K-State Track Begins 2018 Campaign with Wildcat Invitational

MANHATTAN, Kan. – After opening the indoor season with a pair of home meets in early December, the K-State track and field team begins 2018 by hosting the Wildcat Invitational on Saturday at Ahearn Fieldhouse.

The meet is set to begin at 9:30 a.m. with the field events, while the track events are scheduled to begin at 2:00 p.m. with the women's mile run. Admission to the event is free.

"In talking with the coaches and working with the student-athletes that were here over break, we should be in good shape," Director of Track and Field and Cross Country Cliff Rovelto said. "They've put work in over break, and this weekend we should get an idea of where we stand."

This season marks the first time since 2016 that K-State hosted the Wildcat Invitational when the Wildcats combined for 17 first-place finishes, including two facility records set by Akela Jones and A'Keyla Mitchell.

The Wildcats return to action after hosting the Carol Robinson Winter Pentathlon and K-State Winter Invitational on December 8-9, in which the Wildcats combined for nine first-place finishes and a number of personal bests.

Among the strong performances was senior Mitch Dixon in the men's weight throw and junior Brett Neelly in the men's shot put. Both Dixon and Neelly set a new personal best in their respective event en route to their first-place finishes. On Saturday, Dixon will compete in the Brady Grunder men's weight throw, while Neelly will throw in the Tom Brosius men's shot put.

Also in the field, freshman Clare Gibson will look to win another high jump title, after claiming her first in her first collegiate competition at the K-State Winter Invitational. Gibson won the event with a leap of 1.78m/5-10, and will compete in the Kimberly Williamson women's high jump on Saturday.

On the track, the Wildcats will be well represented in a number of events, as Mitchell, the school record holder in the women's 60-meter dash, will compete in the event on Saturday. Mitchell set the school record in the 60-meter dash with a time of 7.37 at the KSU-KU-WSU Triangular in 2016.

K-State will also compete in several distance events, including four Wildcats entered in the men's mile, and two Wildcats in the women's 1,000-meter run. At the K-State Winter Invitational, the Wildcats had a strong showing in distance events, as sophomore Travis Hodge claimed the mile crown and junior Kurt Loevenstein won the 1,000-meter run in 2:27.02.

For a full schedule of events for the Wildcat Invitational, click here. Live results for the meet will be provided by Heartland Timing and 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.

K-State Track Begins 2018 Campaign with Wildcat Invitational

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Players Mentioned

Mitch Dixon

Clare Gibson

Travis Hodge

Kurt Loevenstein

A'Keyla Mitchell

Brett Neelly

Kansas State University Athletics