Saturday, March 9
Birmingham, Ala.
12 p.m.
Kansas State University
at
NCAA Championships
Wildcats Wrap Up NCAA Indoors with All-American Honors
Mar 09, 2019 | Track & Field
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The Kansas State men's and women's track and field teams wrapped up their indoor season at the NCAA Indoor Championship in Birmingham, Alabama, where three Wildcats – Tejaswin Shankar, Aaron Booth and Shardia Lawrence earned All-American honors on Saturday.
Lawrence, a senior from St. Catherine, Jamaica earned All-American honors for the first time in her career on Saturday, placing sixth overall in the women's triple jump in her final indoor competition.
Lawrence got her day started on the triple jump runway with a big mark on her first attempt, reaching 13.20m/43-03.75. After fouling on her second attempt, Lawrence responded by jumping her best mark of the day on her third attempt at 13.31m/43-08.
In the event finals, Lawrence jumped over 13 meters for the third time in the afternoon, marking 13.07m/42-10.75. Lawrence was only one of six individuals to jump over 13 meters on three of her attempts, leading to her sixth-place finish and first-career All-American honors.
"I have been working extremely hard this season," Lawrence said of her performance. "I think it partially paid off, but I am still waiting for the outdoor season. I am grateful I was able to stand on the podium, I have been waiting years for this."
Entering the second day of the men's heptathlon with 3,298 points, Booth looked to carry his momentum into day two of the competition, where he competed in the heptathlon 60-meter hurdles, pole vault and 1,000 meters.
In the 60-meter hurdles, Booth finished third out of heat one, clocking an 8.63, placing 14th overall in the event. Booth would go on to vault 4.56m/14-11.50 in the pole vault, which placed him in eighth with 4,905 points with only the 1,000 meters remaining.
In the 1,000 meters, Booth ran a hard-fought race that led to a personal best time of 2:45.41 to earn him 814 points in the event, upping his total score to 5,719 points which placed him eighth overall. Booth became the first K-State All-American in the heptathlon since 2014.
"I'm proud, it is only my second heptathlon ever, and to come out and be 100 points down what I did in my first one, I can't really complain," Booth said of placing eighth overall.
In the men's high jump, Shankar found clearances on his first two jumps at 2.10m/6-10.75 and 2.15m/7-00.50. At his third height of 2.20m/7-02.50, Shankar missed on his first attempt, before making it over on his second.
However, Shankar was unable to make it over the bar at 2.23m/7-03.75, as he missed on his three attempts, placing him in a tie for ninth-place, with a top clearance of 2.20m/7-00.50, earning second-team All-American honors.
In total, five Wildcats earned All-American honors this weekend, including two first team honors (Shardia Lawrence and Aaron Booth) and three second-team honors (Brett Neelly, Tejaswin Shankar and Lauren Taubert). The K-State women placed tied for 53rd as a team with 3 points, while the K-State men placed tied for 56th with 1 point.
In the team competition, the Florida men claimed the NCAA Championship by scoring 55 points, while the Arkansas women took the women's team competition with 62 points.
Next up, the Wildcats will open their outdoor season next weekend at the TCU Invitational on Saturday, March 16 in Fort Worth, Texas, as the Wildcats begin their outdoor season. K-State will compete in 13 outdoor meets, including the Ward Haylett Invitational in Manhattan, Kansas on May 4.
For the latest on K-State track and field follow @kstatesports and @KStateTFXC on Twitter or Kansas State Track & Field/Cross Country on Facebook.
Lawrence, a senior from St. Catherine, Jamaica earned All-American honors for the first time in her career on Saturday, placing sixth overall in the women's triple jump in her final indoor competition.
Lawrence got her day started on the triple jump runway with a big mark on her first attempt, reaching 13.20m/43-03.75. After fouling on her second attempt, Lawrence responded by jumping her best mark of the day on her third attempt at 13.31m/43-08.
In the event finals, Lawrence jumped over 13 meters for the third time in the afternoon, marking 13.07m/42-10.75. Lawrence was only one of six individuals to jump over 13 meters on three of her attempts, leading to her sixth-place finish and first-career All-American honors.
"I have been working extremely hard this season," Lawrence said of her performance. "I think it partially paid off, but I am still waiting for the outdoor season. I am grateful I was able to stand on the podium, I have been waiting years for this."
Shardia Lawrence is a first-Team All-American! #KStateTF
— K-State Track (@KStateTFXC) March 9, 2019
The senior placed sixth overall with a top jump of 13.31m/43-08, earning her second-career indoor All-American honors pic.twitter.com/CrlvACi46I
Entering the second day of the men's heptathlon with 3,298 points, Booth looked to carry his momentum into day two of the competition, where he competed in the heptathlon 60-meter hurdles, pole vault and 1,000 meters.
In the 60-meter hurdles, Booth finished third out of heat one, clocking an 8.63, placing 14th overall in the event. Booth would go on to vault 4.56m/14-11.50 in the pole vault, which placed him in eighth with 4,905 points with only the 1,000 meters remaining.
In the 1,000 meters, Booth ran a hard-fought race that led to a personal best time of 2:45.41 to earn him 814 points in the event, upping his total score to 5,719 points which placed him eighth overall. Booth became the first K-State All-American in the heptathlon since 2014.
"I'm proud, it is only my second heptathlon ever, and to come out and be 100 points down what I did in my first one, I can't really complain," Booth said of placing eighth overall.
Aaron Booth earns first-team All-American honors with a hard-fought eighth place finish, scoring 5,719 points in the men's heptathlon! #KStateTF #NCAATF pic.twitter.com/aGzcgnQ7Pk
— K-State Track (@KStateTFXC) March 9, 2019
In the men's high jump, Shankar found clearances on his first two jumps at 2.10m/6-10.75 and 2.15m/7-00.50. At his third height of 2.20m/7-02.50, Shankar missed on his first attempt, before making it over on his second.
However, Shankar was unable to make it over the bar at 2.23m/7-03.75, as he missed on his three attempts, placing him in a tie for ninth-place, with a top clearance of 2.20m/7-00.50, earning second-team All-American honors.
In total, five Wildcats earned All-American honors this weekend, including two first team honors (Shardia Lawrence and Aaron Booth) and three second-team honors (Brett Neelly, Tejaswin Shankar and Lauren Taubert). The K-State women placed tied for 53rd as a team with 3 points, while the K-State men placed tied for 56th with 1 point.
In the team competition, the Florida men claimed the NCAA Championship by scoring 55 points, while the Arkansas women took the women's team competition with 62 points.
Next up, the Wildcats will open their outdoor season next weekend at the TCU Invitational on Saturday, March 16 in Fort Worth, Texas, as the Wildcats begin their outdoor season. K-State will compete in 13 outdoor meets, including the Ward Haylett Invitational in Manhattan, Kansas on May 4.
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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