Kansas State University
41st Annual Aztec Invitational
Wildcats Register Top Performances at Aztec Invitational
Mar 23, 2019 | Track & Field
SAN DIEGO, Calif. – The Kansas State men's and women's track and field teams concluded their appearance at the 41st Annual Aztec Invitational in San Diego, California, as the Wildcats recorded seven top-five finishes on Saturday.
"This time of the year with our iffy weather at home it is important that we have meets like this early in the season. Weekends where we get a lot of quality work are crucial to our preparations for the championship portion of our schedule," Director of Track and Field and Cross Country Cliff Rovelto said. "We did have some personal bests and some quality performances this weekend."
After winning the women's long jump open competition on Friday, junior Ariel Okorie put together another top-five finish on Saturday, placing second overall in the women's 100-meter hurdles invitational, running a 13.79 against the wind. Okorie clocked a 13.62 a week ago at the TCU Invitational, where she also placed second.
In the women's 400 meters, senior Ranae McKenzie ran the second-fastest time of her career on Saturday, running a 53.85 to place second overall. McKenzie's top-time of 53.64 came in the event at the Ward Haylett Invitational in 2017.
Following the women's 400 meters, freshman Antoni Hoyte-Small and junior Justin Davis continued the success in the event for the Wildcats, with Hoyte-Small running a 47.55 in his outdoor 400 meter debut, while Davis closed in on his personal best by running a 47.92 to place fourth. Davis previously ran a 47.85 at the Jim Click Shootout a season ago.
In the field, a trio of Wildcats placed in the top-five of the women's high jump, including senior Shanae McKenzie and Clare Gibson, who each cleared a top height of 1.72m/5-07.75, which placed McKenzie in second and Gibson in third. McKenzie was perfect through her first three bars, before missing three times at 1.77m/5-09.75. Senior Morgan Coffman also placed in the top-five overall by clearing 1.67m/5-05.75 to place fifth overall.
In the men's long jump, senior Tom Pyle led the way for the Wildcats, where he jumped 7.00m/22-11.75 to place second overall in the event. The second-place finish was Pyle's first competition in the long jump this season and the best jump he has had outdoors since last year's Big 12 Outdoor Championship.
Next, K-State will travel to Austin, Texas for the 92nd Clyde Littlefield Texas Relays on March 27-30. The meet welcomes over 200 University/College teams, including over 2,400 student-athletes to take part in the four-day meet. The collegiate competition includes several Big 12 programs, including Texas, Kansas, Baylor, Oklahoma, TCU and West Virginia.
The Texas Relays will be broadcast by Longhorn Network with times to be announced by the network at a later date.
For the latest on K-State track and field follow @kstatesports and @KStateTFXC on Twitter or Kansas State Track & Field/Cross Country on Facebook.
41st Annual Aztec Invitational (Day Three)
SDSU Sports Deck
San Diego, California
Women's 100 Meter Hurdles Invite
2. Ariel Okorie, 13.79 (-1.1)
24. Paige Kimble, 15.58 (.7)
Women's 400 Meters Invite
2. Ranae McKenzie, 53.85
11. Taishia Pryce, 56.66
Men's 400 Meters Invite
2. Antoni Hoyte-Small, 47.55
4. Justin Davis, 47.92
Men's 100 Meters Invite
34. Tom Pyle, 11.06 (-.7)
46. Parker McCafferty, 11.23 (3.4)
Women's 4x400 Meter Relay Invite
--. Kansas State 'A', --
--. Kansas State 'B', --
Men's 4x400 Meter Relay Invite
3. Kansas State 'A', 3:14.38
9. Kansas State 'B', 3:22.74
Women's Long Jump Invite
4. Konstantina Romaiou, 5.86m/19-02.75
Men's Long Jump Invite
2. Tom Pyle, 7.00m/22-11.75
9. Simone Fassina, 6.44m/21-01.50
13. Angelo Gordon, 6.26m/20-06.50
Women's High Jump Invite
2. Shanae McKenzie, 1.72m/5-07.75
3. Clare Gibson, 1.72m/5-07.75
5. Morgan Coffman, 1.67m/5-05.75
Players Mentioned
