Big 12 Championship Preview: Track and Field

MANHATTAN, Kan. – With aspirations of achieving postseason distinctions, the Kansas State men's and women's track and field teams move into postseason play as the Big 12 Indoor Championships begin on Friday, February 28 and run through Saturday, February 29 at the Lied Recreation Center in Ames, Iowa.

Packing both the track and the field over a two-day stretch, the conference meet will start at 10 a.m., CT on Friday with combined events. Saturday's schedule begins at 11 a.m., CT with the second part of the combined events. For each day, field and track events will take place after the allotted time frame for the combined races.

"From a team perspective, the conference meet is always our primary focus," said Director of Track and Field Cliff Rovelto. "Historically, our athletes have always done a good job of appreciating the importance of this meet and as a group rising to the challenge. This winter has been a challenging one as we have had a great deal of illness and some injuries. We will be without a few athletes due to injury but that's how it goes sometimes."

Tuning into the Big 12 Indoor Championship

Fans and spectators wanting to follow along with the Big 12 Indoor Championship, PrimeTime Timing will provide live results to viewers which can be found on Big12Sports.com when made available. To stream the meet, fans can go to Big 12 Now on ESPN+ to watch the two-day meet (Day 1) (Day 2). For more information on the meet, including a full schedule of events, records and more can be found on kstatesports.com by clicking here.

USTFCCA National Poll (Week 5)

The Big 12 has been represented well all year throughout the indoor season, as five programs rank inside the top-25 for the USTFCCCA National Rating Index. Texas takes the top spot in both men's and women's rankings amongst Big 12 foes as the men's team holds the No. 4 spot while the women's team comes in at No. 12. A neighboring school in the Lone Star State, Texas Tech comes in at No. 7 (men) and No. 14 (women) in the polls. Hosting the Big 12 Championship in Ames this weekend, the Iowa State's men's team has the No. 11 ranking for the indoor season. Just outside the top-20 in the national rating index, the Kansas' men's team arrives to Ames, Iowa with a spot at No. 21 and the K-State's women's team owns a No. 24 ranking.

National Leaders

The Wildcats have numerous athletes that lead or sit near the top of nation in their respective. Senior Lauren Taubert (pentathlon) and junior Taishia Pryce (long jump) both lead the nation in their events for the season as Taubert compiled 4,352 points during the Razorback Invitational back on January 31. Pryce leaped an astounding 6.65m/21-10 inside the Randal Tyson Track Center at the Tyson Invitational to hold the top mark in the NCAA standings for the long jump. Her jump ranks second-best in school history behind former Wildcat Akela Jones.

Other K-State athletes filling out the top-10 in the national leaderboards include junior Tejaswin Shankar and freshman Edgaras Benkunskas. Shankar, who is from New Delhi, India, has continued his torrid mark in the high jump competition, posting a Big 12-best 2.25m/7-04.5 at the Iowa State Classic on February 14 to stake himself in the top-five in the NCAA. Benkunskas is gradually making a name for himself in the national conversation for combined athletes as Licejus, Lithuania native recorded 5,631 points in the heptathlon at the Razorback Invitational, which is good for 10^th place in the NCAA standings.

Top Performers in the Big 12

Among the Big 12 participants, six Wildcats rank first in conference for their respective events. These athletes include sophomore Kassidy Johnson (1000 meters), senior Helene Ingvaldsen (weight throw), Shankar (high jump), Pryce (long jump), Taubert (pentathlon) and newcomer Macy Heinz (800 meters).

Over a five-week span, K-State has garnered four Big 12 Athlete of the Week honors since January 15. Those four award winners include Johnson, Taubert, Pryce and senior Jullane Walker.

2019 Big 12 Indoor Championship (Lubbock, Texas)

Recapping the 2019 Big 12 Indoor Championships, Shankar and Ingvaldsen return to the Lied Recreation Center to retain their crowns in the high jump and weight throw competitions. K-State finished eighth overall on the men's side with 56 points while the women's squad tallied 102 points en route to a third-place finish. Bringing the team hardware home in last year's meet on the men's side was Texas Tech with 179 points and Texas in the women's field with 128 points.

Historical Perspective from the Conference Indoor Meet

Since 1997, the Wildcats have earned 15-top three finishes for both the men's and women's competitions. In that time frame, K-State has accumulated 52 individual champions with a near split from both squads (men – 30, women – 32). Specifically, 12 of the 32 winners for the women's team reside in the weight throw division.

Wildcats Finish Out Indoor Home Season

With the completion of the Steve Miller Open last Saturday, K-State closed out its last home meet inside Ahearn Field House. Compiling 17 victories on the track and the field, the Wildcats have now earned 69 individual first-place finishes for the indoor season.

Up Next

Championship season will continue for K-State as the team looks to bring their talents on a national stage with the NCAA Indoor Championships beginning on March 13 in Albuquerque N.M.

For the latest on K-State Track and Field follow @kstatesports and @KStateTFXC on Twitter or Kansas State Track & Field/Cross Country on Facebook.

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Edgaras Benkunskas

Macy Heinz

Helene Ingvaldsen

Kassidy Johnson

Taishia Pryce

Tejaswin Shankar

Lauren Taubert

Jullane Walker

Kansas State University Athletics