Kansas State University Athletics
Thursday, April 26
Des Moines, IA
All Day
Kansas State University
at
Drake Relays
Wildcats Split for Drake Relays, Texas Tech Corky/Crofoot Shootout
Apr 26, 2018 | Track & Field
MANHATTAN, Kansas – The Kansas State track and field teams will split in different directions this weekend, as several Wildcats will head north to Des Moines, Iowa to compete in the 109th Drake Relays beginning on Thursday, while a majority of the team will head south to compete in the Texas Tech Corky/Crofoot Shootout in Lubbock, Texas on Friday.
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The pair of meets serve as preparation for the Big 12 Outdoor Championship on May 11-13 that will take place in Waco, Texas. Following this weekend's action, the Wildcats will host the Ward Haylett Invitational on May 5, the final stop before post-season competition.
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"It will be a good meet and the weather is supposed to be good. For a lot of our team it will be their last meet before conference, so we will be ready to go," Director of Track and Field and Cross Country Cliff Rovelto said in preparation for the Texas Tech Corky/Crofoot Shootout.
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Beginning on Thursday, several Wildcats will compete in distance events at the 91st Drake Relays presented by HyVee. Thursday's action features several Wildcats on the track, including sophomore Travis Hodge in the men's 800 meters and seniors Kayla Doll and Morgan Wedekind in the women's 3,000-meter steeplechase. In addition, the Wildcats will compete in several relay events on Friday and Saturday.
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"The Drake Relays has a good atmosphere, there are really athletes from all over that come to the meet, there is always good competition, so it brings in a crowd, it can be a pretty fun place to run," Assistant Coach Ryun Godfrey said before the Drake Relays.
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Meanwhile in Texas at the Texas Tech Corky/Crofoot Shootout, the Wildcats will get started with the field events beginning at 11:00 a.m. CT. In the women's hammer throw, senior Janee' Kassanavoid, who leads the Big 12 in the event this year with a school-record toss of 67.38m/221-01 will enter the ring on Friday. Kassanavoid leads a well-rounded group of hammer throwers, who account for three of the top six marks in the Big 12 this season.
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"I think for the veterans, they are just trying to solidify where they are in the season before the Championships. When you get to a meet you have to compete on that day, so I am just looking for them to keep building on what they have done," Assistant Coach Greg Watson said of the throwers.
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Later in the evening, the track events pick up at the Texas Tech Corky/Crofoot Shootout, where several Wildcats will look to improve upon their season-best marks leading up to the Big 12 Championship. Senior Terrell Smith, who is in the top three of the Big 12 in both the men's 100 meters and 200 meters will compete on Friday, after sweeping the events at the Kansas Relays a week ago.
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Several Wildcats will also make their return after competing overseas for the Commonwealth Games earlier this month, as freshman standout Tejaswin Shankar currently holds the fourth best mark in the NCAA in the men's high jump, clearing 2.25m/7-04.50 at the Roadrunner Invitational. Shankar went on to compete at the Commonwealth Games in Carrara, Australia, where he qualified for the high jump finals before finishing sixth overall.
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Also returning for K-State, sophomore Nina Schultz will compete at Texas Tech, after earning the silver medal in the heptathlon at the Commonwealth Games. Schultz scored a personal best 6,133 points, which is also the second-best score in the world this year. Schultz also boasts the best mark in the NCAA this season, scoring 6,018 points at the Roadrunner Invitational in March.
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For more information on the Drake Relays, including a full event schedule, event entries and more, click here. The Drake Relays will be broadcast live on USATF.TV throughout the weekend. For more information on the Texas Tech Corky/Crofoot Shootout, click here.
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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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The pair of meets serve as preparation for the Big 12 Outdoor Championship on May 11-13 that will take place in Waco, Texas. Following this weekend's action, the Wildcats will host the Ward Haylett Invitational on May 5, the final stop before post-season competition.
Â
"It will be a good meet and the weather is supposed to be good. For a lot of our team it will be their last meet before conference, so we will be ready to go," Director of Track and Field and Cross Country Cliff Rovelto said in preparation for the Texas Tech Corky/Crofoot Shootout.
Â
Beginning on Thursday, several Wildcats will compete in distance events at the 91st Drake Relays presented by HyVee. Thursday's action features several Wildcats on the track, including sophomore Travis Hodge in the men's 800 meters and seniors Kayla Doll and Morgan Wedekind in the women's 3,000-meter steeplechase. In addition, the Wildcats will compete in several relay events on Friday and Saturday.
Â
"The Drake Relays has a good atmosphere, there are really athletes from all over that come to the meet, there is always good competition, so it brings in a crowd, it can be a pretty fun place to run," Assistant Coach Ryun Godfrey said before the Drake Relays.
Â
Meanwhile in Texas at the Texas Tech Corky/Crofoot Shootout, the Wildcats will get started with the field events beginning at 11:00 a.m. CT. In the women's hammer throw, senior Janee' Kassanavoid, who leads the Big 12 in the event this year with a school-record toss of 67.38m/221-01 will enter the ring on Friday. Kassanavoid leads a well-rounded group of hammer throwers, who account for three of the top six marks in the Big 12 this season.
Â
"I think for the veterans, they are just trying to solidify where they are in the season before the Championships. When you get to a meet you have to compete on that day, so I am just looking for them to keep building on what they have done," Assistant Coach Greg Watson said of the throwers.
Â
Later in the evening, the track events pick up at the Texas Tech Corky/Crofoot Shootout, where several Wildcats will look to improve upon their season-best marks leading up to the Big 12 Championship. Senior Terrell Smith, who is in the top three of the Big 12 in both the men's 100 meters and 200 meters will compete on Friday, after sweeping the events at the Kansas Relays a week ago.
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Several Wildcats will also make their return after competing overseas for the Commonwealth Games earlier this month, as freshman standout Tejaswin Shankar currently holds the fourth best mark in the NCAA in the men's high jump, clearing 2.25m/7-04.50 at the Roadrunner Invitational. Shankar went on to compete at the Commonwealth Games in Carrara, Australia, where he qualified for the high jump finals before finishing sixth overall.
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Also returning for K-State, sophomore Nina Schultz will compete at Texas Tech, after earning the silver medal in the heptathlon at the Commonwealth Games. Schultz scored a personal best 6,133 points, which is also the second-best score in the world this year. Schultz also boasts the best mark in the NCAA this season, scoring 6,018 points at the Roadrunner Invitational in March.
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For more information on the Drake Relays, including a full event schedule, event entries and more, click here. The Drake Relays will be broadcast live on USATF.TV throughout the weekend. For more information on the Texas Tech Corky/Crofoot Shootout, click here.
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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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