Wildcats Find Success at the USATF Outdoor Championships
Jul 28, 2019 | Track & Field
DES MOINES, Iowa – Four current and former Wildcats earned valuable experience at the Toyota USA Track and Field (USATF) Outdoor Championships, which wrapped up on Sunday (July 28) at Drake Stadium.
Rising senior Lauren Taubert capped her first-ever appearance at the Championships with a 15th-place finish in the women's heptathlon with a score of 5,500 points. After finishing 16th in both the long jump (5.60 m/18-04.25) and javelin throw (28.50 m/93-06) to start the second day on Sunday, she concluded the event by winning the 800 meters with a personal-best time of 2:10.13 to score 963 points. Her previous best in the 800 meters came at the 2019 NCAA Outdoor Championship with a time of 2:10.94.
Taubert entered Sunday with 3,360 points after the first four events of the heptathlon on Saturday to sit in 14th place. She opened with a time of 13.79 in the 100-meter hurdles to finish 12th with 1,008 points before recording marks of 1.70 m/5-7 in the high jump (ninth/891 points), 11.00 m/36-01.25 in the shot put (15th/595 points) and 24.83 in the 200 meters (11th/902 points).
Taubert's performance wrapped up a successful junior campaign, in which, she earned All-America honors at both NCAA Indoor (pentathlon) and Outdoor (heptathlon) Championships. She finished eighth in the heptathlon at the NCAA Outdoor Championships in June, scoring 5,793 points to collect First Team All-America accolades. Her score of 5,793 points is the fifth best in K-State history. She finished as the runner-up in the event at the Big 12 Outdoor Championship, scoring 5,700 points.
Rising junior Taylor Latimer did not record a mark in the women's shot put on Sunday at the Championships after fouling on her first three attempts.
Latimer enjoyed a tremendous sophomore season in the shot put ring, earning First Team All-America honors in the event at the NCAA Outdoor Championships to go along with her Big 12 title. Her throw of 17.74 m/58-02.50 to win the Big 12 outdoor championship was the second-best in K-State history, just one centimeter off the record. She placed fourth at the NCAA Championship with a toss of 17.67 m/57-11.75.
A three-time All-American and the 2018 Big 12 Champion, Janee' Kassanavoid posted her best performance in the women's hammer throw in her third appearance at the Championships, tallying a fifth-place finish with a mark of 72.02 m/236-3. This came after finishing 14th in the 2017 event with a toss of 63.12 m/207-01 and 15th in the 2018 meet with a mark of 48.26 m/158-4.
A multiple All-American at K-State, A'Keyla Mitchell advanced to the semifinals of the 200 meters on Sunday afternoon with a 11th place finish in the first round of the event on Saturday with a time of 23.28. In the semifinals, she posted a time of 23.39 to finish 12th overall, as the top eight finishers advanced to the finals.
Rising senior Lauren Taubert capped her first-ever appearance at the Championships with a 15th-place finish in the women's heptathlon with a score of 5,500 points. After finishing 16th in both the long jump (5.60 m/18-04.25) and javelin throw (28.50 m/93-06) to start the second day on Sunday, she concluded the event by winning the 800 meters with a personal-best time of 2:10.13 to score 963 points. Her previous best in the 800 meters came at the 2019 NCAA Outdoor Championship with a time of 2:10.94.
Taubert entered Sunday with 3,360 points after the first four events of the heptathlon on Saturday to sit in 14th place. She opened with a time of 13.79 in the 100-meter hurdles to finish 12th with 1,008 points before recording marks of 1.70 m/5-7 in the high jump (ninth/891 points), 11.00 m/36-01.25 in the shot put (15th/595 points) and 24.83 in the 200 meters (11th/902 points).
Taubert's performance wrapped up a successful junior campaign, in which, she earned All-America honors at both NCAA Indoor (pentathlon) and Outdoor (heptathlon) Championships. She finished eighth in the heptathlon at the NCAA Outdoor Championships in June, scoring 5,793 points to collect First Team All-America accolades. Her score of 5,793 points is the fifth best in K-State history. She finished as the runner-up in the event at the Big 12 Outdoor Championship, scoring 5,700 points.
Rising junior Taylor Latimer did not record a mark in the women's shot put on Sunday at the Championships after fouling on her first three attempts.
Latimer enjoyed a tremendous sophomore season in the shot put ring, earning First Team All-America honors in the event at the NCAA Outdoor Championships to go along with her Big 12 title. Her throw of 17.74 m/58-02.50 to win the Big 12 outdoor championship was the second-best in K-State history, just one centimeter off the record. She placed fourth at the NCAA Championship with a toss of 17.67 m/57-11.75.
A three-time All-American and the 2018 Big 12 Champion, Janee' Kassanavoid posted her best performance in the women's hammer throw in her third appearance at the Championships, tallying a fifth-place finish with a mark of 72.02 m/236-3. This came after finishing 14th in the 2017 event with a toss of 63.12 m/207-01 and 15th in the 2018 meet with a mark of 48.26 m/158-4.
A multiple All-American at K-State, A'Keyla Mitchell advanced to the semifinals of the 200 meters on Sunday afternoon with a 11th place finish in the first round of the event on Saturday with a time of 23.28. In the semifinals, she posted a time of 23.39 to finish 12th overall, as the top eight finishers advanced to the finals.
Players Mentioned
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