K-State Searches for Glory at Big 12 Indoor Championship Beginning Friday

MANHATTAN, Kan. – Conference season is here for the Kansas State track and field teams, as both groups head to Lubbock, Texas for the annual Big 12 Indoor Championship on Friday, February 26 through Saturday, February 27 at the Sports Performance Center.

Friday's meet schedule will start at 10 a.m., CT, with combined events and then Saturday's slate will begin at 11 a.m., CT to finish out the combined-event field.

"It is always our intent to have our best performances in the meets that matter the most," said Director of Track and Field and Cross Country Cliff Rovelto. "Certainly, the Big 12 meet matters a great deal to us. Ultimately though, what really matters is faring well in the head-to-head competition with our conference competitors. Generally, we have done a good job in this respect and we certainly hope to continue in that vein. Between now and the start of competition on Friday, we will just try to do things each athlete needs to sharpen up. Rest is important as well."

K-State will have its hands full in Lubbock, Texas this weekend, as seven Big 12 foes currently rank in the USTFCCCA National Rating Index among the men's and women's fields. Top rankings in each poll from the Big 12 belong to the Red Raiders men's team (No. 7) and the Texas women's team (No. 3) in this week's ratings.

Tuning into the Big 12 Indoor Championship

Fans wanting to follow along with Friday and Saturday's competition can use the live results link provided by Prime Time Timing. The conference meet will be live streamed on Big 12 Now on ESPN+ starting at 6 p.m., CT on Friday while carrying over on Saturday at 2 p.m., CT. Spectators can catch up with the action on the ESPN app with any laptop or mobile device.

Under COVID-19 guidelines, no fans or spectators will be allowed inside the Sports Performance Center this weekend.

For more information on Big 12 Indoor Championship this weekend, including a full schedule of events, records and more can be found on kstatesports.com by clicking here.

Conference Leaders

Two Wildcats are conference leaders in their respective events for 2021, which includes Kyle Gale's 400-meter time of 46.26 seconds and Tejaswin Shankar's leap of 2.25m/7-4.50 in the high jump. The women's group of Kassidy Johnson (1000 Meters), Jaybe Shufelberger (3000 Meters), Maddie Righter (High Jump) and Anigbata Grace Chinonyelum (Triple Jump) hold No. 2 marks in the Big 12 for their respective events.

Looking for the Repeat

Senior Tejaswin Shankar and junior Kassidy Johnson return to the indoor conference meet in search of etching their names once again at the top of the Big 12. Shankar will look to cap off his noteworthy career with his third-consecutive indoor high jump title at the Big 12 Championship, while Johnson hopes to bring home her second title in the 1000 meters after recording her first win at last year's meet in Ames, Iowa.

K-State Elevates in National Poll

The K-State women are trending in the right direction late in the indoor season, as the group moved up for the third-consecutive week in the USTFCCCA National Rating Index to the No. 19 spot. Along with the men's team, who ranks No. 25 in the men's poll, the Wildcats have now held positions in the both the men's and women's USTFCCCA polls each of the past three weeks.

Individual Success at the Conference Championship

Since 1997, the K-State men's team has produced 31 champions at the conference championship while the women's total number of first-place finishers has reached 34 athletes. Twelve of the 34 champions reside in the weight throw competition, which is the most since the inception of the Big 12 in 1997.

NCAA Leaderboard

The Wildcats have a firm grip at the top of the NCAA leaderboard with the indoor season nearing its end. Heading into the conference meet, K-State remains inside 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).

Latimer Moves Up the Top-10 List

A strong showing from junior Taylor Latimer in the shot put had some historical implications for the school record books last Saturday, as the Valley Center, Kansas, native launched a throw of 16.43m/53-11, which resulted in the fifth-best mark in school history for the indoor season. Her throw set a new personal record in the ring and placed her on the USTFCCCA Top-10 Marks of the Week at No. 4 overall.

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 a great showing in Lubbock, Texas just a few weeks ago, 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.

Up Next

The Wildcats will have a week off before taking a select group of athletes down to Fayetteville, Arkansas for the NCAA Indoor Championships on March 12-13.

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

K-State Searches for Glory at Big 12 Indoor Championship Beginning Friday

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Players Mentioned

Chantoba Bright

Kyle Gale

Kassidy Johnson

Taylor Latimer

Rhianna Phipps

Taishia Pryce

Tejaswin Shankar

Jaybe Shufelberger

Kansas State University Athletics