K-State Track and Field Releases 2018-19 Schedule

MANHATTAN, Kan. – Director of Track and Field and Cross Country Cliff Rovelto announced the 2018-19 indoor and outdoor track and field schedules on Thursday, as the Wildcats look to build on historic 2017-18 campaigns.

"What we are really trying to get with the schedule is the best competition that we can," Rovelto said. "We aren't looking for any easy wins, we are looking to compete against the best that we can and see what we can do."

The Wildcats kick off the indoor season with back-to-back home meets in the month of December, as K-State hosts the Carol Robinson Winter Pentathlon on December 7, followed by the K-State Winter Invitational on December 8. The Wildcats then open the new year at Ahearn Field House on January 12 as they host the Wildcat Invitational.

On January 18, the Wildcats travel to Lawrence, Kansas to compete against in-state rivals Kansas and Wichita State in the KU-KSU-WSU Triangular. A combined men's and women's scored meet, the Wildcats captured the team crown last season for the first time since 2015.

"The Triangular is always a meet that is a focus. We always want to do well at that meet," Rovelto said. "Some of the other indoor meets that will be competitive are the Razorback Invitational and Texas Tech Shootout, in both of them there will be good competition and great facilities. Then obviously conference and nationals will be our major focuses."

Following four meets in the state of Kansas, K-State hits the road for a three-meet road trip, featuring the Razorback Invitational on January 25-26 and the Texas Tech Shootout on February 8-9. The Wildcats then return home to Manhattan to host the Steve Miller Open on February 16, the team's last meet prior to postseason competition.

On February 22-23, the Wildcats will travel to Lubbock, Texas to compete in the Big 12 Championship. At last year's Championship, the K-State women placed fifth as a team, while the men placed sixth, highlighted by individual Big 12 titles by Mitch Dixon in the men's weight throw and Nina Schultz in the women's high jump.

Following the Big 12 Championship, individuals who hold a top-16 mark in the country qualify to compete at the NCAA Championships in Birmingham, Alabama on March 8-9. At last year's NCAA Championships, Schultz was the runner-up in the women's pentathlon, scoring 4,467 points.

With the indoor season ending with the NCAA Championships, the Wildcats open the outdoor season on March 16 at the TCU Invitational. The start of the outdoor season marks a nine-meet road trip for the Wildcats, competing in five different states, including stops in Austin, Texas for the Texas Relays on March 27-30, the Michael Johnson Invitational in Waco, Texas on April 19-20 and the National Relay Championships in Fayetteville, Arkansas on April 26-27.

After the long road trip, the Wildcats return to Manhattan to debut the resurfaced R.V. Christian Track at the Ward Haylett Invitational on May 4. The meet marks the sole home meet of the outdoor season, as the Wildcats gear up for postseason competition.

"Our home meet will be the first on the new surface, which will not only be good for our kids but our officials and for us to run a meet on it, so it will be interesting to see how the setup may change," Rovelto said.

On May 10-12, the K-State women seek to defend their back-to-back Big 12 Championships, as the Wildcats travel to Norman, Oklahoma to compete in the 2019 Outdoor Big 12 Outdoor Championship. At last year's championship, the K-State women scored a program-best 135 points to win the fourth Big 12 Championship in program history, while the K-State men placed tied for third with 101 points, the best finish at the meet in program history.

Following the Big 12 Championship, K-State will round out their season at the NCAA West Preliminary on May 23-25 in Sacramento, California, with qualifying individuals advancing to the NCAA Outdoor Championships on June 5-8 in Austin, Texas. Last year, freshman Tejaswin Shankar became the fifth Wildcat to win the NCAA high jump title in the past 10 years, and the fifth freshman to win the title in NCAA history.

For the full K-State 2018-19 indoor and outdoor schedule, click 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.

Kansas State University Athletics

Players Mentioned

Mitch Dixon

Tejaswin Shankar

Related Videos