Friday, January 19
Iowa City, Iowa
All Day
Kansas State University
at
Larry Wieczorek Invitational
K-State Among Nation’s Elite at Larry Wieczorek Invitational
Jan 18, 2018 | Track & Field
MANHATTAN, Kan. – The Kansas State Track and Field team will hit the road for the first time this season, as the Wildcats travel to Iowa City, Iowa to compete against some of the top teams and individuals in the nation at the Larry Wieczorek Invitational.
The field of competition includes nine nationally-ranked Division I programs, including Wisconsin, Iowa State, LSU, Florida State, Iowa, Virginia, Arizona and Minnesota, while 32 Olympic and professional track athletes will join the competition, including 2012 Olympic Gold Medalist Aries Merritt, NCAA Triple Crown Champion Jarrion Lawson, and NCAA 400-meter record-holder Courtney Okolo, among others.
The two-day competition kicks off on Friday at 11:00 a.m. with the men's heptathlon 60-meter dash, and will resume on Saturday at 1:00 p.m. with the men's heptathlon 60-meter hurdles.
"The quality of this week's meet is very good," Director of Track and Field and Cross Country Cliff Rovelto said. "We are still at a point where we are training hard so we are not going into this competition completely rested."
Among the elite competition is a K-State squad that has had an impressive start to the 2017-18 campaign, including a No. 18 women's team ranking in the USTFCCCA Indoor Track and Field Preseason Poll. The Wildcats have benefitted from several noteworthy performances, as numerous Wildcats rank amongst the top of the nation in marks this season.
In last weekend's KU-KSU-WSU Triangular, senior Terrell Smith and sophomore Nina Schultz helped lead K-State to its first Triangular victory since 2015, as the team scored a meet-high 230 points to outlast Kansas and Wichita State. Smith set two meet records in the meet, where he ran a 6.75 in the men's 60-meter dash to tie the standing record from 2006, and broke the meet record in the 200-meter dash with a time of 21.27. Smith's 200 time of 20.90 (after conversion) currently ranks second in the nation so far this season.
Schultz, a native of New Westminster, Canada, also had an impressive day for the Wildcats where she totaled a meet-high 14 points en route to the meet's High Point Award. Schultz captured victories in the both the 60-meter hurdles, where she set a new personal record of 8.35, and the high jump (1.72m/5-07.75).
In addition to their results at the KSU-KU-WSU Triangular, K-State has made its mark in several other meets this season. At the Wildcat Invitational on Jan. 6, senior Rhizlane Siba stole the show in the women's high jump, clearing 1.82m/5-11.5, which is the fifth-best height in the NCAA this season. Junior Brett Neelly also had a memorable performance at the Wildcat Invitational, throwing a career-best 18.94m/62-01.75 in the men's shot put, placing him in ninth in the NCAA this season.
In total, the Wildcats boast 21 marks that are within the top-25 of their respective event in the NCAA, including six individuals who rank within the top-10.
This weekend's expedition to the Larry Wieczorek Invitational will be the first time the Wildcats have competed in the meet hosted by Iowa, with this year being the second running in the meet's history. Last year, Iowa swept both the men's and the women's team scores, edging out Florida State, Iowa State and Northern Iowa.
For more information on this year's Larry Wieczorek Invitational, click here. The meet will be streamed live on BTN Plus and Flotrack, live results will also be available during the meet by clicking 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.
The field of competition includes nine nationally-ranked Division I programs, including Wisconsin, Iowa State, LSU, Florida State, Iowa, Virginia, Arizona and Minnesota, while 32 Olympic and professional track athletes will join the competition, including 2012 Olympic Gold Medalist Aries Merritt, NCAA Triple Crown Champion Jarrion Lawson, and NCAA 400-meter record-holder Courtney Okolo, among others.
The two-day competition kicks off on Friday at 11:00 a.m. with the men's heptathlon 60-meter dash, and will resume on Saturday at 1:00 p.m. with the men's heptathlon 60-meter hurdles.
"The quality of this week's meet is very good," Director of Track and Field and Cross Country Cliff Rovelto said. "We are still at a point where we are training hard so we are not going into this competition completely rested."
Among the elite competition is a K-State squad that has had an impressive start to the 2017-18 campaign, including a No. 18 women's team ranking in the USTFCCCA Indoor Track and Field Preseason Poll. The Wildcats have benefitted from several noteworthy performances, as numerous Wildcats rank amongst the top of the nation in marks this season.
In last weekend's KU-KSU-WSU Triangular, senior Terrell Smith and sophomore Nina Schultz helped lead K-State to its first Triangular victory since 2015, as the team scored a meet-high 230 points to outlast Kansas and Wichita State. Smith set two meet records in the meet, where he ran a 6.75 in the men's 60-meter dash to tie the standing record from 2006, and broke the meet record in the 200-meter dash with a time of 21.27. Smith's 200 time of 20.90 (after conversion) currently ranks second in the nation so far this season.
Schultz, a native of New Westminster, Canada, also had an impressive day for the Wildcats where she totaled a meet-high 14 points en route to the meet's High Point Award. Schultz captured victories in the both the 60-meter hurdles, where she set a new personal record of 8.35, and the high jump (1.72m/5-07.75).
In addition to their results at the KSU-KU-WSU Triangular, K-State has made its mark in several other meets this season. At the Wildcat Invitational on Jan. 6, senior Rhizlane Siba stole the show in the women's high jump, clearing 1.82m/5-11.5, which is the fifth-best height in the NCAA this season. Junior Brett Neelly also had a memorable performance at the Wildcat Invitational, throwing a career-best 18.94m/62-01.75 in the men's shot put, placing him in ninth in the NCAA this season.
In total, the Wildcats boast 21 marks that are within the top-25 of their respective event in the NCAA, including six individuals who rank within the top-10.
This weekend's expedition to the Larry Wieczorek Invitational will be the first time the Wildcats have competed in the meet hosted by Iowa, with this year being the second running in the meet's history. Last year, Iowa swept both the men's and the women's team scores, edging out Florida State, Iowa State and Northern Iowa.
For more information on this year's Larry Wieczorek Invitational, click here. The meet will be streamed live on BTN Plus and Flotrack, live results will also be available during the meet by clicking 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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