SE: KU-KSU-WSU Triangular Brings Added Excitement, Competition for Bragging Rights
Jan 18, 2019 | Track & Field, Sports Extra
By Corbin McGuire
It's rare for brothers and sisters to compete against each other in college athletics, but that's exactly what Friday will be for K-State track and field's Cara Melgares. It's an extreme example of what makes the annual KU-KSU-WSU triangular such a uniquely exciting event.
See, Melgares' two older brothers, Chris and Michael, run for the Jayhawks. And the winner of this in-state triangular is determined by combining the men's and women's team scores for each school.
"So, there's some sibling rivalry that definitely gets brought out by this," Melgares, whose parents, Pat and Susan, and grandparents will be on hand in Lawrence on Friday in outfits of purple, blue and red. "They'll layer, and during my race they'll bring out the purple and during my brothers' they'll bring out the red and blue."
While the Melgares trio won't run in any actual races against one another, it's the closest they will get to competing against each other since they were growing up together in Manhattan. Cara, a sophomore, said this included any type of game imaginable.
"We definitely played just about every sport in our backyard…a lot of competition," she said. "We played a lot of Wiffle ball; that was a big one. I would try to beat them in that. We were all involved in a lot of sports, and my parents instilled a competitive nature in us when we were young. It's definitely carried through."
When winter break ended and her two brothers went back to Lawrence, they knew the next time they would see each other would be at the triangular. So, they parted with some competitive banter.
"'You're going down at the triangular,' basically," Cara summarized as siblings' final exchange of the break. "It's all pretty friendly competition. We obviously root for each other at the end of the day."
Even outside the Melgares family, this triangular brings some added excitement.
For some Kansans, it's a chance to compete against the other schools that recruited them. Travis Hodge and Melgares, two of K-State's 30 student-athletes from Kansas, fit in that group.
"A lot of kids were recruited by all three, so it's kind of like a pride thing: 'I want to show that I have the best school here,'" Hodge, a junior from De Soto, said. "Obviously you want your school to be the best running school in the state."
The meet also pits many former high school rivals against one another. It can serve as a measuring stick, Melgares said, of who has made more improvement as a runner in college.
"When I'm competing against those girls, I get a little more into it. I know a lot of them. I've raced them all a lot, so I kind of compare myself to their times a lot," she said. "Racing them head-to-head is always really fun because we all want to beat each other, and we all run some our best races when we're against each other."
Ultimately, Hodge said, everyone at the meet rallies around the team trophy. It's the first time each season, he added, that every person keeps a close eye on the team score.
"Every meet matters, how the team does, but not every meet has the bragging rights," he said. "This is the first meet where it really matters how the whole team does and everyone's really focused on how other events are doing."
The meet dates back to 1990, when it included K-State, Kansas and Missouri. Those three teams battled each season until 2006. It was reborn in 2015, with Wichita State replacing Missouri, and it has rotated between the three schools as host sites each year since. Last season, the meet added a mixed 4x400-meter relay where two women and two men from each team race to close it out.
"You need two guys and two girls to come together to actually put in a solid performance," Hodge said. "A lot of times the meet has come down to that last event. That's cool to put both genders together."
"It's a really cool aspect that they combine it," added senior Joe Gorthy, from Stilwell. "Everyone counts and everyone matters."
All in all, K-State has won 17 of the 21 triangular meets. The Wildcats eked out a 4.5-point win last season, their first since 2015, at Ahearn Field House. On Friday, they look to repeat for the first time against these two teams.
"I think it would mean a lot," Gorthy said. "I know all the coaches are really pumped up about it, especially Coach (Cliff) Rovelto; he loves this meet, and he loves being able to have those bragging rights. So, to be able to do that again, back to back, would be a really cool experience, especially if we could do it at KU. That would make it a little more special, too."
It's rare for brothers and sisters to compete against each other in college athletics, but that's exactly what Friday will be for K-State track and field's Cara Melgares. It's an extreme example of what makes the annual KU-KSU-WSU triangular such a uniquely exciting event.
See, Melgares' two older brothers, Chris and Michael, run for the Jayhawks. And the winner of this in-state triangular is determined by combining the men's and women's team scores for each school.
"So, there's some sibling rivalry that definitely gets brought out by this," Melgares, whose parents, Pat and Susan, and grandparents will be on hand in Lawrence on Friday in outfits of purple, blue and red. "They'll layer, and during my race they'll bring out the purple and during my brothers' they'll bring out the red and blue."
While the Melgares trio won't run in any actual races against one another, it's the closest they will get to competing against each other since they were growing up together in Manhattan. Cara, a sophomore, said this included any type of game imaginable.
"We definitely played just about every sport in our backyard…a lot of competition," she said. "We played a lot of Wiffle ball; that was a big one. I would try to beat them in that. We were all involved in a lot of sports, and my parents instilled a competitive nature in us when we were young. It's definitely carried through."
When winter break ended and her two brothers went back to Lawrence, they knew the next time they would see each other would be at the triangular. So, they parted with some competitive banter.
"'You're going down at the triangular,' basically," Cara summarized as siblings' final exchange of the break. "It's all pretty friendly competition. We obviously root for each other at the end of the day."
Even outside the Melgares family, this triangular brings some added excitement.
For some Kansans, it's a chance to compete against the other schools that recruited them. Travis Hodge and Melgares, two of K-State's 30 student-athletes from Kansas, fit in that group.
"A lot of kids were recruited by all three, so it's kind of like a pride thing: 'I want to show that I have the best school here,'" Hodge, a junior from De Soto, said. "Obviously you want your school to be the best running school in the state."
The meet also pits many former high school rivals against one another. It can serve as a measuring stick, Melgares said, of who has made more improvement as a runner in college.
"When I'm competing against those girls, I get a little more into it. I know a lot of them. I've raced them all a lot, so I kind of compare myself to their times a lot," she said. "Racing them head-to-head is always really fun because we all want to beat each other, and we all run some our best races when we're against each other."
Ultimately, Hodge said, everyone at the meet rallies around the team trophy. It's the first time each season, he added, that every person keeps a close eye on the team score.
"Every meet matters, how the team does, but not every meet has the bragging rights," he said. "This is the first meet where it really matters how the whole team does and everyone's really focused on how other events are doing."
The meet dates back to 1990, when it included K-State, Kansas and Missouri. Those three teams battled each season until 2006. It was reborn in 2015, with Wichita State replacing Missouri, and it has rotated between the three schools as host sites each year since. Last season, the meet added a mixed 4x400-meter relay where two women and two men from each team race to close it out.
"You need two guys and two girls to come together to actually put in a solid performance," Hodge said. "A lot of times the meet has come down to that last event. That's cool to put both genders together."
"It's a really cool aspect that they combine it," added senior Joe Gorthy, from Stilwell. "Everyone counts and everyone matters."
All in all, K-State has won 17 of the 21 triangular meets. The Wildcats eked out a 4.5-point win last season, their first since 2015, at Ahearn Field House. On Friday, they look to repeat for the first time against these two teams.
"I think it would mean a lot," Gorthy said. "I know all the coaches are really pumped up about it, especially Coach (Cliff) Rovelto; he loves this meet, and he loves being able to have those bragging rights. So, to be able to do that again, back to back, would be a really cool experience, especially if we could do it at KU. That would make it a little more special, too."
Players Mentioned
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