Kansas State University Athletics
Sunday, May 16
Manhattan, Kan.
Kansas State University
vs
Big 12 Outdoor Championship
K-State Women Notch Runner-Up Finish at Big 12 Outdoor Championship
May 16, 2021 | Track & Field
MANHATTAN, Kan. – An abundance of top-four performances propelled the Kansas State women's track and field team to its second-straight runner-up finish at the Big 12 Outdoor Track and Field Championship, as the teams finished the three-day championship meet at R.V. Christian Track and Field Complex on Sunday afternoon.
The K-State women's team totaled 114 points to finish in second place behind champion Texas, which set a new meet record with 207 points. The Wildcats have now placed among the top-3 at the conference's outdoor meet in five consecutive seasons, including championships in 2017 and 2018.
K-State held off Texas Tech in the final event of the day – the men's 4x400-meter relay – to clinch a fourth-place finish with 88 points for the second consecutive time at the outdoor championships. Texas finished off the clean sweep of the outdoor titles with 173 points ahead of second-place Iowa State (144) and third-place Oklahoma (105). The Wildcats have finished third place or better at each of the last 3 outdoor championships.
"I think that both teams had really great team performances," said Director of Track and Field and Cross Country Cliff Rovelto. "There is always a couple of places where we could've done better, but all in all, it was a great team effort. I think both teams placed higher than we projected on paper. Let's be honest, there was no way anyone was going to beat Texas. For us, to end up second, the gals did a great job. The men did a great job as well. The way we competed, we just outperformed our competitors in a number of areas. We try to be as complete of a team as we can.
"It was nice to have this opportunity at home. There were so many parts of our athletic department who contributed to this event. We are very appreciative of all that they did to make this possible."
With the adjusted schedule to Sunday's finale due to inclement weather, K-State had to work its way through multiple downpours at different points during the final leg of the conference outdoor meet.
However, the K-State women thrived in the tough conditions, which featured a bronze medal showing from senior Kimisha Chambers in the 400-meter hurdles. After clocking in with the best preliminary time from Saturday's race – 57.87 seconds – Chambers found success in the last turn of her event to place third on Sunday at 58.60 seconds.
While Chambers got things rolling for the Wildcats on the track, junior Chantoba Bright cemented that notion with a career-best outing in the field, where the Wismar, Linden, Guyana, product leapt in the sand at 13.29m/43-7.25 and recorded one of many fourth-place finishes on the day. Her jump put her in a tie for sixth all-time in school history for the outdoor season.
Finishing just behind Bright in the triple jump was freshman All-American Rhianna Phipps – who posted an impressive mark of 12.97m/42-6.75, which earned her a spot in eighth.
Another junior – Kassidy Johnson – took the 1,500 meters in stride, resulting in another spot at fourth place.
Johnson also ran in the women's 5,000 meters, alongside teammates Jaybe Shufelberger and Hannah Stewart, and the results were nothing but stellar. Racing among the Big 12's best distance runners, all three collected top-10 finishes in the event, with Shufelberger pacing herself into sixth place at 16:43.71 – a new personal best.
Just before the women's 5,000 meters took place, senior Wurrie Njadoe completed her second race of the day – the 200 meters – and she did not disappoint. Njadoe was explosive off the start line in the half-lap event, helping her register a spot at seventh overall with a sprint of 23.52.
It was a similar result for the Shoreline, Washington, native in the 100 meters, where Njadoe posted a time of 11.49 seconds to take sixth place in the race.
For the men's triple jump, senior Jah Strange's mark of 16.21m/53-2.25 in the triple jump ended up being the highest result of Sunday's slate for either of the men's and women's team, as the Indio, California posted a runner-up finish to TCU's Chengetayi Mapaya, who recorded a meet-record jump of 17.01m/55-9.75 on his first attempt.
"Given the circumstances, I'm happy," said Strange. "I have only been a Cat for a year, but I have gained a lot of pride being a Wildcat. It meant a lot to come out here and represent this program to the best of my ability."
Junior Tejaswin Shankar found a new horizon in the triple jump, which resulted in a personal-best leap of 16.00m/52-6 to go along with Strange's performance. After clinching his second-straight outdoor title in the men's high jump on day two, Shankar used that momentum in today's triple jump for a spot in fourth place.
"I think I had a decent mark in the triple jump," Shankar stated. "At the end, it was really great competition."
Both discus events took place in rainy conditions on Sunday, but K-State came away with top-five performances in both events, with senior Colin Echols launching a personal-best mark of 53.90m/176-10 on the men's field, while senior Ashley Petr grabbed the fifth overall spot at 50.93m/167-1 in the women's event.
Freshman Tim Lambert Jr., broke his personal best in the 400-meter hurdles finals for the second-consecutive day, clocking a time of 51.98 seconds, which was good for sixth place.
The trio of Kerby Depenbusch (11th, 14;13.90), Hadley Splechter (12th, 14:16.73) and David Lutgen (15th, 14:31.19) paced themselves to top-15 performances in the men's 5,000 meters.
Representing K-State in the men's 110-meter hurdles was freshman Donovan Turner, who earned a seventh-place finish with a sprint of 14.36 seconds.
In addition to the sweep of the conference titles by Texas, the two individuals were honored their personal accomplishments, as Iowa State's Wesley Kiptoo and Texas' Kynnedy Flannel earned the High Point Awards.
Kiptoo claimed the Men's High Point award with an astounding 30 points, which is the most in Big 12 Outdoor Championship history. He won titles in three events - the 5,000 and 10,000 meters as well as the 3,000-meter steeplechase. Flannel posted 22.5 points to score the Women's High Point award on day three, as she won the event titles in the 100 and 200 meters.
As conference season comes to a close, the Wildcats will now turn their attention to the NCAA West Preliminaries, which will be located in College Station, Texas 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.
The K-State women's team totaled 114 points to finish in second place behind champion Texas, which set a new meet record with 207 points. The Wildcats have now placed among the top-3 at the conference's outdoor meet in five consecutive seasons, including championships in 2017 and 2018.
K-State held off Texas Tech in the final event of the day – the men's 4x400-meter relay – to clinch a fourth-place finish with 88 points for the second consecutive time at the outdoor championships. Texas finished off the clean sweep of the outdoor titles with 173 points ahead of second-place Iowa State (144) and third-place Oklahoma (105). The Wildcats have finished third place or better at each of the last 3 outdoor championships.
All 💜 to the finish
— K-State Track (@KStateTFXC) May 16, 2021
Women - 2nd (114 pts)
Men - 4th (88 pts) #KStateTF x #Big12TF pic.twitter.com/IUMIAINVeP
"It was nice to have this opportunity at home. There were so many parts of our athletic department who contributed to this event. We are very appreciative of all that they did to make this possible."
With the adjusted schedule to Sunday's finale due to inclement weather, K-State had to work its way through multiple downpours at different points during the final leg of the conference outdoor meet.
However, the K-State women thrived in the tough conditions, which featured a bronze medal showing from senior Kimisha Chambers in the 400-meter hurdles. After clocking in with the best preliminary time from Saturday's race – 57.87 seconds – Chambers found success in the last turn of her event to place third on Sunday at 58.60 seconds.
Pure speed. #KStateTF x #Big12TF pic.twitter.com/eLt3JYUzNQ
— K-State Track (@KStateTFXC) May 16, 2021
Shining in the rain 🌦#KStateTF x #Big12TF pic.twitter.com/vEbx0EBDxT
— K-State Track (@KStateTFXC) May 16, 2021
Another junior – Kassidy Johnson – took the 1,500 meters in stride, resulting in another spot at fourth place.
Johnson also ran in the women's 5,000 meters, alongside teammates Jaybe Shufelberger and Hannah Stewart, and the results were nothing but stellar. Racing among the Big 12's best distance runners, all three collected top-10 finishes in the event, with Shufelberger pacing herself into sixth place at 16:43.71 – a new personal best.
Just before the women's 5,000 meters took place, senior Wurrie Njadoe completed her second race of the day – the 200 meters – and she did not disappoint. Njadoe was explosive off the start line in the half-lap event, helping her register a spot at seventh overall with a sprint of 23.52.
It was a similar result for the Shoreline, Washington, native in the 100 meters, where Njadoe posted a time of 11.49 seconds to take sixth place in the race.
For the men's triple jump, senior Jah Strange's mark of 16.21m/53-2.25 in the triple jump ended up being the highest result of Sunday's slate for either of the men's and women's team, as the Indio, California posted a runner-up finish to TCU's Chengetayi Mapaya, who recorded a meet-record jump of 17.01m/55-9.75 on his first attempt.
"Given the circumstances, I'm happy," said Strange. "I have only been a Cat for a year, but I have gained a lot of pride being a Wildcat. It meant a lot to come out here and represent this program to the best of my ability."
Building castles the sand 🏰 #KStateTF x #Big12TF pic.twitter.com/vCSid238w5
— K-State Track (@KStateTFXC) May 16, 2021
"I think I had a decent mark in the triple jump," Shankar stated. "At the end, it was really great competition."
Both discus events took place in rainy conditions on Sunday, but K-State came away with top-five performances in both events, with senior Colin Echols launching a personal-best mark of 53.90m/176-10 on the men's field, while senior Ashley Petr grabbed the fifth overall spot at 50.93m/167-1 in the women's event.
Freshman Tim Lambert Jr., broke his personal best in the 400-meter hurdles finals for the second-consecutive day, clocking a time of 51.98 seconds, which was good for sixth place.
The trio of Kerby Depenbusch (11th, 14;13.90), Hadley Splechter (12th, 14:16.73) and David Lutgen (15th, 14:31.19) paced themselves to top-15 performances in the men's 5,000 meters.
Representing K-State in the men's 110-meter hurdles was freshman Donovan Turner, who earned a seventh-place finish with a sprint of 14.36 seconds.
In addition to the sweep of the conference titles by Texas, the two individuals were honored their personal accomplishments, as Iowa State's Wesley Kiptoo and Texas' Kynnedy Flannel earned the High Point Awards.
Kiptoo claimed the Men's High Point award with an astounding 30 points, which is the most in Big 12 Outdoor Championship history. He won titles in three events - the 5,000 and 10,000 meters as well as the 3,000-meter steeplechase. Flannel posted 22.5 points to score the Women's High Point award on day three, as she won the event titles in the 100 and 200 meters.
As conference season comes to a close, the Wildcats will now turn their attention to the NCAA West Preliminaries, which will be located in College Station, Texas 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.
Players Mentioned
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