SE: Control the Moment – K-State Track & Field Ready for NCAA Regionals
May 26, 2021 | Track & Field, Sports Extra
By: Austin Siegel
Somewhere between the rain drops on the final day of the Big 12 Outdoor Track & Field Championship, Jah Strange started to cramp up. For a jumper, this is very, very bad.
K-State assistant coach Vincent Johnson remembers watching the senior battle the conditions and the discomfort earlier this month. Two weeks later, he's still impressed by something else.
"Jah needed to run the last leg of the 4x400m, but the triple jump is his event," Johnson said. "I was impressed that he had the mental fortitude to forgo his last attempt in the triple jump, even as he was cramping and didn't know what might happen, run over and get ready to run."
If there's a common thread between every member of K-State Track & Field this season, from the throwers to the sprinters to the jumpers, it's been a willingness to adjust to every change and every challenge.
27 K-State athletes will compete in the 2021 NCAA West Regional in College Station, Texas this week for a spot at the 2021 NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championship later this spring.
The trick, if you ask Johnson, is to not let the destination distract from the moment that's in front of the Wildcats this weekend.
You might have heard something like that around Manhattan before.
"As Coach Klieman would say, we're just trying to win the dang day," Johnson said. "If you can control each moment, then you're going to have more moments ahead of you. But if you're thinking too far ahead, you can miss what's right in front of you."
Johnson is the sprints and jumps coach with K-State Track & Field and the right man to ask about some of the busiest Wildcats at Texas A&M this week.
No one will have a schedule quite like Wurrie Njadoe, who will feature in the 100m, 200m and long jump.
"Anything else is a bonus at this point," she said. "I'm proud of myself for making it this far after what I had to go through."
The senior, who arrived at K-State from Washington by way of The Gambia, has battled injuries throughout her college career. This season, finally competing without anything to slow her down, Njadoe is focused on making sure she's ready for whatever the week has in store.
"Since the moment we started the indoor season, my routine has been about staying healthy," she said. "Even if it's a tough workout, I'm going to make sure I drink as much water as I have to and go to the trainers so often that they're going to be annoyed seeing my face."
In College Station, Njadoe won't be the only Wildcat looking to compete in more than one event, as Kimisha Chambers, Chantoba Bright and Jullane Walker are among the runners and jumpers doubling up at Regionals.
In a difficult season, Johnson said one of the most rewarding things as a coach has been witnessing the support all of these athletes extend to each other.
"I'm always encouraged watching them pull for each other and help each other," he said. "That concept of a team is very important to me, and I think it helps. I can only say so much or do so much, but when their peers are standing in the same line of fire and still encouraging them, it helps give them that edge."
With so many athletes pulling double duty in Texas, expect the Wildcats to be well represented throughout the meet. Plenty of events will see multiple K-State athletes compete, including two events coached by Johnson, the women's long jump and women's triple jump.
In the triple jump, Bright, Rhianna Phipps and represent the Wildcats. All three K-State athletes - Bright from Guyana, Phipps from Jamaica and Romaiou from Greece - came to the sport with different levels of skill and experience.
What's been rewarding for Johnson is how different approaches to training have yielded success for each one of his athletes. There's consistency in their flexibility.
And that just might be the story of the week for K-State Track & Field.
"I really enjoy the challenge of finding out what makes each one of them tick," Johnson said. "They're going to have an opportunity to continue to improve and I think this meet should be a good indication of what the future holds."
Somewhere between the rain drops on the final day of the Big 12 Outdoor Track & Field Championship, Jah Strange started to cramp up. For a jumper, this is very, very bad.
K-State assistant coach Vincent Johnson remembers watching the senior battle the conditions and the discomfort earlier this month. Two weeks later, he's still impressed by something else.
"Jah needed to run the last leg of the 4x400m, but the triple jump is his event," Johnson said. "I was impressed that he had the mental fortitude to forgo his last attempt in the triple jump, even as he was cramping and didn't know what might happen, run over and get ready to run."
If there's a common thread between every member of K-State Track & Field this season, from the throwers to the sprinters to the jumpers, it's been a willingness to adjust to every change and every challenge.
27 K-State athletes will compete in the 2021 NCAA West Regional in College Station, Texas this week for a spot at the 2021 NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championship later this spring.
PREVIEW | K-State Advances 27 Individuals, 1 Relay Team to NCAA West Regional
— K-State Track (@KStateTFXC) May 26, 2021
"The quality of marks is in many events the highest it has ever been. We will have to perform at our best to move on." --Head coach Cliff Rovelto#KStateTF
📰https://t.co/WAnUnFP0WI pic.twitter.com/SnM65llySr
The trick, if you ask Johnson, is to not let the destination distract from the moment that's in front of the Wildcats this weekend.
You might have heard something like that around Manhattan before.
"As Coach Klieman would say, we're just trying to win the dang day," Johnson said. "If you can control each moment, then you're going to have more moments ahead of you. But if you're thinking too far ahead, you can miss what's right in front of you."
Johnson is the sprints and jumps coach with K-State Track & Field and the right man to ask about some of the busiest Wildcats at Texas A&M this week.
No one will have a schedule quite like Wurrie Njadoe, who will feature in the 100m, 200m and long jump.
"Anything else is a bonus at this point," she said. "I'm proud of myself for making it this far after what I had to go through."
The senior, who arrived at K-State from Washington by way of The Gambia, has battled injuries throughout her college career. This season, finally competing without anything to slow her down, Njadoe is focused on making sure she's ready for whatever the week has in store.
"Since the moment we started the indoor season, my routine has been about staying healthy," she said. "Even if it's a tough workout, I'm going to make sure I drink as much water as I have to and go to the trainers so often that they're going to be annoyed seeing my face."
In College Station, Njadoe won't be the only Wildcat looking to compete in more than one event, as Kimisha Chambers, Chantoba Bright and Jullane Walker are among the runners and jumpers doubling up at Regionals.
In a difficult season, Johnson said one of the most rewarding things as a coach has been witnessing the support all of these athletes extend to each other.
Rise to the occasion #KStateTF x #Big12TF pic.twitter.com/tnqB6RkBkP
— K-State Track (@KStateTFXC) May 17, 2021
"I'm always encouraged watching them pull for each other and help each other," he said. "That concept of a team is very important to me, and I think it helps. I can only say so much or do so much, but when their peers are standing in the same line of fire and still encouraging them, it helps give them that edge."
With so many athletes pulling double duty in Texas, expect the Wildcats to be well represented throughout the meet. Plenty of events will see multiple K-State athletes compete, including two events coached by Johnson, the women's long jump and women's triple jump.
In the triple jump, Bright, Rhianna Phipps and represent the Wildcats. All three K-State athletes - Bright from Guyana, Phipps from Jamaica and Romaiou from Greece - came to the sport with different levels of skill and experience.
What's been rewarding for Johnson is how different approaches to training have yielded success for each one of his athletes. There's consistency in their flexibility.
And that just might be the story of the week for K-State Track & Field.
"I really enjoy the challenge of finding out what makes each one of them tick," Johnson said. "They're going to have an opportunity to continue to improve and I think this meet should be a good indication of what the future holds."
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