Saturday, September 19
Lawrence, KS
9:00 AM
Kansas State University
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Bob Timmons Classic
K-State Kicks Off 2020 Campaign with Bob Timmons Classic Saturday
Sep 17, 2020 | Cross Country
MANHATTAN, Kan. – The Kansas State men's and women's cross country teams will open the abbreviated 2020 season with a trip to Lawrence, Kansas to compete in the Bob Timmons Classic on Saturday, September 19 at Rim Rock Farm. This is the first time since 2015 the Wildcats will start their season in conference territory.
The meet will feature three Big 12 programs as K-State, Iowa State and host Kansas will all take off at 9 a.m., CT with the men's race and then 10 a.m., CT for the women's slate.
"We are looking forward to the meet this Saturday," said Head Coach Ryun Godfrey. "First things first, we need to test negative with COVID-19 again this week. If all goes well with testing, we will be ready for a good race on Saturday. We are grateful for the opportunity to race and we are always excited to test ourselves against Big 12 opponents."
The men's and women's teams return multiple catalysts from the 2019 campaign, including seniors Noah Stevenson, Travis Hodge and Cayli Hume as well as juniors Cooper Schroeder, Dylan Brenneman, Kassidy Johnson and Cara Melgares. The underclassmen group is highlighted by the return of All-Big 12 runner Jaybe Shufelberger.
The last time the Wildcats took part in a race at Rim Rock Farm, K-State jolted off the start line and finished with top-five finishes in both the men's and women's events at the 2018 Rim Rock Collegiate Classic. Current junior Cara Melgares crossed the line in fifth place during the 6k run, posting a time of 21:65.5, to help the K-State women earn a third-place finish. Fellow junior Kassidy Johnson also performed well, racking up a 21st place finish with a pace of 22:53.4.
The K-State men pounced early and went stride-for-stride with the competition as the team held their position in the field en route to a fifth-place finish. Current junior Cooper Schroeder stayed the course and locked up the fourth-overall spot in the men's 6k race with a pace of 24:48.9.
K-State is no stranger to fast starts as both the men's and women's teams have combined for four runner-up finishes and two victories in the first meet on the schedule over the last four seasons.
At the end of the 2019 season, K-State gained valuable experience from the Big 12 Championship in Waco, Texas. The K-State men secured three spots in the top 30 of the 8k event, while the women's team tallied 214 points, resulting in an eighth-place finish at the Cottonwood Creek Golf Course on November 2.
Fast forward to the NCAA Midwest Regional a few weeks later, located in Stillwater, Oklahoma, the men's team exploded from the start line to claim an overall team finish at 12th place, the team's highest placement at the regional event in two years. The women's team, who ran with four freshmen in the 6k meet, registered 674 points to claim a 23rd-place finish amongst the field.
From the Big 12 Championship alone, the Wildcats will bring back 11 athletes who finished in the top-60 between the 5k and 8k races (Schroeder, Stevenson, Brenneman, Shufelberger, Hume, David Lutgen, Hadley Splechter, Kerby Depenbusch, Jack Moore, Mike Rohlinger and Hannah Stewart).
K-State welcomed 10 newcomers to the 2020 roster this summer, with eight freshman and two transfers filling up both the men's and women's squads. Junior Stephen Kielhofner (transfer from Saint Louis) and sophomore Katie Kasunic (transfer from Kansas City) both bring Division I experience to the Wildcats after competing in the Atlantic 10 and WAC Championships last season.
Kielhofner led the Billikens in two races last season, which included a 29th-overall finish at the Greeno/Dirksen Invitational and a 21st-place performance at the Gans Creek Classic. Kasunic, who is from Overland Park, Kan., has a ton of experience running in the Sunflower State, as she raced her way to ninth place in last year's Bob Timmons Classic and then recoded a 24th-place spot in the WAC Championship, located in Kansas City, Mo.
To follow along with the races on Saturday, live results will be made available by Prime Time Timing.
Results will be made available on www.kstatesports.com and K-State Track & Field and Cross Country social media accounts following the conclusion of Saturday's races.
For more information on the Bob Timmons Classic, click here.
After completing their run at Rim Rock Farm, the Wildcats will pack their bags and take off for two-consecutive meets in Stillwater, Oklahoma, with the first one being the Cowboy Jamboree on Saturday, October 3, and then the OSU Invite on Saturday, October 17. Both meets will take place at the OSU Cross Country Course.
2019 Season Recap
For the latest on K-State cross country follow @kstatesports and @KStateTFXC on Twitter or Kansas State Track & Field/Cross Country on Facebook
The meet will feature three Big 12 programs as K-State, Iowa State and host Kansas will all take off at 9 a.m., CT with the men's race and then 10 a.m., CT for the women's slate.
"We are looking forward to the meet this Saturday," said Head Coach Ryun Godfrey. "First things first, we need to test negative with COVID-19 again this week. If all goes well with testing, we will be ready for a good race on Saturday. We are grateful for the opportunity to race and we are always excited to test ourselves against Big 12 opponents."
The men's and women's teams return multiple catalysts from the 2019 campaign, including seniors Noah Stevenson, Travis Hodge and Cayli Hume as well as juniors Cooper Schroeder, Dylan Brenneman, Kassidy Johnson and Cara Melgares. The underclassmen group is highlighted by the return of All-Big 12 runner Jaybe Shufelberger.
The last time the Wildcats took part in a race at Rim Rock Farm, K-State jolted off the start line and finished with top-five finishes in both the men's and women's events at the 2018 Rim Rock Collegiate Classic. Current junior Cara Melgares crossed the line in fifth place during the 6k run, posting a time of 21:65.5, to help the K-State women earn a third-place finish. Fellow junior Kassidy Johnson also performed well, racking up a 21st place finish with a pace of 22:53.4.
The K-State men pounced early and went stride-for-stride with the competition as the team held their position in the field en route to a fifth-place finish. Current junior Cooper Schroeder stayed the course and locked up the fourth-overall spot in the men's 6k race with a pace of 24:48.9.
K-State is no stranger to fast starts as both the men's and women's teams have combined for four runner-up finishes and two victories in the first meet on the schedule over the last four seasons.
At the end of the 2019 season, K-State gained valuable experience from the Big 12 Championship in Waco, Texas. The K-State men secured three spots in the top 30 of the 8k event, while the women's team tallied 214 points, resulting in an eighth-place finish at the Cottonwood Creek Golf Course on November 2.
Fast forward to the NCAA Midwest Regional a few weeks later, located in Stillwater, Oklahoma, the men's team exploded from the start line to claim an overall team finish at 12th place, the team's highest placement at the regional event in two years. The women's team, who ran with four freshmen in the 6k meet, registered 674 points to claim a 23rd-place finish amongst the field.
From the Big 12 Championship alone, the Wildcats will bring back 11 athletes who finished in the top-60 between the 5k and 8k races (Schroeder, Stevenson, Brenneman, Shufelberger, Hume, David Lutgen, Hadley Splechter, Kerby Depenbusch, Jack Moore, Mike Rohlinger and Hannah Stewart).
K-State welcomed 10 newcomers to the 2020 roster this summer, with eight freshman and two transfers filling up both the men's and women's squads. Junior Stephen Kielhofner (transfer from Saint Louis) and sophomore Katie Kasunic (transfer from Kansas City) both bring Division I experience to the Wildcats after competing in the Atlantic 10 and WAC Championships last season.
Kielhofner led the Billikens in two races last season, which included a 29th-overall finish at the Greeno/Dirksen Invitational and a 21st-place performance at the Gans Creek Classic. Kasunic, who is from Overland Park, Kan., has a ton of experience running in the Sunflower State, as she raced her way to ninth place in last year's Bob Timmons Classic and then recoded a 24th-place spot in the WAC Championship, located in Kansas City, Mo.
To follow along with the races on Saturday, live results will be made available by Prime Time Timing.
Results will be made available on www.kstatesports.com and K-State Track & Field and Cross Country social media accounts following the conclusion of Saturday's races.
For more information on the Bob Timmons Classic, click here.
After completing their run at Rim Rock Farm, the Wildcats will pack their bags and take off for two-consecutive meets in Stillwater, Oklahoma, with the first one being the Cowboy Jamboree on Saturday, October 3, and then the OSU Invite on Saturday, October 17. Both meets will take place at the OSU Cross Country Course.
2019 Season Recap
- K-State Men
- Junior Cooper Schroeder led the way for the K-State men after claiming the highest placing in two of the team's six races last year.
- The K-State men cruised their way to three-straight top-three performances to begin the 2019 campaign.
- Along with Schroeder, senior Noah Stevenson and sophomores David Lutgen and Hadley Splechter all notched top-40 finishes at the 2019 Big 12 Championship.
- Sophomore Jack Thomas returns for the Wildcats after locking up the Big 12 Runner of the Week award on September 7, 2019, after he finished the JK Gold Classic in sixth place at a pace of 18:51.6.
- K-State Women
- The Wildcats wrapped up the 2019 campaign with a 23rd-place finish at the NCAA Midwest Regional.
- The team closed out the 2019 Big 12 Championship with 214 points, good for eighth place.
- Jaybe Shufelberger became the first freshman since 2003 to earn All-Big 12 honors at the conference meet. Her 14th-place performance marked the first time since 2015 the Wildcats had an individual performer reach the podium on the women's side (Morgan Wedekind).
- The team ran with four freshman last season at the NCAA Midwest Regional (Shufelberger, Hannah Stewart, Cailan Steward and Delaney Kemp).
- The team only graduated one senior, Anna Keeley.
For the latest on K-State cross country follow @kstatesports and @KStateTFXC on Twitter or Kansas State Track & Field/Cross Country on Facebook
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