SE: Taubert, Okorie Set for NCAA Indoor Championships

By: Scott Retzlaff

Multi event success is tradition at K-State.

Austra Skujyte, Ryann Krais, Akela Jones and Kim Hagger are some of the many names that stand out. Multiple NCAA championships have been won in the combined events, and success hasn't been confined to the collegiate level.

Skujyte won the silver medal in the heptathlon at the 2004 Olympics. She went on to become the first woman in history to compete in four different Olympic Games in the heptathlon. Jones finished 20^th in the heptathlon at the 2016 Olympic Games. You can also go back to the 1984 Olympics, where Kim Hagger took eighth in the heptathlon for England.

Those are a lot of impressive footsteps to follow, but this year's K-State squad has a great group that is continuing the tradition of success.

Lauren Taubert and Ariel Okorie have led the way for the K-State women. The duo will compete in the pentathlon at this week's NCAA Indoor Championships, and they head to New Mexico full of confidence. Taubert won the Big 12 pentathlon last week with 4,161 points, while Okorie finished third with 4,078. Both are excited for the final indoor meet of their K-State careers.

Taubert's accolades are numerous. She has earned a pair of All-America honors during her K-State career. She has two conference runner-up finishes to go with this year's Big 12 indoor title. Taubert also took first at this season's Razorback Invitational with 4,352 points.

The senior was well aware of the multievent history at K-State. That success is hard to ignore, and it's quite a recruiting tool for the Cats.

"I definitely knew Coach Rovelto was a good multi coach," remarked Taubert. "Coach Rovelto and K-State's success in the multis is well known across the track community. I was really excited to come here. It was a pretty easy choice."

Taubert has become a big part of the tradition that helped draw the Wyoming native to Manhattan in the first place.

"It's super special to be able to contribute to this program and be able to come in and be a part of it," Taubert said. "You never know what's going to happen. Everything changes. Your approaches change. Things happen, so I'm super blessed to be able to contribute at K-State."

Even after all the success, Taubert remembers a time when she wasn't as confident.

"I came to K-State with a lot of great athletes," she remembered. "It was intimidating at first. I was used to performing really well during high school in Wyoming, and I got here with others performing better than me. It pushed me mentally to become more confident in myself. That really contributed to me being in this position today."

Daily competition with teammates has also helped. You may not always see a good amount of combined event athletes at some schools. That isn't the case at K-State, another thing that attracted Taubert to the program. She knew she'd have quality training partners.

Competing in several events means hours upon hours of practice. That practice time is maximized when you have the right people to push you. Taubert and Okorie have pushed each other, a daily competition that has fueled both athletes throughout their respective careers.

"Having people like Ariel and the freshmen this year has been really fun," Taubert added. "We treat practices like competition, and we push each other. We know each other's strengths and weaknesses, so holding each other accountable has made it a very special experience."

Now, Taubert is down to just one more indoor meet in a K-State uniform. The years have flown by quickly, something she admits to thinking too much about at the beginning of the season. Taubert's perspective has changed, however, as her senior year has progressed.

"I know I have more ahead of me," Taubert acknowledged. "I'm enjoying these moments as a K-State athlete and giving my all out there. I want to take advantage of every opportunity."

Whatever happens in New Mexico this week, there is plenty more to come for Taubert. She has dreams of wearing a Team USA uniform once she hangs up the K-State gear. The senior is also excited for the outdoor season ahead, including K-State's opportunity to host the Big 12 Outdoor Championships.

"This indoor season has really set us up as a team to be able to see what we can do in the outdoor season," said Taubert. "I think we have a great chance to get the outdoor title again. That will push us to continue to work harder, because the opportunity is out there."

Taubert's individual accomplishments are many, but the senior is quick to share the credit for the what she's achieved.

"The environment that I train in keeps me motivated," Taubert finished. "My coaches, teammates and family, we've all been through this experience together. Wanting to achieve those goals together and having that support has really helped me."

Falling in Love with K-State Immediately
Okorie took a slightly different path to K-State. She admits to not knowing much about K-State while in high school, but it didn't take long for her to fall in love with the school.

"I knew I wanted to come here the moment I stepped on this campus," Okorie stated. "The tone and familiarity of this place made it feel like home to me."

Okorie went through some of the same growing pains that Taubert talked about. She had a dominant high school career filled with records, championships, awards and accolades. The jump from high school to the Big 12 was an intimidating adjustment.

Patience was needed, but it wasn't easy for the native of Waynesville, Missouri. It took time for everything to really click. While immediate success didn't happen, the challenging times helped Okorie develop to the person and athlete she is today.

"I wasn't in a good place mentally at times," admitted Okorie. "Even last year and going into outdoor season a year ago, I was worried about so many things and was concerned about the different events. This year, I feel confident. I don't feel a particular way about any event, which is really nice. It's more about finding just how far I can go."

She has come a long way already, including back-to-back third place finishes in the pentathlon at the Big 12 Indoor Championships. Her recent performance in Ames has her feeling good heading to this week's NCAA Championships.

"My first event went well and set the tone," Okorie recalled. "Once I did well in one event, I had to leave it there so I could go into the next event with a clear mind. I didn't get ahead of myself or get down on myself. It was fun."

Okorie also spoke to the benefits of having a training partner like Taubert.

"Lauren has pushed me a lot and made me go outside the box mentally and physically," Okorie said. "Having her around to push me has been great, and I'm very thankful for that. I'm pulling for her to do well and can't wait to see what she does. She's excited for me, too."

If competing in the Indoor Championships isn't enough motivation, Okorie's fan section will have an added member this week. Her father, Travis, will be in attendance. It will be Travis' first-ever NCAA Indoor Championship event, as he was deployed during the event in past years. In fact, he typically had to use FaceTime to keep up to date on Ariel's performances.

There is plenty for Okorie to be excited about as her K-State career winds down. She still has the outdoor season ahead of her, plus plans to continue competing after college. Her patience has paid off, and she is now one of the leaders for K-State track and field.

"It means a lot to have people look up to you," Okorie finished. "I looked up to a lot of the upperclassmen for advice and grew a lot mentally and emotionally thanks to them. My advice is that in these next four years, you're going to develop so much. Things might not all happen when you want them to, but you'll get there with hard work and dedication."

As for her decision to attend the school she didn't know much about, it seems she chose wisely.

"It's gone way above and beyond my expectations."

Kansas State University Athletics

Players Mentioned

Ariel Okorie

Lauren Taubert

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