ? WEATHER
- ? @KSTATETFXC
MANHATTAN, Kan. – A year removed from winning five individual conference titles in Fort Worth, Texas, the Kansas State track and field team will look to equal its success from 2016 as it makes the short drive to Lawrence, Kansas, for the 2017 Big 12 Championship this weekend at Rock Chalk Park.
Riding conference titles by former Wildcats Dani Winters (shot put), Akela Jones (long jump) and Kim Williamson (high jump), as well as current Wildcats Shadae Lawrence (discus) and Shardia Lawrence (triple jump), the women went on to claim third place in 2016 with a final score of 112 points. The men took fifth place with 94 points.
“We are really looking forward to this year’s Big 12 Conference Championship,” Director of Track and Field and Cross Country Cliff Rovelto said. “It appears we are going to be blessed with good conditions and we get to compete close to home. The athletes that are competing this weekend have been competing well recently, so it should be a good meet.”
The 12th-ranked women are primed for a big performance over the course of the three-day competition, entering the meet with a lot of young talent. The Lawrence twins, who lead the conference in both the triple jump and the discus throw, enter the meet hoping to defend their titles in their respective events. School-record holder and Big 12 leader Janee' Kassanavoid looks to be the favorite to claim the first hammer throw championship of her career after breaking the record with a toss of 66.97m/219-08 at this season’s Texas Invitational.
Newcomers Nina Schultz and Wurrie Njadoe also look to provide strong results for the Wildcat women. Schultz, who holds the best score in the conference in the heptathlon, enters the weekend with the fourth-best high jump (1.75m/5-08.75), the eighth-farthest javelin throw (46.09m/151-02) and the 15th-farthest mark in shot put (12.19m/40-00). Njadoe boasts the third-farthest long jump (6.36m/20-10.50) in the conference this season, as well as the ninth-fastest 100-meter dash time (11.50).
Senior Morgan Wedekind holds the fourth-best time in the Big 12 in the 3000-meter steeplechase, running 10:24.24 at the John McDonnell Invitational. Sophomore Ranae McKenzie ranks third in the Big 12 in the 400-meter hurdles heading into the weekend after posting a time of 57.98 at the Sun Angel Classic.
“The women should battle towards the top of the conference standings,” Rovelto said about his top-25 women’s program. “We have a young team, but many of the younger athletes have adjusted to this level of competition quickly and are doing a very good job.”
On the men’s side, sophomore Brett Neelly boasts the top mark in the Big 12 in shot put (18.43m/60-05.75) and will look to win the first conference title of his career after finishing in fourth place last season. Junior Christoff Bryan is also in the hunt for a conference title as he currently holds the second-best mark in the Big 12 in high jump (2.18m/7-01.75).
Another bright spot for the Wildcat men this season has come from its men’s hammer throwers, who all surpassed the school record this season in the event. The crew, comprised of Mitchell Dixon, Kyle Smith and Brady Grunder, currently holds the second-, third- and fourth-best marks in the Big 12.
“Unfortunately, a significant portion of our men’s team is red shirting,” Rovelto added about his men’s side. “We just have too many holes right now to meet our level of expectation with respect to conference team placing. The guys who will compete will do a great job and that is all we can ask of them.”
Friday’s action is slated to begin at 11 a.m., with the decathlon 100-meter dash, while the decathlon 110-meter hurdles kicks off Saturday’s competition beginning at 10 a.m. Sunday’s action will begin at 2:30 p.m., with the women’s high jump.
Tickets for the Big 12 Championship meet will be available on a single-session basis and can be purchased at the door for $10 for adults and $5 for youth. Fans who cannot travel to Lawrence and have a FloTrack subscription can watch the meet live via the track organization’s live stream, which can be found here, while live results for both days of competition will be provided by Delta Timing and can be accessed here.
More information on the meet, including ticket information, heat sheets and full schedule, can be found on Kansas’ Big 12 Championship home page, which can be found here, as well as the Big 12 Conference’s meet home page, which is located 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.
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