Kassanavoid Takes Hammer Throw Crown on Day One of Big 12s

BIG 12 CHAMPIONSHIP DAY ONE

LAWRENCE, Kan. – Junior Janee' Kassanavoid saw her name on top of the hammer throw standings for the third time this season as she took home the Kansas State track and field team's ninth women's hammer throw title on day one of the Big 12 Championship at Rock Chalk Park.

Kassanavoid has now won two conference titles during the 2017 campaign after the Lawson, Missouri, native claimed the indoor weight throw championship in Ames, Iowa, in February.

"Winning the title today feels really good," Kassanavoid said about her performance. "Coach and I really wanted to work on consistency and getting those numbers closer to my PR. We are in the down stretch of training. The next two week are going to be crucial, though. We are going to keep working hard and keep pushing through the end of the season."

Kassanavoid got off to a quick start in the event, recording a mark of 62.03m/203-06 on her first attempt to take an early advantage. None of the other athletes in the field would come close to her initial attempt, as only two other athletes cleared the 60-meter mark.

The winning mark came on her second attempt, when she eclipsed the 63-meter mark with a toss of 63.07m/206-11. She went on to post three solid marks in the finals, all of which were over 60 meters, to preserve the victory for her first career Big 12 hammer throw title.

"In this competition, our emphasis was all about getting in the finals and scoring," throws coach Greg Watson said about Kassanavoid's performance. "Janee' came in ranked first in the conference by a pretty substantial margin, so getting the win was the goal. I know she wanted the result to be better, but the bottom line is she got the job done and won."

There were plenty of other strong marks on the first day of action in Lawrence. Fellow hammer thrower Helene Ingvaldsen claimed fourth place in the event with a toss of 59.60m/195-06 in her first outdoor conference championship.

All three men's hammer throwers scored on Friday, paced by a bronze-medal performance by senior Brady Grunder, who finished with a toss of 63.77m/209-03. Junior Mitchell Dixon took fourth place with a mark of 63.23m/207-05, while senior Kyle Smith took seventh place after a throw of 61.62m/202-02.

Freshman Nina Schultz posted an impressive day in the javelin throw, recording a personal-best toss of 47.67m/156-05 on her third attempt to earn the bronze medal in the event. Her toss is the 10th-farthest in program history, supplanting Tabra Alpers on the school's all-time list.

The Wildcats' two other javelin throwers also recorded scoring performances on Friday. Sophomore Ally Zerbe took fifth in the event with a toss of 46.38m/152-02, while senior Haley Pitko claimed sixth place after recording a mark of 45.88m/150-06.

In the heptathlon, newcomer Lauren Taubert used personal-best performances in the high jump (1.61m/5-03.25) and the 200-meter dash (24.74 (1.5)) to finish the first day of competition in fourth place with 3,148 points. Fellow newcomer Ariel Okorie is in sixth place with 3,103 points in the event after a personal-best effort in the shot put (9.76m/32-00.25). Junior Max Estill is in seventh place through five events in the decathlon with 3,579 points, a score that puts him on pace for a new personal-best score.

Saturday's competition resumes at 10 a.m., with the decathlon 110-meter hurdles. 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.

Big 12 Championship Day 1

Rock Chalk Park

Lawrence, Kan.

Men's Day One Team Scores

T5. K-State – 13 pts.

Women's Day One Team Scores

1. K-State – 28 pts.

Men's 10,000-Meter Run

11. Jeff Bachman – 30:55.16

14. Bryan Zack – 31:30.64

15. Brett Bachman – 31:46.86

Women's Javelin Throw

3. Nina Schultz – 47.67m/156-05 (6 pts.)

5. Ally Zerbe – 46.38m/152-02 (4 pts.)

6. Haley Pitko – 45.88m/150-06 (3 pts.)

Men's Hammer Throw

3. Brady Grunder – 63.77m/209-03 (6 pts.)

4. Mitch Dixon – 63.23m/207-05 (5 pts.)

7. Kyle Smith – 61.62m/202-02 (2 pts.)

Women's Hammer Throw

1. Janee' Kassanavoid – 63.07m/206-11 (10 pts.)

4. Helene Ingvaldsen – 59.60m/195-06 (5 pts.)

Decathlon 100-Meter Dash

6. Max Estill – 10.97 (4.1)(867 pts.)

10. Simone Fassina – 11.13 (4.1)(832 pts.)

Decathlon Long Jump

T6. Simone Fassina – 6.88m/22-07 (5.1)(785 pts.)

T6. Max Estill – 6.88m/22-07 (5.3)(785 pts.)

Decathlon Shot Put

2. Simone Fassina – 13.01m/42-08.25 (668 pts.)

12. Max Estill – 10.00m/32-09.75 (486 pts.)

Decathlon High Jump

T2. Max Estill – 1.93m/6-04 (740 pts.)

- Simone Fassina – NH

Decathlon 400-Meter Dash

8. Max Estill – 52.54 (701 pts.)

- Simone Fassina – DNS

Decathlon Day 1 Scores

7. Max Estill – 3579 pts.

Heptathlon 100-Meter Hurldes

2. Ariel Okorie – 13.65 (3.2)(1028 pts.)

5. Lauren Taubert – 14.24 (3.7)(945 pts.)

Heptathlon High Jump

6. Lauren Taubert – 1.61m/5-03.25 (PR)(747 pts.)

T7. Ariel Okorie – 1.55m/5-01. (678 pts.)

Heptathlon Shot Put

7. Lauren Taubert – 10.31m/33-10 (550 pts.)

10. Ariel Okorie – 9.76m/32-00.25 (PR)(514 pts.)

Heptathlon 200-Meter Dash

3. Lauren Taubert – 24.79 (1.5)(PR)(906 pts.)

5. Ariel Okorie – 24.04 (2.9)(859 pts.)

Heptathlon Day 1 Scores

4. Lauren Taubert – 3148 pts.

6. Ariel Okorie – 3103 pts.

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Schedule