Saturday, June 12
Eugene, Ore.
5 P.M.
Kansas State University
vs
NCAA Outdoor Championships
Three More Wildcats Earn Second Team All-America Honors
Jun 12, 2021 | Track & Field
K-State finishes the NCAA Championships with seven First and Second Team All-Americans
EUGENE, Ore. – Senior Ashley Petr in the women's discus, along with senior heptathletes Ariel Okorie and Lauren Taubert, all capped their Kansas State careers with strong performances to earn Second Team All-America honors to highlight action on the final day of the NCAA Outdoor Championships on Saturday (June 12) at Hayward Field.
Okorie and Petr each collected All-America honors for the first time in their careers, while Taubert tallied All-America distinction for the fourth time in her career, including the second time in the heptathlon.
Petr finished 15th in the discus with a mark of 54.34m/178-03, which came on her third and final attempt. Taubert and Okorie claimed the final two spots on the Second Team in the heptathlon, as Taubert scored 5,436 points to finish in 15th place, while Okorie was just behind in 16th place with 5,420 points.
K-State continues its streak of having at least one athlete earn All-America honors in the heptathlon to six consecutive outdoor championships. Taubert and Okorie are the first Wildcat tandem to earn All-America honors in the heptathlon in the same championship in school history.
"Lauren, Ariel and I have worked together for five years now," said Director of Track and Field and Cross Country Cliff Rovelto. "They are special people who have grown immensely. I feel fortunate to have had the opportunity to share the process with them. Our program will miss them as we will all the seniors who completed their eligibility this year. They have been a special group."
Taubert and Okorie positioned themselves for a strong finish in the heptathlon on Saturday, as they entered the day in 14th and 16th, respectively, after four events on Friday.
In the first event on Saturday, Okorie posted a 12th-place finish in the long jump with a leap of 5.73m/18-09.75 to score 768 points and jump into the top-15. Taubert dropped in the overall standings after a 19th-place showing in the event with a mark of 5.48m/17-11.75 to score 694 points.
Okorie continued her surge with an 11th-place finish in the javelin with a throw of 36.37m/119-04 to score 598 points and jump to 13th overall with 4,678 points. Taubert finished 17th in the event with a mark of 33.09m/108-06 to score 535 points and sit in 17th place with 4,568 points before taking a break for the final event.
Much like Friday when she surged in the 200 meters to cap the first day, Taubert save her best for the last event of the day, posting a ninth-place finish in the 800 meters with a time of 2:16.80 to score 868 points and finish in 15th place with 5,436 points. Okorie capped the competition with a 16th-place finish in the 800 meters in a time of 2:26.16 to score 742 points and finish in 16th overall with 5,420 points.
Texas A&M's Tyra Gittens led wire-to-wire in the heptathlon and won the event with 6,285 points. Miami's Michelle Atherley was the only other competitor to crack 6,000 points, finishing second with 6,067, while Big 12 champion – Texas freshman Kristine Blazevica – was third with 5,984 points.
Competing in her second NCAA Championship, Petr had a strong start to the competition with a throw of 56 meters on her first attempt but incurred a foul. She came back with a toss of 50.82m/166-09 to sit in 21st place before capping the competition with a throw of 54.34m/178-03 to rally and finish in 15th place.
A native of Hastings, Nebraska, Petr completes her career with a Second Team All-America certificate after finishing 19th at the 2019 Championships with a toss of 51.80m/169-11 as a junior. She is the first women's discus All-American since Shadae Lawrence did it three consecutive years from 2016-18.
"I thought Ashley looked pretty good," said Rovelto. "She had a couple of warmup throws that were probably around her personal best. Her first throw was around 56 meters but fouled it. She responded on her third throw to end up in top 16. She has done a great job for our program."
Arizona State's Jorinde Van Klinken won the national title in the discus with a meet and personal-best toss of 65.01m/213-03 over second-place finisher Laulauga Tausaga of Iowa, who had a mark of 63.53m/208-05.
Freshman Rhianna Phipps narrowly missed becoming the fourth Wildcat to earn Second Team All-America honors, finishing 17th in the women's triple jump with a leap of 13.14m/43-01.50 (+1.2) on her second attempt. She posted a mark of 13.06m/42-10.25 on her first attempt before hitting 13.13m/43-01 on her third and final jump. She missed the top-16 of the event by a mere one and half inches to Missouri's Mara Hausler.
It was solid inaugural campaign for the Saint Thomas, Jamaica product who advanced to the NCAA Championships in the triple jump in both indoor and outdoor season. She earned Second Team All-America honors during the indoor season with a 12th-place finish. Her mark of 13.20m/43-03.75 at the NCAA West Regional on May 29 to qualify for the outdoor championships was the eighth-best in school history.
Texas Tech's Ruth Usoro won the national title in the triple jump with leap of 14.19m/46-06.75.
LSU won the men's team title going away with 84 points, while host Oregon (53), North Carolina A&T (35), Florida (34.50) and USC (33) finished off the top-5. Big 12 champion Texas was just outside the top-5 with 29 points in sixth place. With Tejaswin Shankar's runner-up finish in the men's high jump, K-State finished in a tie for 34th place with Notre Dame with eight points each.
USC won the women's team title with 74 points over second-place Texas A&M, which collected 63 points. Georgia (37.50), Alabama (31) and North Carolina A&T (31) finished off the top-5. Big 12 champion Texas was the league's top finisher with 28 points for a tie for 28th.
K-State finishes the NCAA Championships with a combined seven First and Second Team All-Americans highlighted by junior Tejaswin Shankar's NCAA runner-up finish in the men's high jump on Friday night. The six-time All-American has now earned First Team honors in three consecutive outdoor championships (2018, 2019, 2021). In addition to Petr, Okorie and Taubert, three others – Taylor Latimer (women's shot put), Taishia Pryce (women's long jump) and Logan Wolfley (men's javelin – collected Second Team accolades in their respective events.
"Both teams had good conference meets and we had an impressive number of athletes get to this final weekend," said Rovelto as he wrapped up his 29th season at the helm of the Wildcat track and field programs. "The outdoor season was a good one for us."
With the conclusion of the NCAA Championships, the Wildcats now head into training for various Olympic qualifying events, including the U.S. Olympic Trials, which will be held at Hayward Field from June 18-27.
To learn more about the 13 Wildcats who qualified for the NCAA Championships, fans can click on the NCAA Championship Central link on the K-State Athletics' website, which includes athlete bios, features and all the highlights from the NCAA West Regional in College Station, Texas, May 26-29.
Okorie and Petr each collected All-America honors for the first time in their careers, while Taubert tallied All-America distinction for the fourth time in her career, including the second time in the heptathlon.
Petr finished 15th in the discus with a mark of 54.34m/178-03, which came on her third and final attempt. Taubert and Okorie claimed the final two spots on the Second Team in the heptathlon, as Taubert scored 5,436 points to finish in 15th place, while Okorie was just behind in 16th place with 5,420 points.
K-State continues its streak of having at least one athlete earn All-America honors in the heptathlon to six consecutive outdoor championships. Taubert and Okorie are the first Wildcat tandem to earn All-America honors in the heptathlon in the same championship in school history.
"Lauren, Ariel and I have worked together for five years now," said Director of Track and Field and Cross Country Cliff Rovelto. "They are special people who have grown immensely. I feel fortunate to have had the opportunity to share the process with them. Our program will miss them as we will all the seniors who completed their eligibility this year. They have been a special group."
Taubert and Okorie positioned themselves for a strong finish in the heptathlon on Saturday, as they entered the day in 14th and 16th, respectively, after four events on Friday.
In the first event on Saturday, Okorie posted a 12th-place finish in the long jump with a leap of 5.73m/18-09.75 to score 768 points and jump into the top-15. Taubert dropped in the overall standings after a 19th-place showing in the event with a mark of 5.48m/17-11.75 to score 694 points.
Okorie continued her surge with an 11th-place finish in the javelin with a throw of 36.37m/119-04 to score 598 points and jump to 13th overall with 4,678 points. Taubert finished 17th in the event with a mark of 33.09m/108-06 to score 535 points and sit in 17th place with 4,568 points before taking a break for the final event.
Much like Friday when she surged in the 200 meters to cap the first day, Taubert save her best for the last event of the day, posting a ninth-place finish in the 800 meters with a time of 2:16.80 to score 868 points and finish in 15th place with 5,436 points. Okorie capped the competition with a 16th-place finish in the 800 meters in a time of 2:26.16 to score 742 points and finish in 16th overall with 5,420 points.
Texas A&M's Tyra Gittens led wire-to-wire in the heptathlon and won the event with 6,285 points. Miami's Michelle Atherley was the only other competitor to crack 6,000 points, finishing second with 6,067, while Big 12 champion – Texas freshman Kristine Blazevica – was third with 5,984 points.
Competing in her second NCAA Championship, Petr had a strong start to the competition with a throw of 56 meters on her first attempt but incurred a foul. She came back with a toss of 50.82m/166-09 to sit in 21st place before capping the competition with a throw of 54.34m/178-03 to rally and finish in 15th place.
A native of Hastings, Nebraska, Petr completes her career with a Second Team All-America certificate after finishing 19th at the 2019 Championships with a toss of 51.80m/169-11 as a junior. She is the first women's discus All-American since Shadae Lawrence did it three consecutive years from 2016-18.
"I thought Ashley looked pretty good," said Rovelto. "She had a couple of warmup throws that were probably around her personal best. Her first throw was around 56 meters but fouled it. She responded on her third throw to end up in top 16. She has done a great job for our program."
Arizona State's Jorinde Van Klinken won the national title in the discus with a meet and personal-best toss of 65.01m/213-03 over second-place finisher Laulauga Tausaga of Iowa, who had a mark of 63.53m/208-05.
Freshman Rhianna Phipps narrowly missed becoming the fourth Wildcat to earn Second Team All-America honors, finishing 17th in the women's triple jump with a leap of 13.14m/43-01.50 (+1.2) on her second attempt. She posted a mark of 13.06m/42-10.25 on her first attempt before hitting 13.13m/43-01 on her third and final jump. She missed the top-16 of the event by a mere one and half inches to Missouri's Mara Hausler.
It was solid inaugural campaign for the Saint Thomas, Jamaica product who advanced to the NCAA Championships in the triple jump in both indoor and outdoor season. She earned Second Team All-America honors during the indoor season with a 12th-place finish. Her mark of 13.20m/43-03.75 at the NCAA West Regional on May 29 to qualify for the outdoor championships was the eighth-best in school history.
Texas Tech's Ruth Usoro won the national title in the triple jump with leap of 14.19m/46-06.75.
LSU won the men's team title going away with 84 points, while host Oregon (53), North Carolina A&T (35), Florida (34.50) and USC (33) finished off the top-5. Big 12 champion Texas was just outside the top-5 with 29 points in sixth place. With Tejaswin Shankar's runner-up finish in the men's high jump, K-State finished in a tie for 34th place with Notre Dame with eight points each.
USC won the women's team title with 74 points over second-place Texas A&M, which collected 63 points. Georgia (37.50), Alabama (31) and North Carolina A&T (31) finished off the top-5. Big 12 champion Texas was the league's top finisher with 28 points for a tie for 28th.
K-State finishes the NCAA Championships with a combined seven First and Second Team All-Americans highlighted by junior Tejaswin Shankar's NCAA runner-up finish in the men's high jump on Friday night. The six-time All-American has now earned First Team honors in three consecutive outdoor championships (2018, 2019, 2021). In addition to Petr, Okorie and Taubert, three others – Taylor Latimer (women's shot put), Taishia Pryce (women's long jump) and Logan Wolfley (men's javelin – collected Second Team accolades in their respective events.
"Both teams had good conference meets and we had an impressive number of athletes get to this final weekend," said Rovelto as he wrapped up his 29th season at the helm of the Wildcat track and field programs. "The outdoor season was a good one for us."
With the conclusion of the NCAA Championships, the Wildcats now head into training for various Olympic qualifying events, including the U.S. Olympic Trials, which will be held at Hayward Field from June 18-27.
To learn more about the 13 Wildcats who qualified for the NCAA Championships, fans can click on the NCAA Championship Central link on the K-State Athletics' website, which includes athlete bios, features and all the highlights from the NCAA West Regional in College Station, Texas, May 26-29.
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