Wildcats Conclude Indoor Home Slate with Steve Miller Open

MANHATTAN, Kan. – The Kansas State track and field teams will finish out the 2021 indoor home schedule on Saturday, February 20 with the Steve Miller Open inside Ahearn Field House, as the Wildcats will use the meet as a last tune up before the Big 12 Indoor Championship in Lubbock, Texas.

Saturday's schedule will start at 9 a.m., CT, with field events and then track events will take off at 1 p.m., CT.

"We will have some athletes competing in events to tune up for the conference meet," said Director of Track and Field and Cross Country Cliff Rovelto. "There will be some throwers competing who have demonstrated they are close to getting that big mark for themselves. We also will have a group that will rest this weekend for the competition and will continue to prepare for conference."

Two other teams will make the trek up to Manhattan, Kansas for Saturday's event, as Oklahoma Baptist and Langston will fill out lineup cards in each session of the Steve Miller Open.

Tuning into the Steve Miller Open

Fans wanting to follow along with Saturday's competition can use the live results link provided by Heartland Timing. There will also be a live stream on Facebook Live.

Under COVID-19 guidelines, no fans or spectators will be allowed inside Ahearn Field House on Saturday.

For more information on Steve Miller Open this weekend, including a full schedule of events, records and more can be found on kstatesports.com by clicking here.

Shankar Dominates Down in Lubbock

In a season full of surprises, one person who has continued his steady dominance for the indoor campaign has been Tejaswin Shankar. After another stellar outing in Lubbock, Texas, Shankar posted another dominating victory in the men's high jump, as the New Delhi, India, native matched his season high with a jump of 2.25m/7-4.50. The leap broke the Texas Tech Shootout meet record, which was set minutes before in the event by Oklahoma's Vernon Taylor (2.22m).

K-State Women on the Rise

The K-State women are trending in the right direction late in the indoor season, as the group just moved up in the USTFCCCA National Rating Index to the No. 22 spot. Along with the men's team, who ranks No. 23 in this week's poll, the Wildcats have now held positions in the both the men's and women's USTFCCCA polls each of the past two weeks.

NCAA Leaderboard

As the indoor season winds into conference meets, K-State ranks among the top 15 nationally in a number of events. Those athletes include freshman Kyle Gale (No. 13, 400 Meters), senior Tejaswin Shankar (No. 3, High Jump; No. 8, Heptathlon), junior Anigbata Grace Chinonyelum (No. 5, Triple Jump), freshman Rhianna Phipps (No. 6, Triple Jump), junior Chantoba Bright (No. 12, Triple Jump) and senior Taishia Pryce (No. 10, Long Jump).

USTFCCCA Top-10 Marks of the Week (Feb. 9-16)

Another batch of Wildcats found themselves in the USTFCCCA Top-10 Marks of the Week for the week of February 9-16, as several athletes earned national recognition for their respective events after competing in the Texas Tech Shootout. Those athletes included freshman Kyle Gale (No. 2, 600 Yards), sophomore Tim Lambert Jr., (No. 6, 600 Yards), freshman Rhianna Phipps (No. 3, Triple Jump; No. 9, Long Jump), junior Chantoba Bright (No. 5, Triple Jump; No. 7, Long Jump) and senior Tejaswin Shankar (No. 1, High Jump).

Triple Jump Extraordinaires

Three Wildcats have excelled in the triple jump on the women's side this season and cemented their marks amongst the nation's best. After last week's impressive showing in Lubbock, Texas, the trio of Anigbata Grace Chinonyelum (5th, 13.61m/44-8), Rhianna Phipps (6th, 13.52m/44-4.25), and Chantoba Bright (12th, 13.28m/43-7) each rank inside the top 15 nationally for the event.

Filing in the Top 10 All-Time

K-State piled on top-10 marks for school history in selective events down at the Texas Tech Shootout last week, which featured Taishia Pryce's 200-meter dash (No. 4, 24.02), Rhianna Phipp's leap in the triple jump (No. 4, 13.52m) and a double dose of Chantoba Bright in the long jump (No. 4, 6.19m) and triple jump (No. 8, 13.28m) events.

Up Next

K-State will now head to Lubbock, Texas, beginning Friday, February 26 to compete in the Big 12 Indoor Championship at the Sports Performance Center. In last season's conference meet, the Wildcats posted three individual titles while bringing home top-five finishes in the both the men's and women's fields.

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

Wildcats Conclude Indoor Home Slate with Steve Miller Open

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Players Mentioned

Chantoba Bright

Kyle Gale

Rhianna Phipps

Taishia Pryce

Tejaswin Shankar

Kansas State University Athletics