Nebraska Tune-Up Serves as Last Stop Before Big 12 Championships

MANHATTAN, Kan. – The Kansas State men's and women's track and field teams will look to keep the momentum going at the Nebraska Tune-Up meet held in Lincoln, Nebraska on Friday, as the Wildcats make their last stop prior to the Big 12 Indoor Conference Championships held on February 23-24 in Ames, Iowa.

The Wildcats enter the competition with both the men's and women's team ranked nationally in the week four USTFCCCA Rankings, with the women's team coming in at a Big 12 best No. 18, while the men's team continues to move up the poll, coming in at No. 52.

"We will not have everyone entered. Sometimes people can show whether they deserve to be on the conference squad, or in some cases in injury or illness they just need a race," Director of Track and Field and Cross Country Cliff Rovelto said. "But people that are ready to go do not necessarily need to compete."

Of their recent successes, the Wildcats have claimed the Big 12 Athlete of the Week honor in consecutive weeks, after sophomore Lauren Taubert won the pentathlon competition at the DeLoss Dodds Invitational on February 2 and sophomore Nina Schultz put together the best pentathlon performance in the NCAA this season and the seventh-best all-time at the Texas Tech Shootout on February 9.

In addition to the conference honors, this year's K-State team has also broken several school records, with the latest coming at the Texas Tech Shootout on February 10, where senior Terrell Smith broke his own school record in the men's 200 meters in 20.86.

Only one week earlier, senior Mitch Dixon added his name to the indoor record books at the DeLoss Dodds Invitational, where he threw a school-record 21.68m/71-01.75, besting the decade old record of 21.62m/70-11.25 previously set by Coby Cost in 2005.

In total, the Wildcats currently boast seven marks that are in the top-16 of the NCAA and 24 marks that are top-five in the Big 12 this season.

Friday's trip to Lincoln marks the first time the Wildcats have competed at the Nebraska Tune-Up since the meet's inception in 2010. After competing at the Devaney Sports Center for a number of years while Nebraska competed in the Big 12, K-State still holds three facility records in the complex, held by Christian Smith in the men's 1,000-meters (2:19.57), Vince Parrette in the men's triple jump (17.03m/55-10.50) and Austra Skujyte in the women's pentathlon (4,439).

For more information on the Nebraska Tune-Up, including meet information and a full schedule of events, click here. Live Results will be made available by Delta Timing during the meet and can be found here.

Next up, the Wildcats will face off against the best of the Big 12, as they compete in the Big 12 Indoor Championships in Ames, Iowa on February 23-24. This year's Big 12 Championships marks the sixth-consecutive year the Lied Recreational Center has held the conference meet.

For more information on the Big 12 Championship, including a full schedule of events, ticket information and live results, 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.

Nebraska Tune-Up Serves as Last Stop Before Big 12 Championships

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Mitch Dixon

Nina Schultz

Terrell Smith

Lauren Taubert

Kansas State University Athletics