Kansas State University Athletics
Saturday, May 29
College Station, Texas
Kansas State University
vs
NCAA West Preliminary (Day 4)
Njadoe Ties School Record; 4 More Advance on Final Day of West Regional
May 29, 2021 | Track & Field
Njadoe ties school record in the 100 meters and qualifies for nationals
COLLEGE STATION, Texas – Junior Wurrie Njadoe tied the school record in the women's 100 meters en route to qualifying for the NCAA Championships, joining teammates Kimisha Chambers (women's 400-meter hurdles), Rhianna Phipps (women's triple jump) and Ashley Petr (women's discus) who also advanced on Saturday, as the Kansas State track and field teams concluded action at the NCAA West Regional at E.B. Cushing Stadium.
Njadoe, who competed in three events – 100 and 200 meters and long jump – at the West Regional, tied the school record originally set by A'Keyla Mitchell in 2015 with a time of 11.40 (+1.3) to place fifth in Heat 3 and 11th overall and secure one of the 12 qualifying spots to advance to her second NCAA Championships and her first in the 100 meters. She qualifies for the national meet for the first time since 2017 when she earned First Team All-America honors in the long jump with a mark of 6.36m/20-10.50.
It is a remarkable recovery for the native of The Gambia, who missed the entire 2018-19 season due to injury before having the 2020 outdoor season cancelled due to COVID-19.
Petr advanced to her second NCAA Championship with a ninth-place finish in the women's discus with a throw of 56.13m/184-2, while Chambers and Phipps each qualified for the first time in their careers. Phipps grabbed the last qualifying spot in the triple jump, narrowly edging teammate Chantoba Bright, with a personal-best leap of 13.20m/43-3 ¾ on her final attempt. Bright finished in 13th with a mark half of a foot short of Phipps at 13.19m/43-3 ¼. Chambers recovered from a fall in the 100-meter hurdles to post a sixth-place finish in the 400-meter hurdles with a time of 57.72 to earn her first bid to the national meet.
The performances highlighted the final day at the NCAA West Regional, as 12 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 advanced to the national meet.
"Overall, the team did a nice job," said Director of Track and Field and Cross Country Cliff Rovelto. "We have a significant group of qualifiers moving on to Eugene. Unfortunately, we also had some close misses. I feel for those athletes as they have contributed so much to our program."
The four qualifiers on Saturday afternoon joined the seven other Wildcats who advanced to the NCAA Championships in their respective events over the previous three days at the West Regional. Counting seniors Ariel Okorie and Lauren Taubert, who qualified in the heptathlon after posting scores in the top-24 nationally, K-State will send 13 athletes to historic Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon from Wednesday-Saturday, June 9-12.
With Petr's finish in the discus, seven Wildcats will make a return trip to the NCAA Championships after participating in the last NCAA meet in 2019, including senior Helene Ingvaldsen (women's hammer), junior Taylor Latimer (women's shot put), Okorie (heptathlon), junior Tejaswin Shanker (men's high jump), Taubert (heptathlon) and senior Jullane Walker (men's long jump).
The eight returners from 2019 will be joined at nationals by first-time qualifiers Chambers, Phipps, Taishia Pryce (women's long jump), Shaelyn Ward (women's hammer) and Logan Wolfley (men's javelin), while Njadoe will be advancing for the second time overall and the first time in the 100 meters.
In addition to those moving onto the national meet, several other Wildcat athletes performed well but missed on the opportunity to advance, including Bright and senior Konstantina Romaiou in the women's triple jump, sophomore Vitoria Alves in the women's 100-meter hurdles, senior Travis Hodge in the men's 800 meters and members of the men's 4x400-meter relay team.
Romaiou was one of three Wildcats in the triple jump, finishing behind Phipps and Bright with a leap of 12.58m/41-3 ¼ to finish 30th out of 46 competitors. She twice advanced to the NCAA Championships in the event in both 2017 and 2018 and was the 2019 Big 12 runner-up.
Alves was leading in her heat of the 100-meter hurdles, but like Chambers, she tripped on one of the hurdles and was unable to finish the race. She enjoyed an impressive first season at K-State, as she finished fifth in the event at the Big 12 Championships and posted the third-best time (13.14) in school history in the preliminaries.
The men's 4x400-meter relay team of Sean Wilson, Justin Davis, Tim Lambert, Jr., Jah Strange wrapped up their season with a time of 3:07.76 to finish 17th out of 23 teams. The quartet had a solid season together, finishing sixth at the Big 12 Championships with a time of 3:07.33.
Hodge did not qualify for nationals in the 800, finishing eighth in Heat 1 and 24th overall with a time of 1:53.05. The DeSoto, Kansas native, who competed for the Wildcats in both cross country and track and field, earned the final qualifying spot in the 800 on May 26 with a time of 1:51.11.
The 13 qualified K-State athletes will now turn their attention to the final collegiate competition of the season with the NCAA Outdoor Championships set for Wednesday-Saturday, June 9-12 at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon.
Saturday's Results
Men's 800 meters
24. Travis Hodge – 1:53.05
Women's Discus
9. Ashley Petr – 56.13m/184-2
Men's 4x400-meter Relay
17. Sean Wilson, Justin Davis, Tim Lambert, Jr., Jah Strange – 3:07.76
Women's Triple Jump
12. Rhianna Phipps – 13.20m/43-3 ¾
13. Chantoba Bright – 13.19m/43-3 ¼
28. Konstantina Romaiou – 12.58m/41-3 ¼
Women's 100-meter Hurdles
Vitoria Alves - DNF
Kimisha Chambers - DNF
Women's 100 meters
11. Wurrie Njadoe – 11.40 (+1.3) tied school record
Women's 400-meter Hurdles
6. Kimisha Chambers – 57.72
Njadoe, who competed in three events – 100 and 200 meters and long jump – at the West Regional, tied the school record originally set by A'Keyla Mitchell in 2015 with a time of 11.40 (+1.3) to place fifth in Heat 3 and 11th overall and secure one of the 12 qualifying spots to advance to her second NCAA Championships and her first in the 100 meters. She qualifies for the national meet for the first time since 2017 when she earned First Team All-America honors in the long jump with a mark of 6.36m/20-10.50.
It is a remarkable recovery for the native of The Gambia, who missed the entire 2018-19 season due to injury before having the 2020 outdoor season cancelled due to COVID-19.
Petr advanced to her second NCAA Championship with a ninth-place finish in the women's discus with a throw of 56.13m/184-2, while Chambers and Phipps each qualified for the first time in their careers. Phipps grabbed the last qualifying spot in the triple jump, narrowly edging teammate Chantoba Bright, with a personal-best leap of 13.20m/43-3 ¾ on her final attempt. Bright finished in 13th with a mark half of a foot short of Phipps at 13.19m/43-3 ¼. Chambers recovered from a fall in the 100-meter hurdles to post a sixth-place finish in the 400-meter hurdles with a time of 57.72 to earn her first bid to the national meet.
The performances highlighted the final day at the NCAA West Regional, as 12 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 advanced to the national meet.
"Overall, the team did a nice job," said Director of Track and Field and Cross Country Cliff Rovelto. "We have a significant group of qualifiers moving on to Eugene. Unfortunately, we also had some close misses. I feel for those athletes as they have contributed so much to our program."
The four qualifiers on Saturday afternoon joined the seven other Wildcats who advanced to the NCAA Championships in their respective events over the previous three days at the West Regional. Counting seniors Ariel Okorie and Lauren Taubert, who qualified in the heptathlon after posting scores in the top-24 nationally, K-State will send 13 athletes to historic Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon from Wednesday-Saturday, June 9-12.
With Petr's finish in the discus, seven Wildcats will make a return trip to the NCAA Championships after participating in the last NCAA meet in 2019, including senior Helene Ingvaldsen (women's hammer), junior Taylor Latimer (women's shot put), Okorie (heptathlon), junior Tejaswin Shanker (men's high jump), Taubert (heptathlon) and senior Jullane Walker (men's long jump).
The eight returners from 2019 will be joined at nationals by first-time qualifiers Chambers, Phipps, Taishia Pryce (women's long jump), Shaelyn Ward (women's hammer) and Logan Wolfley (men's javelin), while Njadoe will be advancing for the second time overall and the first time in the 100 meters.
In addition to those moving onto the national meet, several other Wildcat athletes performed well but missed on the opportunity to advance, including Bright and senior Konstantina Romaiou in the women's triple jump, sophomore Vitoria Alves in the women's 100-meter hurdles, senior Travis Hodge in the men's 800 meters and members of the men's 4x400-meter relay team.
Romaiou was one of three Wildcats in the triple jump, finishing behind Phipps and Bright with a leap of 12.58m/41-3 ¼ to finish 30th out of 46 competitors. She twice advanced to the NCAA Championships in the event in both 2017 and 2018 and was the 2019 Big 12 runner-up.
Alves was leading in her heat of the 100-meter hurdles, but like Chambers, she tripped on one of the hurdles and was unable to finish the race. She enjoyed an impressive first season at K-State, as she finished fifth in the event at the Big 12 Championships and posted the third-best time (13.14) in school history in the preliminaries.
The men's 4x400-meter relay team of Sean Wilson, Justin Davis, Tim Lambert, Jr., Jah Strange wrapped up their season with a time of 3:07.76 to finish 17th out of 23 teams. The quartet had a solid season together, finishing sixth at the Big 12 Championships with a time of 3:07.33.
Hodge did not qualify for nationals in the 800, finishing eighth in Heat 1 and 24th overall with a time of 1:53.05. The DeSoto, Kansas native, who competed for the Wildcats in both cross country and track and field, earned the final qualifying spot in the 800 on May 26 with a time of 1:51.11.
The 13 qualified K-State athletes will now turn their attention to the final collegiate competition of the season with the NCAA Outdoor Championships set for Wednesday-Saturday, June 9-12 at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon.
Saturday's Results
Men's 800 meters
24. Travis Hodge – 1:53.05
Women's Discus
9. Ashley Petr – 56.13m/184-2
Men's 4x400-meter Relay
17. Sean Wilson, Justin Davis, Tim Lambert, Jr., Jah Strange – 3:07.76
Women's Triple Jump
12. Rhianna Phipps – 13.20m/43-3 ¾
13. Chantoba Bright – 13.19m/43-3 ¼
28. Konstantina Romaiou – 12.58m/41-3 ¼
Women's 100-meter Hurdles
Vitoria Alves - DNF
Kimisha Chambers - DNF
Women's 100 meters
11. Wurrie Njadoe – 11.40 (+1.3) tied school record
Women's 400-meter Hurdles
6. Kimisha Chambers – 57.72
👟 Kimisha's Run to Eugene 👟#KStateTF x #NCAATF pic.twitter.com/1aiL5cB8Ds
— K-State Track (@KStateTFXC) May 30, 2021
👟 Wurrie's Run to Eugene 👟#KStateTF x #NCAATF pic.twitter.com/H0s5G3MthH
— K-State Track (@KStateTFXC) May 29, 2021
🎟 TICKET PUNCHED 🎟
— K-State Track (@KStateTFXC) May 29, 2021
Ashley Petr stepped into the circle and launched a throw of 56.13m (184-2 ft) en route to a 9th place finish in the Women's Discus and a trip to the 2021 #NCAATF Outdoor Championships! #KStateTF x @petr_ashley pic.twitter.com/OWdkZvYNzO
🎟 TICKET PUNCHED 🎟
— K-State Track (@KStateTFXC) May 29, 2021
Rhianna Phipps saved her best for last and jumped a personal best mark of 13.20m (43-3.75 ft) to qualify in 12th place in the Women's Triple Jump and secure a trip to the 2021 #NCAATF Outdoor Championships! #KStateTF pic.twitter.com/JEW2XxaFGo
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
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