Kansas State University Athletics
Friday, April 30
Lawrence, KS
Kansas State University
at
.png&width=60&height=60&type=webp)
Rock Chalk Classic
K-State Merits Quality Marks After Day One of Rock Chalk Classic
Apr 30, 2021 | Track & Field
LAWRENCE, Kan. – With a heavy emphasis on track events, the Kansas State track and field teams thrived on the first day of the Rock Chalk Classic on Friday (April 30) evening at Anschultz Pavilion.
Nothing could stop the Wildcats from producing top-end marks down the road in Lawrence, Kansas, as the Wildcats propelled themselves to a bevy of top-10 performances, which were highlighted by three victories from the freshmen trio of Hadley Splechter (3000-meter steeplechase), Jaybe Shufelberger (5000 meters) and Kerby Depenbusch (5000 meters).
"We had some good performances tonight," said assistant coach Ryun Godfrey. "The steeplechase is a new event for a few of our athletes and tonight provided another great learning opportunity for them. Our 5k group had some personal bests tonight, that was another highlight of the night."
Splechter earned the first victory of the evening in the 3000-meter steeplechase for K-State, as he pushed past his fellow competitors to close the race in first place at a pace of 9:10.66 – a new personal best. Trailing Splechter in the race was teammate Noah Stevenson, who maintained a steady pace to earn a spot at seventh place at a time of 9:47.42.
Shufelberger continued her dominance in long-distance races, collecting the Wildcats' second victory of the evening with a stellar outing in the 5000 meters at a pace of 16:44.18. The Topeka, Kansas, native nearly topped her personal best for the race, finishing just under a second short (16:43.78).
Tallying the third win on the track for the 'Cats was Depenbusch, who left zero doubt en route to his victory in the 5000 meters, racking up a personal best mark of 14:18.10 to stave off Kansas' Ben Butler (14:21.86). Depenbusch broke his personal record by nearly 14 seconds (14:32.58), which he set back at the Shocker Spring Invitational on March 27.
Jumpstarting K-State's efforts at the Rock Chalk Classic was junior Kassidy Johnson in the 800 meters. Johnson worked her magic and finished in third place with a pace of 2:09.13. Crossing the line shortly after Johnson was junior Alex Ferguson, who completed the race in the top 10 of the leaderboard, coming in at ninth overall with a time of 2:12.66.
The men's tandem of senior Travis Hodge and sophomore Kyle Johnston found some leeway in the 800 meters to capture top-20 positions amongst quality middle-distance opponents, as Hodge finished in 12th place at a time of 1:52.47 and Johnston sneaking in at 19th overall with a pace of 1:55.80.
Sophomore Sydney Burton captured a new personal best in the 1500 meters, producing a time of 4:31.15 and a sixth-place finish.
Earning another top-10 outing in the 1500 meters for K-State was freshman Mike Rohlinger, who built a ton of momentum in the race to score a ninth-place performance at a time of 3:57.29.
Finishing in the top three in the women's 3000-meter steeplechase came from the pairing of sophomore Hannah Stewart (2nd, 10:38.41) and junior Cara Melgares (3rd, 10:51.87). Stewart's runner-up finish made an impact in the record books and in her personal goals, as the Lawrence, Kansas, product moved up to No. 6 all-time in school history for the event while tagging on a new collegiate best.
Off the track, K-State took part in one field event on Friday afternoon – the men's pole vault. The tandem of freshman Brian Simon (3rd, 4.82m/15-9.74) and sophomore Chandler Heid (4th, 4.82m/15-9.75) each clinched new personal bests during the pole vault event, as both athletes earned top-five finishes.
K-State's distance group will remain in Lawrence, Kansas for the final day of the Rock Chalk Classic on Saturday, May 1, while the rest of the Wildcats will begin their stint tomorrow in College Station, Texas for the Texas A&M Alumni Muster, located at E.B. Cushing Stadium.
For the latest on K-State track and field follow @kstatesports and @KStateTFXC on Twitter or Kansas State Track & Field/Cross Country on Facebook.
Nothing could stop the Wildcats from producing top-end marks down the road in Lawrence, Kansas, as the Wildcats propelled themselves to a bevy of top-10 performances, which were highlighted by three victories from the freshmen trio of Hadley Splechter (3000-meter steeplechase), Jaybe Shufelberger (5000 meters) and Kerby Depenbusch (5000 meters).
"We had some good performances tonight," said assistant coach Ryun Godfrey. "The steeplechase is a new event for a few of our athletes and tonight provided another great learning opportunity for them. Our 5k group had some personal bests tonight, that was another highlight of the night."
Splechter earned the first victory of the evening in the 3000-meter steeplechase for K-State, as he pushed past his fellow competitors to close the race in first place at a pace of 9:10.66 – a new personal best. Trailing Splechter in the race was teammate Noah Stevenson, who maintained a steady pace to earn a spot at seventh place at a time of 9:47.42.
Shufelberger continued her dominance in long-distance races, collecting the Wildcats' second victory of the evening with a stellar outing in the 5000 meters at a pace of 16:44.18. The Topeka, Kansas, native nearly topped her personal best for the race, finishing just under a second short (16:43.78).
Tallying the third win on the track for the 'Cats was Depenbusch, who left zero doubt en route to his victory in the 5000 meters, racking up a personal best mark of 14:18.10 to stave off Kansas' Ben Butler (14:21.86). Depenbusch broke his personal record by nearly 14 seconds (14:32.58), which he set back at the Shocker Spring Invitational on March 27.
Jumpstarting K-State's efforts at the Rock Chalk Classic was junior Kassidy Johnson in the 800 meters. Johnson worked her magic and finished in third place with a pace of 2:09.13. Crossing the line shortly after Johnson was junior Alex Ferguson, who completed the race in the top 10 of the leaderboard, coming in at ninth overall with a time of 2:12.66.
The men's tandem of senior Travis Hodge and sophomore Kyle Johnston found some leeway in the 800 meters to capture top-20 positions amongst quality middle-distance opponents, as Hodge finished in 12th place at a time of 1:52.47 and Johnston sneaking in at 19th overall with a pace of 1:55.80.
Sophomore Sydney Burton captured a new personal best in the 1500 meters, producing a time of 4:31.15 and a sixth-place finish.
Earning another top-10 outing in the 1500 meters for K-State was freshman Mike Rohlinger, who built a ton of momentum in the race to score a ninth-place performance at a time of 3:57.29.
Finishing in the top three in the women's 3000-meter steeplechase came from the pairing of sophomore Hannah Stewart (2nd, 10:38.41) and junior Cara Melgares (3rd, 10:51.87). Stewart's runner-up finish made an impact in the record books and in her personal goals, as the Lawrence, Kansas, product moved up to No. 6 all-time in school history for the event while tagging on a new collegiate best.
Off the track, K-State took part in one field event on Friday afternoon – the men's pole vault. The tandem of freshman Brian Simon (3rd, 4.82m/15-9.74) and sophomore Chandler Heid (4th, 4.82m/15-9.75) each clinched new personal bests during the pole vault event, as both athletes earned top-five finishes.
K-State's distance group will remain in Lawrence, Kansas for the final day of the Rock Chalk Classic on Saturday, May 1, while the rest of the Wildcats will begin their stint tomorrow in College Station, Texas for the Texas A&M Alumni Muster, located at E.B. Cushing Stadium.
For the latest on K-State track and field follow @kstatesports and @KStateTFXC on Twitter or Kansas State Track & Field/Cross Country on Facebook.
.png&width=84&height=84&quality=100&type=webp)
Players Mentioned
/ Track & Field
/ Track & Field
/ Track & Field
/ Track & Field
/ Track & Field
/ Track & Field
/ Track & Field
/ Track & Field
/ Track & Field
/ Track & Field
/ Track & Field
/ Track & Field
/ Track & Field
/ Track & Field
K-State T&F | Gear Reveal
Saturday, August 30
K-State TF | NCAA Championship Recap
Tuesday, June 17
K-State Track and Field | Coach Geopfert Post Meet Comments - NCAA Championships / Women's Finals
Monday, June 16
K-State Track and Field | Coach Geopfert Post Meet Comments - NCAA Championships / Men's Finals
Saturday, June 14