Kansas State University Athletics
Friday, May 28
College Station, Texas
Kansas State University
vs
NCAA West Preliminary (Day 3)
Three More Wildcats Qualify for Nationals at West Regional
May 28, 2021 | Track & Field
T.J. Shankar, Helene Ingvaldsen and Shaelyn Ward all advanced to nationals
COLLEGE STATION, Texas – Junior high jumper Tejaswin Shankar, along with hammer throwers Helene Ingvaldsen and Shaelyn Ward, became the latest Wildcats to qualify for the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships with solid performances on Friday (May 28) at the NCAA West Regional at E.B. Cushing Stadium.
Ingvaldsen advanced to the NCAA Championships for the fourth time in career, where she has twice earned All-America honors, including First Team distinction with a seventh-place finish in 2018. Shankar, the 2018 NCAA Outdoor National Champion, will be making his third straight appearance at the national meet, where he has earned First Team All-America accolades twice, including a runner-up finish in 2019. Ward punched her ticket to outdoor championships for the first time in her career.
It marks the fourth time that K-State has advanced more than one hammer thrower in the last five national meets and the first time since 2018 (Ingvaldsen and Janee' Kassanavoid). A Wildcat high jumper has now made the NCAA Championships in 18 consecutive seasons (2003-present) with five combining to earn 16 All-America honors.
The performances highlighted day three for the Wildcats at the NCAA West Regional, as nine athletes continued their pursuits of spots at the NCAA Championships, which will run Wednesday-Saturday, June 9-12 at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon. The top 12 competitors from each event will advance to the national meet.
Due to inclement weather, most of the Friday night's running events, including senior Travis Hodge in the quarterfinals of the men's 800 meters and the men's 4x400-meter relay team of Sean Wilson, Justin Davis, Tim Lambert and Jah Strange, were postponed until Saturday at a time to be determined.
"We do not know anything about tomorrow's schedule yet," said Director of Track and Field and Cross Country Cliff Rovelto. "We assume the men will finish in the morning and the women after. Weather could still be an issue tomorrow. Shae (Ward) ended up 12th and qualifying, we just had a long wait before it became official. T.J. (Shankar) did what needed to be done. We had a couple of close misses today as well."
In addition to Ingvaldsen, Shankar and Ward, two other Wildcat athletes had quality performances but narrowly missed an opportunity to advance to nationals. Seniors Cameron Lewis (men's discus) and Jah Strange (men's triple jump) each missed the top-12 by only a few spots to conclude their athletic careers.
"Cam (Lewis) and Jah (Strange) have been great seniors for us," said Rovelto. "They will be difficult to replace as they contribute far more than just points."
The trio of qualifiers on Friday afternoon joined seniors Logan Wolfley and Jullane Walker, who qualified for the NCAA Championships in the men's javelin and men's long jump, respectively, on the first day of the West Regional on Wednesday, and junior Taylor Latimer and senior Taishia Pryce, who qualified in the women's shot put and long jump, respectively, on day two on Thursday.
Wolfley posted an event-best mark of 72.40m/237-6 in the javelin to earn his first trip to the NCAA Championships, while Walker grabbed one of the qualifying marks in the long jump with a leap of 7.72m/25-4 on his second attempt to finish in ninth place and advance to nationals for the second consecutive meet. Latimer will make back-to-back trips to the outdoor championships in the shot put after finishing fourth with a toss of 17.40m/57-1 on her second attempt. Pryce advances to her first outdoor nationals in the long jump and will attempt to match or better her effort from the indoor season after earning First Team All-America honors on March 12.
Through three days, nine Wildcats have earned berths to the national meet, which includes seniors Ariel Okorie and Lauren Taubert, who have already qualified in the heptathlon after posting scores in the top-24 nationally.
Due to a protest, the women's hammer competition took nearly a day to complete after starting on Thursday afternoon and concluding on Friday morning. However, despite another flight of throws from 16 athletes, Ingvaldsen and Ward were able to hold on to their top-12 positions and qualify for the NCAA Championships.
Ingvaldsen finished in seventh-place with a throw of 64.64m/212-1, which she accomplished on her second attempt. She tossed 63.30m/207-8 on her first attempt. Ward grabbed the last qualifying spot with a mark of 61.52m/201-10 on her second attempt. Ingvaldsen and Ward were able to finish ahead of Big 12 champion Lauren Jones of Oklahoma, who finished in 15th place, after finishing second and third, respectively.
The third member of the Wildcat contingent in the women's hammer – senior Ashley Petr – was scheduled to be involved in the additional flight on Friday morning but opted not to participate to concentrate on the women's discus, which she will compete in on Saturday afternoon at 1:30 p.m., CT.
Shankar was among a trio of Wildcats, along with junior Kyle Alcine and freshman Devon Richardson, in the high jump. Shankar easily qualified for nationals by clearing the first three heights (2.01m/2.06m/2.11m), all on his first attempt. He made 2.16m/7-1 on his second attempt before clearing his final height of 2.19m/7-2 ¼ on his first attempt. Eleven of the top-12 qualifiers cleared 2.19m/7-2 ¼ with Shankar tying for second place, along with USC's Earnie Sears and Oklahoma's Vernon Turner, due to his only miss.
Alcine placed in a tie for 19th by clearing a height of 2.11m/6-11 on his second attempt. He missed all 3 attempts at 2.16m/7-1. Richardson, who was making his first West Regional appearance, finished in a tie for 31st after clearing a height of 2.06m/6-9 on his second attempt. He missed all 3 attempts at 2.11m/6-11.
Lewis missed qualifying for the NCAA Championships by less than 2 feet in the discus, as his best throw of 55.77m/182-11 placed him 15th out of 47 competitors, just three spots out of the top-12. He achieved the mark on his first attempt before fouling on his second and not improving on his final toss (54.95/180-3).
Strange, who competed in just one season after transferring from Purdue, finished two spots shy of the top-12 in the triple jump. After fouling to start off the competition, he gradually improved in each attempt, going from 15.15m/49-8 ½ on his second attempt to his best leap of 15.95m/52-4 on his final attempt. He missed qualifying by a mere foot, as Texas Tech's Jalen Seals grabbed the last spot with a mark of 15.97m/52-4 ¾.
The final day of the West Regional on Saturday begins at 1:30 p.m., CT with Petr competing in the women's discus. Other Wildcats vying for a spot at the national meet include sophomores Chantoba Bright and Rhianna Phipps and senior Konstantina Romaiou in the women's triple jump at 3:15 p.m. CT, junior Vitoria Alves and senior Kimisha Chambers in the women's 100-meter hurdles at 6:45 p.m., CT, senior Wurrie Njadoe in the women's 100 meters at 7:05 p.m., CT and Chambers in the 400-meter hurdles at 7:55 p.m., CT.
Friday's Results
Women's Hammer
7. Helene Ingvaldsen – 64.64m/212-1
12. Shaelyn Ward – 61.52m/201-10
Ashley Petr – DNS
Men's High Jump
2. Tejaswin Shankar – 2.19m/7-2 ¼
19. Kyle Alcine – 2.11m/6-11
31. Devon Richardson – 2.06m/6-9
Men's Discus
15. Cameron Lewis – 55.77m/182-11
Men's Triple Jump
14. Jah Strange – 15.95m/52-4
Men's 800 meters
Travis Hodge – delayed until Saturday
Men's 4x400-meter Relay
Sean Wilson, Justin Davis, Tim Lambert, Jr., Jah Strange – delayed until Saturday
Saturday's Schedule of Events
1:30 pm – Ashley Petr, Women's Discus
3:15 pm – Chantoba Bright, Rhianna Phipps, Konstantina Romaiou, Women's Triple Jump
6:45 pm – Vitoria Alves and Kimisha Chambers, Women's 100-meter Hurdles
7:05 pm – Wurrie Njadoe, Women's 100 meters
7:55 pm – Kimisha Chambers, Women's 400-meter Hurdles
Men's 800 meters (Travis Hodge) and men's 4x400-meter relay (TBD on Saturday)
Ingvaldsen advanced to the NCAA Championships for the fourth time in career, where she has twice earned All-America honors, including First Team distinction with a seventh-place finish in 2018. Shankar, the 2018 NCAA Outdoor National Champion, will be making his third straight appearance at the national meet, where he has earned First Team All-America accolades twice, including a runner-up finish in 2019. Ward punched her ticket to outdoor championships for the first time in her career.
It marks the fourth time that K-State has advanced more than one hammer thrower in the last five national meets and the first time since 2018 (Ingvaldsen and Janee' Kassanavoid). A Wildcat high jumper has now made the NCAA Championships in 18 consecutive seasons (2003-present) with five combining to earn 16 All-America honors.
The performances highlighted day three for the Wildcats at the NCAA West Regional, as nine athletes continued their pursuits of spots at the NCAA Championships, which will run Wednesday-Saturday, June 9-12 at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon. The top 12 competitors from each event will advance to the national meet.
Due to inclement weather, most of the Friday night's running events, including senior Travis Hodge in the quarterfinals of the men's 800 meters and the men's 4x400-meter relay team of Sean Wilson, Justin Davis, Tim Lambert and Jah Strange, were postponed until Saturday at a time to be determined.
"We do not know anything about tomorrow's schedule yet," said Director of Track and Field and Cross Country Cliff Rovelto. "We assume the men will finish in the morning and the women after. Weather could still be an issue tomorrow. Shae (Ward) ended up 12th and qualifying, we just had a long wait before it became official. T.J. (Shankar) did what needed to be done. We had a couple of close misses today as well."
In addition to Ingvaldsen, Shankar and Ward, two other Wildcat athletes had quality performances but narrowly missed an opportunity to advance to nationals. Seniors Cameron Lewis (men's discus) and Jah Strange (men's triple jump) each missed the top-12 by only a few spots to conclude their athletic careers.
"Cam (Lewis) and Jah (Strange) have been great seniors for us," said Rovelto. "They will be difficult to replace as they contribute far more than just points."
The trio of qualifiers on Friday afternoon joined seniors Logan Wolfley and Jullane Walker, who qualified for the NCAA Championships in the men's javelin and men's long jump, respectively, on the first day of the West Regional on Wednesday, and junior Taylor Latimer and senior Taishia Pryce, who qualified in the women's shot put and long jump, respectively, on day two on Thursday.
Wolfley posted an event-best mark of 72.40m/237-6 in the javelin to earn his first trip to the NCAA Championships, while Walker grabbed one of the qualifying marks in the long jump with a leap of 7.72m/25-4 on his second attempt to finish in ninth place and advance to nationals for the second consecutive meet. Latimer will make back-to-back trips to the outdoor championships in the shot put after finishing fourth with a toss of 17.40m/57-1 on her second attempt. Pryce advances to her first outdoor nationals in the long jump and will attempt to match or better her effort from the indoor season after earning First Team All-America honors on March 12.
Through three days, nine Wildcats have earned berths to the national meet, which includes seniors Ariel Okorie and Lauren Taubert, who have already qualified in the heptathlon after posting scores in the top-24 nationally.
Due to a protest, the women's hammer competition took nearly a day to complete after starting on Thursday afternoon and concluding on Friday morning. However, despite another flight of throws from 16 athletes, Ingvaldsen and Ward were able to hold on to their top-12 positions and qualify for the NCAA Championships.
Ingvaldsen finished in seventh-place with a throw of 64.64m/212-1, which she accomplished on her second attempt. She tossed 63.30m/207-8 on her first attempt. Ward grabbed the last qualifying spot with a mark of 61.52m/201-10 on her second attempt. Ingvaldsen and Ward were able to finish ahead of Big 12 champion Lauren Jones of Oklahoma, who finished in 15th place, after finishing second and third, respectively.
The third member of the Wildcat contingent in the women's hammer – senior Ashley Petr – was scheduled to be involved in the additional flight on Friday morning but opted not to participate to concentrate on the women's discus, which she will compete in on Saturday afternoon at 1:30 p.m., CT.
Shankar was among a trio of Wildcats, along with junior Kyle Alcine and freshman Devon Richardson, in the high jump. Shankar easily qualified for nationals by clearing the first three heights (2.01m/2.06m/2.11m), all on his first attempt. He made 2.16m/7-1 on his second attempt before clearing his final height of 2.19m/7-2 ¼ on his first attempt. Eleven of the top-12 qualifiers cleared 2.19m/7-2 ¼ with Shankar tying for second place, along with USC's Earnie Sears and Oklahoma's Vernon Turner, due to his only miss.
Alcine placed in a tie for 19th by clearing a height of 2.11m/6-11 on his second attempt. He missed all 3 attempts at 2.16m/7-1. Richardson, who was making his first West Regional appearance, finished in a tie for 31st after clearing a height of 2.06m/6-9 on his second attempt. He missed all 3 attempts at 2.11m/6-11.
Lewis missed qualifying for the NCAA Championships by less than 2 feet in the discus, as his best throw of 55.77m/182-11 placed him 15th out of 47 competitors, just three spots out of the top-12. He achieved the mark on his first attempt before fouling on his second and not improving on his final toss (54.95/180-3).
Strange, who competed in just one season after transferring from Purdue, finished two spots shy of the top-12 in the triple jump. After fouling to start off the competition, he gradually improved in each attempt, going from 15.15m/49-8 ½ on his second attempt to his best leap of 15.95m/52-4 on his final attempt. He missed qualifying by a mere foot, as Texas Tech's Jalen Seals grabbed the last spot with a mark of 15.97m/52-4 ¾.
The final day of the West Regional on Saturday begins at 1:30 p.m., CT with Petr competing in the women's discus. Other Wildcats vying for a spot at the national meet include sophomores Chantoba Bright and Rhianna Phipps and senior Konstantina Romaiou in the women's triple jump at 3:15 p.m. CT, junior Vitoria Alves and senior Kimisha Chambers in the women's 100-meter hurdles at 6:45 p.m., CT, senior Wurrie Njadoe in the women's 100 meters at 7:05 p.m., CT and Chambers in the 400-meter hurdles at 7:55 p.m., CT.
Friday's Results
Women's Hammer
7. Helene Ingvaldsen – 64.64m/212-1
12. Shaelyn Ward – 61.52m/201-10
Ashley Petr – DNS
Men's High Jump
2. Tejaswin Shankar – 2.19m/7-2 ¼
19. Kyle Alcine – 2.11m/6-11
31. Devon Richardson – 2.06m/6-9
Men's Discus
15. Cameron Lewis – 55.77m/182-11
Men's Triple Jump
14. Jah Strange – 15.95m/52-4
Men's 800 meters
Travis Hodge – delayed until Saturday
Men's 4x400-meter Relay
Sean Wilson, Justin Davis, Tim Lambert, Jr., Jah Strange – delayed until Saturday
Saturday's Schedule of Events
1:30 pm – Ashley Petr, Women's Discus
3:15 pm – Chantoba Bright, Rhianna Phipps, Konstantina Romaiou, Women's Triple Jump
6:45 pm – Vitoria Alves and Kimisha Chambers, Women's 100-meter Hurdles
7:05 pm – Wurrie Njadoe, Women's 100 meters
7:55 pm – Kimisha Chambers, Women's 400-meter Hurdles
Men's 800 meters (Travis Hodge) and men's 4x400-meter relay (TBD on Saturday)
Cleared for takeoff
— K-State Track (@KStateTFXC) May 28, 2021
TJ ✈️ Eugene, OR #KStateTF x @TejaswinShankar pic.twitter.com/GslM30UZX1
🎟 TICKET PUNCHED 🎟@TejaswinShankar soared to 2.19m (7-2.25 ft) and a 2nd place finish in the Men's High Jump to book his flight to the 2021 NCAA Track & Field Outdoor Championships! #KStateTF x #NCAATF pic.twitter.com/HgoproJkT3
— K-State Track (@KStateTFXC) May 28, 2021
Double dose of the 'Cats
— K-State Track (@KStateTFXC) May 28, 2021
Helene & Shaelyn ✈️ Eugene, OR#KStateTF x #NCAATF pic.twitter.com/CvbH98xHgQ
🎟 TICKET PUNCHED 🎟
— K-State Track (@KStateTFXC) May 28, 2021
Helene Ingvaldsen spun her way to a toss of 64.64m (212-1 ft) and a 5th place finish in the Women's Hammer Throw to book a trip to the 2021 NCAA Track & Field Outdoor Championships! #KStateTF x #NCAATF pic.twitter.com/RYo22wXlbv
🎟 TICKET PUNCHED 🎟
— K-State Track (@KStateTFXC) May 28, 2021
Shaelyn Ward launched a toss of 61.52m (201-10 ft) to finish 12th in the Women's Hammer Throw and will now make her way to the 2021 #NCAATF Outdoor Championships! #KStateTF x @shaelyn_ward pic.twitter.com/1h6Fk8I3JT
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
/ Track & Field
/ Track & Field
/ Track & Field
/ Track & Field
/ Track & Field
/ Track & Field
/ Track & Field
/ Track & Field
K-State T&F | Broad Jump Competition
Tuesday, September 30
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