Track and Field Gears Up for Arkansas Qualifier on Friday

MANHATTAN, Kan. – The Kansas State track and field teams will get their first opportunity in a national environment this weekend, as both groups gear up for a short trip to Fayetteville, Arkansas for the Arkansas Qualifier, located inside the Randal Tyson Track Center, on Friday, February 5.

Friday's schedule will kick off at 12 p.m., CT, with a full slate of events.

This will be the seventh season in a row the Wildcats will participate in a meet hosted by Arkansas, which own top-2 spots in the USTFCCCA National Rating Index, as the Razorbacks have the top-rated women's team and the No. 2-ranked men's squad heading into weekend activities.

"Fayetteville is the site of the NCAA meet, so obviously they have a great facility," said Director of Track and Field and Cross Country Cliff Rovelto. "We will not only see great competition but also different competition, which is nice as well. Also, we will have more athletes competing in their primary events and they will continually get fitter. All of these factors will lead to more eye-catching performances this weekend."

Tuning into the Arkansas Qualifier

Fans wanting to follow along with the meet on Friday can use the live results link provided by Flash Results. For more information on the Arkansas Qualifier, including a full schedule of events, records and more can be found on kstatesports.com by clicking here.

Under COVID-19 guidelines, no fans or spectators will be allowed inside Randal Tyson Track Center this weekend.

Shankar Adds to his Repertoire

Senior Tejaswin Shankar registered a historic outing at the DeLoss Dodds Invitational, as the New Delhi, India, native posted 5,650 points to clinch first-place honors in his first-ever heptathlon. Those 5,650 points were the seventh-most all-time in school history from any heptathlete, while the combined score broke the meet record set by Colorado State's Josh Cogdill during the 2017 meet (5,217). Shankar competed in his first-ever pole vault event, where he rifled over the bar at 3.75m/12-3.50 during the heptathlon. His score pushed him to the No. 6 in the NCAA for heptathlon points. Competing in the high jump portion of the meet, Shankar leapt over the bar at 2.25/7-4.50, which ended up being the third-best mark in the nation for the indoor season.

Excelling in the National Spotlight

K -State proved once again it belongs in the national spotlight, as the men's team was rated at No. 21 in this week's USTFCCCA Men's National Rating Index. This is the second week in a row the men's team has received a spot in the coveted national poll. Five other Big 12 programs clinched spots in the top 25, as Texas Tech (No. 4), Texas (No. 11), Iowa State (No. 16), Baylor (No. 20) and Oklahoma (No. 25) filled out the national poll.

NCAA Leaderboard

The Wildcats continue to hold a stake at the top of the NCAA leaderboard in many individual events this indoor season. As the indoor season hits its stride, K-State remains heavily involved inside the top 15 nationally for a multitude of events. Some of those athletes who have contributed to those rankings include freshman Kyle Gale (No. 11, 400 Meters), senior Tejaswin Shankar (No. 3 High Jump; No. 13, Triple Jump; No. 6, Heptathlon), junior Anigbata Grace Chinonyelum (No. 11, Triple Jump), junior Vitoria Alves (No. 12, 60m Hurdles) and sophomore Maddie Righter (No. 12, High Jump).

USTFCCCA Top-10 Marks of the Week (Jan. 26-Feb. 1)

After a bevy of Wildcats found themselves in the USTFCCCA Top-10 Marks of the Week for the dates of January 26-February 1, many athletes earned national recognition for their respective events after completing the DeLoss Dodds Invitational. Those athletes include freshman Kyle Gale (No. 4, 600 Yards), junior Mike Rohlinger (No. 2, 1000 Meters), sophomore Hadley Splechter (No. 3, 1000 Meters), junior Stephen Kielhofner (No. 7, 1000 Meters), senior Tejaswin Shankar (No. 3, High Jump; No. 6, Heptathlon), junior Kassidy Johnson (No. 1, 1000 Meters), junior Vitoria Alves (No. 8, 60m Hurdles), junior Taylor Latimer (No. 6, Shot Put), senior Shaelyn Ward (No. 8, Weight Throw), and sophomores Devon Richardson (No. 5, High Jump) and Sydney Burton (No. 2, 1000 Meters).

Combined Event Winners

In the fourth indoor meet at Ahearn Field House, K-State captured both pentathlon and heptathlon events, and there was no surprise who secured the top spots in each competition. Seniors Lauren Taubert and Tejaswin Shankar posted first-place performances during the Austra Skujyte Pentathlon and Steve Fritz Heptathlon. Taubert, who ran unattached, recorded 4,230 points to sit atop the leaderboard once again, as the Casper, Wyoming, native notched a personal-best 8.33 seconds in the 60-meter hurdles to kick start her victory last Friday. Shankar registered 5,650 points in the men's heptathlon, which snapped a three-year meet record and launched the senior up to No. 7 all-time in school history for heptathlete scores.

High Jump U

This 2020-21 season has seen some impressive performances through the air inside Ahearn Field House, as three Wildcats own top-25 national marks in the high jump this year. The trio of Tejaswin Shankar (No. 3, 2.25/7-4.50), Devon Richardson (No. 21, 2.11m/6-11.00) and Maddie Righter (No. 11, 1.78m/5-10.00) have bolstered K-State's reputation as one of the top schools in the country for jump athletes.

Up Next

K-State will remain on the road and travel down to Lubbock, Texas, to participate in the Texas Tech Shootout on Friday, February 12 through Saturday, February 13 inside the Sports Performance Center.

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

Track and Field Gears Up for Arkansas Qualifier on Friday

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Players Mentioned

Sydney Burton

Kyle Gale

Kassidy Johnson

Stephen Kielhofner

Taylor Latimer

Devon Richardson

Mike Rohlinger

Tejaswin Shankar

Hadley Splechter

Lauren Taubert

Shaelyn Ward

Kansas State University Athletics