Three More Wildcats Earn NCAA Championship Berths at West Preliminary

NCAA WEST PRELIMINARY DAY 2

AUSTIN, Texas – Shadae Lawrence and Brett Neelly became the sixth and seventh Wildcat throwers to qualify for the NCAA Championship meet, while sophomore Ranae McKenzie became the Wildcats’ first runner to qualify for the national meet as day two of the NCAA West Preliminary wrapped up at Mike A. Myers Stadium. All three of the Wildcats’ qualifiers will be returning to Eugene, Oregon, for the second-straight season.

“If you look at where people were ranked and how they have performed here so far, most everyone is there or above there in almost every single case,” Director of Track and Field and Cross Country Cliff Rovelto said. “It has been good so far. I think if we can take care of business tomorrow, we will go into the national meet with more qualifiers than we thought we would.”

Lawrence was the last athlete to throw in the final flight of the discus, but it did not take long for her to get to the top of the leaderboard as she opened with a toss of 60.15m/197-04 to take the lead. She extended her lead on her second attempt, throwing what would be her winning mark of 60.58m/198-09. Her final mark missed the facility record by just 35 centimeters.

The sophomore will head into the NCAA Championship with the top discus mark (62.59m/205-04) in the Big 12, the West Region and in all of Division I.

“I feel like I did really well today,” Lawrence noted about her first-place effort. “My goal was to get over 60 meters and I did that on two of my throws. I just need to keep hitting those marks in training and keep working hard. I have the experience competing at nationals, so I am looking forward to going again.”

Neelly became the seventh Wildcat thrower to punch his ticket to Eugene at the West Preliminary, taking ninth place in the men’s shot put with a top throw of 18.27m/59-11.25 on his first of his three throws. The 2016 Outdoor All-American in the event came back with two tosses of 18.19m/59-08.25 to stave off the rest of the field and secure his second-straight trip to TrackTown.

“It was not the best day, but at the end of the day I have made it back to nationals,” Neelly said. “I am hoping to shake off some of the nerves heading into nationals. I want to act like one of the guys that knows what he is doing. I just need to work on the mental aspect of things before the meet. The technique felt good. I just have to work on the finish.”

A 23rd-place finisher at last season’s NCAA Championship, McKenzie qualified for nationals for second time in her career by shaving off .93 seconds of her first-round time to finish in ninth place overall with a time of 57.96. Running in the first heat, the sophomore missed her personal best in the event by .02 seconds, but used a huge push down the final stretch to secure a fast-enough time to book her trip to Oregon.

“I am extremely happy with my result today,” McKenzie said about her performance. “It was a season best, so I am happy that I was able to produce that. This year, I am way more confident heading into nationals. I know what to do and what to expect. Hopefully this year I am able to perform at my best and become an All-American.”

Two sprinters raced their way into Saturday’s quarterfinals as A'Keyla Mitchell and Terrell Smith each earned automatic qualification in the 200-meter dash. Mitchell finished third in the fourth heat with a time of 23.14 (2.0) to earn her bid, while Smith also finished in third place in heat four with a time of 20.71 (1.5).

Other notables included sophomore Shanae McKenzie, who finished just outside of the qualification in the women’s high jump with a 1.74m/5-08.50. Despite two athletes qualifying for nationals at the same height, a single miss at the height proved to be the difference. Senior Kain Ellis also narrowly missed qualification, running the second-fastest time of his season at 1:50.11 to ultimately finish in 18th place overall.

Junior Rhizlane Siba finished tied for 32nd in women’s high jump with a final clearance of 1.69m/5-06.50, while freshman hurdler Ariel Okorie finished in 37th place overall in the 100-meter hurdles with a time of 13.70 (3.4). In the women’s 3,000-meter steeplechase, Kayla Doll finished in 28th place (10:45.72) and Morgan Wedekind finished in 32nd place (10:50.42).

Saturday’s action is slated to begin at 3 p.m., with men’s triple jump. Tickets for the NCAA West Preliminary meet will be available on an all-meet and single-session basis and can purchased here. Fans who cannot travel to Austin can watch a free live stream, which can be found here, while live results for all three days of competition will be provided by PT Timing and can be accessed here.

More information on the meet, including ticket information, heat sheets and full schedule, can be found on Texas’ NCAA West Preliminary home page, which can be found 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.

NCAA West Preliminary Day 2

Mike A. Myers Stadium

Austin, Texas

Men’s 200-Meter Dash

12. Terrell Smith – 20.71 (1.5)Q

Women’s 200-Meter Dash

14. A’Keyla Mitchell – 23.14 (2.0)Q

Men’s 800-Meter Run

18. Kain Ellis – 1:50.11

Women’s 3,000-Meter Steeplechase

28. Kayla Doll – 10:45.72

32. Morgan Wedekind – 10:50.42

Women’s 100-Meter Hurdles

37. Ariel Okorie – 13.70 (3.4)

Women’s 400-Meter Hurdles

9. Ranae McKenzie – 57.96

Women’s High Jump

T18. Shanae McKenzie – 1.74m/5-08.25

T32. Rhizlane Siba – 1.69m/5-06.50

Men’s Pole Vault

- Zack Supple – NH

Men’s Shot Put

9. Brett Neelly – 18.27m/59-11.25

Women’s Discus Throw

1. Shadae Lawrence – 60.58m/198-09

Kansas State University Athletics

Three More Wildcats Earn NCAA Championship Berths at West Preliminary

NCAA WEST PRELIMINARY DAY 2

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