Kansas State University Athletics
Latimer, Melgares Compete on First Day of USATF Junior Championships
Jun 15, 2018 | Track & Field
Latimer, Melgares Compete on Day One of USATF Junior Championships
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – The Kansas State women's track and field team had a pair of freshman compete on day one of the USATF Junior Championships in Bloomington, Indiana on Friday, as Taylor Latimer placed 14th in the women's discus finals and Cara Melgares placed fifth in the 3,000-meter steeplechase finals.
Latimer and Melgares both qualified for the USATF Junior Championships earlier this year by reaching the qualifying standard in their respective events, with hopes of placing in the top two of their event to qualify for the World Junior Championships in Tampere, Finland on July 19-24.
"I think competing at USATF juniors is something that we been looking forward to for the last two months, so it was definitely a good experience for them," Assistant Coach Ryun Godfrey said.
Latimer was the first to compete for the Wildcats, where she threw in the women's discus competition. On her first attempt, Latimer got started with a throw of 43.73m/43-05 to put her in eighth place through round one of throws.
After failing to improve on her second attempt, Latimer recorded a mark of 44.71/146-08, which placed her in 14th overall. Latimer will have another shot at qualifying for World Juniors on Sunday, as she competes in the women's shot put finals at 2:00 p.m. CT.
Later in the evening, Melgares had her turn in the women's 3,000-meter steeplechase, an event where she had set a new personal best in each of her four meets this season.
On Friday, Melgares got off to a strong start in the race, where she paced with the front of the pack of steeplechasers. Through five laps, Melgares was positioned in fourth place, before falling back to fifth in the final 800 meters, where she would go on to finish with a time of 10:57.35.
"I think it does put a nice cap on a solid freshman season for her," Godfrey said of Melgares. "I think she just felt really good about it. She showed a lot of steady improvement this season and didn't have a lot of inconsistencies."
Latimer will round out the K-State competition at the USATF Junior Championships on Sunday, where she will compete in the women's shot put at 2:00 p.m. CT. For more information on the USATF Junior Championships, including a full schedule, live results and more, 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.
USATF Junior Championships
Hayes Track at the Haugh Complex
Bloomington, Indiana
Women's Discus Final
14. Taylor Latimer, 44.71m/146-08
Women's 3,000-Meter Steeplechase Final
5. Cara Melgares, 10:57.35
Latimer and Melgares both qualified for the USATF Junior Championships earlier this year by reaching the qualifying standard in their respective events, with hopes of placing in the top two of their event to qualify for the World Junior Championships in Tampere, Finland on July 19-24.
"I think competing at USATF juniors is something that we been looking forward to for the last two months, so it was definitely a good experience for them," Assistant Coach Ryun Godfrey said.
Latimer was the first to compete for the Wildcats, where she threw in the women's discus competition. On her first attempt, Latimer got started with a throw of 43.73m/43-05 to put her in eighth place through round one of throws.
After failing to improve on her second attempt, Latimer recorded a mark of 44.71/146-08, which placed her in 14th overall. Latimer will have another shot at qualifying for World Juniors on Sunday, as she competes in the women's shot put finals at 2:00 p.m. CT.
Later in the evening, Melgares had her turn in the women's 3,000-meter steeplechase, an event where she had set a new personal best in each of her four meets this season.
On Friday, Melgares got off to a strong start in the race, where she paced with the front of the pack of steeplechasers. Through five laps, Melgares was positioned in fourth place, before falling back to fifth in the final 800 meters, where she would go on to finish with a time of 10:57.35.
"I think it does put a nice cap on a solid freshman season for her," Godfrey said of Melgares. "I think she just felt really good about it. She showed a lot of steady improvement this season and didn't have a lot of inconsistencies."
Latimer will round out the K-State competition at the USATF Junior Championships on Sunday, where she will compete in the women's shot put at 2:00 p.m. CT. For more information on the USATF Junior Championships, including a full schedule, live results and more, 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.
USATF Junior Championships
Hayes Track at the Haugh Complex
Bloomington, Indiana
Women's Discus Final
14. Taylor Latimer, 44.71m/146-08
Women's 3,000-Meter Steeplechase Final
5. Cara Melgares, 10:57.35
Players Mentioned
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