SE: How to Watch the Big 12 Outdoor Track & Field Championships
May 10, 2021 | Track & Field, Sports Extra
By: Austin Siegel
This weekend, Manhattan becomes one of the capitals of the track & field world.
When the Big 12 Outdoor Track & Field Championships begin on Friday, NCAA and Olympic hopefuls from across the conference will arrive in the Little Apple.
Coming just a few months before the Summer Olympics begin in Tokyo, the championships are also the first K-State athletic event in 14 months to welcome fans at full capacity. It's a big deal.
For all the excitement at the R.V. Christian Track Complex this weekend, the event can be tricky to follow, from the packed schedule to the tenths-of-a-second that can separate good from great.
That's where this preview comes in.
Whether you're planning to head to campus for the event or watch from home on ESPN+, here are a few questions asked and answered on what can you expect from the Big 12's best.
Q: What's the schedule like next weekend?
A: The Big 12 Championships are three days of non-stop track & field, beginning with the first leg of the decathlon at 11 a.m. on Friday morning and ending with the final of the men's 4x400 meter relay at 6:45 p.m. on Sunday.
In between are more than 59 different events on offer, including all the legs of the heptathlon, decathlon and the preliminary heats for the running events.
Think of it this way: You can show up at the R.V. Christian Track Complex at any point between Friday morning and Sunday night and see a Big 12 student-athlete doing something better than just about anyone else in the country.
Q: How do I know who's winning?
A: One of the key differences between the Big 12 Championships and say, the Olympic Trials, is that every student-athlete can score points for their school, even if they don't win an event.
Track and field scoring is actually pretty simple: you get 10 points for winning an event, 8 points for second and six points for third. Once you get past the medals, it's five points for fourth place, four points for fifth place and so on - all the way down to one point for eighth place.
But there's tremendous amount of drama in each event, since that's when individuals earn medals and are crowned Big 12 champions.
Q: We haven't even gotten to K-State yet - how are the 'Cats doing this year?
A: K-State Track & Field is a perfect example of what's awesome about the Big 12 Championships. The Wildcats have some of the top individuals in the conference and a women's team that could challenge Texas for a conference title this weekend.
On the men's side, start with Tejaswin Shankar. He was an Indoor All-American in 2021 after his third-straight Big 12 title in the high jump, coming in third at the NCAA Indoor Championships.
Manhattan will be a chance for Shankar to defend his Big 12 title, while preparing for the NCAA Championships in Oregon and edging closer to the Olympic qualifying mark.
On the women's side, the Wildcats have the No. 16 team in the country thanks to a pair of 2021 All-Americans and a group of super-seniors returning this spring after a lost season in 2020.
Taishia Pryce and Chantoba Bright lead the Wildcats returning from the indoor season, as Pryce looks to defend her Big 12 title in the long jump. Bright is new to K-State after transferring from UTEP over the summer - look for her to make an impressive Big 12 debut in the jumping events.
Q: What about those super-seniors?
A: This is a group with some names you might recognize, especially among the K-State women.
All of these student-athletes basically came into the year with a half-season of eligibility, competing for the Wildcats in the outdoor season that COVID-19 wiped out in 2020.
It's a group led by three-time All-American Lauren Taubert and Ariel Okorie in the heptathlon, along with Ashley Petr and Helene Ingvaldsen in the throwing events.
Ingvaldsen is the defending Big 12 champion in the hammer throw, while Petr could win her first conference title in the discus - she might be the best story of the weekend as a former walk-on.
Q: I just want to see some history. Could anybody at K-State break a school record this weekend?
A: I'm so glad you asked - your two best bets might be Ingvaldsen in the hammer throw and Logan Wolfley in the javelin. They could be talking about those two around Manhattan for a while, as both seniors have been closing in on the school record during their time at K-State.
Wolfley also has a case as the best Kansan on the team, after the Silver Lake native qualified for the last two NCAA Regionals.
Q: What about the rest of the field? Who are some other Big 12 schools to watch out for?
A: One of the coolest things about the Big 12 Championships is that the top schools all have a superpower - one event that they are known for around the country, and often the world.
K-State is High Jump U, so Shankar might have trouble breaking a school record this weekend, but that's because the guy who owns the record is Olympic gold medalist Erik Kynard Jr.
Let's say you want to see some world-class distance running. Check out Iowa State and Cailie Logue, a Sunflower State native from Erie. She's one of the favorites in the distance alongside a pair of national champion teammates in Wesley Kiptoo and Edwin Kurgat.
Big pole-vaulting fan? Look out for Kansas. Just showing up for the sprints? Texas is your team.
Q: Is anybody in Manhattan going to be on Team USA in Tokyo this summer?
A: The Olympics trials are in Eugene next month, so we won't know for sure who is headed to the Games for a few more weeks.
But there are plenty of contenders in the Little Apple this weekend. And there isn't a bigger name than Tara Davis, who has a shot to not just make it to Tokyo, but win a gold medal.
The Texas long jumper broke Jackie Joyner-Kersee's 36-year-old NCAA record last month with a 7.14m leap, becoming the first woman in NCAA history to jump 23 feet.
That was also the longest jump by an American woman since Tianna Bartoletta won the gold medal at the 2016 Olympics.
If you want a preview of Tokyo, watch out for Davis.
Another Olympic contender is Zachery Bradford of Kansas. The sophomore won a silver medal at the World U20 Championships in 2018 and was the youngest member of Team USA at the 2019 World Championships in Qatar.
A few more Longhorns to keep an eye on include Micaiah Harris (200m), Charles Brockman (400m hurdles), Steffin McCarter (long jump) and Chanel Brissett (100m hurdles).
All four should have a shot at making Team USA when the Olympic Trials begin next month.
This weekend, Manhattan becomes one of the capitals of the track & field world.
When the Big 12 Outdoor Track & Field Championships begin on Friday, NCAA and Olympic hopefuls from across the conference will arrive in the Little Apple.
Coming just a few months before the Summer Olympics begin in Tokyo, the championships are also the first K-State athletic event in 14 months to welcome fans at full capacity. It's a big deal.
For all the excitement at the R.V. Christian Track Complex this weekend, the event can be tricky to follow, from the packed schedule to the tenths-of-a-second that can separate good from great.
That's where this preview comes in.
Whether you're planning to head to campus for the event or watch from home on ESPN+, here are a few questions asked and answered on what can you expect from the Big 12's best.
Q: What's the schedule like next weekend?
A: The Big 12 Championships are three days of non-stop track & field, beginning with the first leg of the decathlon at 11 a.m. on Friday morning and ending with the final of the men's 4x400 meter relay at 6:45 p.m. on Sunday.
In between are more than 59 different events on offer, including all the legs of the heptathlon, decathlon and the preliminary heats for the running events.
Think of it this way: You can show up at the R.V. Christian Track Complex at any point between Friday morning and Sunday night and see a Big 12 student-athlete doing something better than just about anyone else in the country.
Q: How do I know who's winning?
A: One of the key differences between the Big 12 Championships and say, the Olympic Trials, is that every student-athlete can score points for their school, even if they don't win an event.
Track and field scoring is actually pretty simple: you get 10 points for winning an event, 8 points for second and six points for third. Once you get past the medals, it's five points for fourth place, four points for fifth place and so on - all the way down to one point for eighth place.
But there's tremendous amount of drama in each event, since that's when individuals earn medals and are crowned Big 12 champions.
Q: We haven't even gotten to K-State yet - how are the 'Cats doing this year?
A: K-State Track & Field is a perfect example of what's awesome about the Big 12 Championships. The Wildcats have some of the top individuals in the conference and a women's team that could challenge Texas for a conference title this weekend.
On the men's side, start with Tejaswin Shankar. He was an Indoor All-American in 2021 after his third-straight Big 12 title in the high jump, coming in third at the NCAA Indoor Championships.
Manhattan will be a chance for Shankar to defend his Big 12 title, while preparing for the NCAA Championships in Oregon and edging closer to the Olympic qualifying mark.
On the women's side, the Wildcats have the No. 16 team in the country thanks to a pair of 2021 All-Americans and a group of super-seniors returning this spring after a lost season in 2020.
Taishia Pryce and Chantoba Bright lead the Wildcats returning from the indoor season, as Pryce looks to defend her Big 12 title in the long jump. Bright is new to K-State after transferring from UTEP over the summer - look for her to make an impressive Big 12 debut in the jumping events.
Q: What about those super-seniors?
A: This is a group with some names you might recognize, especially among the K-State women.
All of these student-athletes basically came into the year with a half-season of eligibility, competing for the Wildcats in the outdoor season that COVID-19 wiped out in 2020.
It's a group led by three-time All-American Lauren Taubert and Ariel Okorie in the heptathlon, along with Ashley Petr and Helene Ingvaldsen in the throwing events.
Ingvaldsen is the defending Big 12 champion in the hammer throw, while Petr could win her first conference title in the discus - she might be the best story of the weekend as a former walk-on.
Q: I just want to see some history. Could anybody at K-State break a school record this weekend?
A: I'm so glad you asked - your two best bets might be Ingvaldsen in the hammer throw and Logan Wolfley in the javelin. They could be talking about those two around Manhattan for a while, as both seniors have been closing in on the school record during their time at K-State.
Wolfley also has a case as the best Kansan on the team, after the Silver Lake native qualified for the last two NCAA Regionals.
Q: What about the rest of the field? Who are some other Big 12 schools to watch out for?
A: One of the coolest things about the Big 12 Championships is that the top schools all have a superpower - one event that they are known for around the country, and often the world.
K-State is High Jump U, so Shankar might have trouble breaking a school record this weekend, but that's because the guy who owns the record is Olympic gold medalist Erik Kynard Jr.
Let's say you want to see some world-class distance running. Check out Iowa State and Cailie Logue, a Sunflower State native from Erie. She's one of the favorites in the distance alongside a pair of national champion teammates in Wesley Kiptoo and Edwin Kurgat.
Big pole-vaulting fan? Look out for Kansas. Just showing up for the sprints? Texas is your team.
Q: Is anybody in Manhattan going to be on Team USA in Tokyo this summer?
A: The Olympics trials are in Eugene next month, so we won't know for sure who is headed to the Games for a few more weeks.
But there are plenty of contenders in the Little Apple this weekend. And there isn't a bigger name than Tara Davis, who has a shot to not just make it to Tokyo, but win a gold medal.
The Texas long jumper broke Jackie Joyner-Kersee's 36-year-old NCAA record last month with a 7.14m leap, becoming the first woman in NCAA history to jump 23 feet.
That was also the longest jump by an American woman since Tianna Bartoletta won the gold medal at the 2016 Olympics.
If you want a preview of Tokyo, watch out for Davis.
.@TexasTFXC standout Tara Davis @tar___ruh recently broke Jackie Joyner-Kersee's 36-year-old outdoor collegiate long jump record. That said, @coach_Floknows sees even bigger things in Tara's future! @fox7austin 's @HyghOnFOX7 has her story:#HookEm 📹: UT Athletics/LHN pic.twitter.com/yPT9Xio4ok
— Dennis de la Pena (@dennisonfox7) April 29, 2021
Another Olympic contender is Zachery Bradford of Kansas. The sophomore won a silver medal at the World U20 Championships in 2018 and was the youngest member of Team USA at the 2019 World Championships in Qatar.
A few more Longhorns to keep an eye on include Micaiah Harris (200m), Charles Brockman (400m hurdles), Steffin McCarter (long jump) and Chanel Brissett (100m hurdles).
All four should have a shot at making Team USA when the Olympic Trials begin next month.
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