Record in Hand, Splechter Looking for More
Feb 23, 2023 | Track & Field, Sports Extra
By: D. Scott Fritchen
Picture Hadley Splechter for a moment. There he is in a white tank-top with "Wildcats" written in purple script across the chest, and he's wearing purple Nike shorts, and florescent yellow Nike track shoes. He's lying on his back across the middle lanes of the Randal Tyson Indoor Track in Fayetteville, Arkansas, hands clasped together above his stomach, eyes closed and mouth agape. He's just run the fastest mile of his life. He's soaking it all in.
Moments before, Splechter finished second place in the men's indoor mile with a personal-best time of 4:02.07. It broke the Kansas State record of 4:02.42 held by Jeff Schemmel — a time that Schemmel recorded at the 1976 NCAA Championships.
Splechter, a junior, doesn't know about the record yet. He won't know until about 30 minutes later, after he's visited with his parents Tim and Cassie, both K-State alums, who journeyed 204 miles from Yates Center, Kansas, to sit in the stands and cheer on their son.
After his parents begin their trip home, Splechter spots K-State distance coach Randy Cole approaching him.
"Congratulations on the record," Cole says.
"What do you mean?"
There it was typewritten in black ink, the mile-run record that had stood for 47 years — a record that no K-State runner had touched. Until now.
"It's really great to get a record that has stood the test of time for that long," Splechter says. "You know, maybe my record will stand and maybe it won't. I know someone will come along and break my mark. But it's nice to put myself in the books.
"I'll be able to look back in 50 years and hopefully my name is still in the top 10."
It's in fact a stunning display for Splechter, who ran the mile run at 4:13.09 at the KU-KSU-WSU Triangular on January 13. About 400 meters into the race in Fayetteville, Splechter has a feeling that the track is running fast, and his thoughts are confirmed by the time he reaches the 1,200-meter mark.
"I knew it was going to be a fast time," Splechter says. "Yes, it was the fastest I'd run in my life."
It all leads to this: Splechter will compete in the mile-run at the Big 12 Indoor Championships, which take place Friday and Saturday at the Sports Performance Center in Lubbock, Texas. If he qualifies, he'll then participate in the NCAA Indoor Championships on March 10-11 at Albuquerque, New Mexico.
It's a small world away from the days growing up in Yates Center, which has no stoplights — "If you blink, you'll miss it," he says — a Pizza Hut, a grocery store and a Mexican restaurant. Splechter learned hard work from his father and the other men in the community, he grew up with purple blood, and one day, when he was young, he decided to go out to the country road behind his back driveway, and begin to run.
He was the Yates Center version of Forrest Gump: He just decided to run.
"Pretty much," Splechter says. "That's about how it went."
And, oh, the places running took him during high school. He helped Yates Center capture the 2017 Class 2A State Cross Country Championship. He won 12 individual state championships. He was a two-time Scholar Bowl State Champion and was named a Kansas Scholar. He lettered in cross country, track and field, and basketball.
"Basketball was probably more fun to do than running, but I'd say track and basketball were my favorites," Splechter says. "I enjoyed competing at them equally, but basketball was a lot of fun in high school. I was focused on running and wasn't an all-star basketball player by any means, but I just loved to play. I was just the hustle player that loved being out there and getting to compete with teammates instead of competing individually for once."
When on his own, focusing on putting one foot in front of the other in track shoes, he was virtually unstoppable.
As a K-State freshman, he ran the mile in 4:09.11. As a sophomore, he ran it in 4:12.92. Last season, he finished sixth at the Big 12 Indoor Championships with a time of 4:02.98.
His hard work has paid off.
"I compete best in the mile so that's probably my favorite," Splechter says. "It helps that in the Big 12 there are a bunch of guys who are top-of-the-line athletes at the mile. When I get in a race and beat them, that just fuels me to go even more."
Recently, it even ended with a picture-perfect moment.
Picture Hadley Splechter for a moment. There he is in a white tank-top with "Wildcats" written in purple script across the chest, and he's wearing purple Nike shorts, and florescent yellow Nike track shoes. He's lying on his back across the middle lanes of the Randal Tyson Indoor Track in Fayetteville, Arkansas, hands clasped together above his stomach, eyes closed and mouth agape. He's just run the fastest mile of his life. He's soaking it all in.
Moments before, Splechter finished second place in the men's indoor mile with a personal-best time of 4:02.07. It broke the Kansas State record of 4:02.42 held by Jeff Schemmel — a time that Schemmel recorded at the 1976 NCAA Championships.
Splechter, a junior, doesn't know about the record yet. He won't know until about 30 minutes later, after he's visited with his parents Tim and Cassie, both K-State alums, who journeyed 204 miles from Yates Center, Kansas, to sit in the stands and cheer on their son.
After his parents begin their trip home, Splechter spots K-State distance coach Randy Cole approaching him.
"Congratulations on the record," Cole says.
"What do you mean?"
There it was typewritten in black ink, the mile-run record that had stood for 47 years — a record that no K-State runner had touched. Until now.
"It's really great to get a record that has stood the test of time for that long," Splechter says. "You know, maybe my record will stand and maybe it won't. I know someone will come along and break my mark. But it's nice to put myself in the books.
"I'll be able to look back in 50 years and hopefully my name is still in the top 10."
It's in fact a stunning display for Splechter, who ran the mile run at 4:13.09 at the KU-KSU-WSU Triangular on January 13. About 400 meters into the race in Fayetteville, Splechter has a feeling that the track is running fast, and his thoughts are confirmed by the time he reaches the 1,200-meter mark.
"I knew it was going to be a fast time," Splechter says. "Yes, it was the fastest I'd run in my life."
It all leads to this: Splechter will compete in the mile-run at the Big 12 Indoor Championships, which take place Friday and Saturday at the Sports Performance Center in Lubbock, Texas. If he qualifies, he'll then participate in the NCAA Indoor Championships on March 10-11 at Albuquerque, New Mexico.
It's a small world away from the days growing up in Yates Center, which has no stoplights — "If you blink, you'll miss it," he says — a Pizza Hut, a grocery store and a Mexican restaurant. Splechter learned hard work from his father and the other men in the community, he grew up with purple blood, and one day, when he was young, he decided to go out to the country road behind his back driveway, and begin to run.
He was the Yates Center version of Forrest Gump: He just decided to run.
"Pretty much," Splechter says. "That's about how it went."
And, oh, the places running took him during high school. He helped Yates Center capture the 2017 Class 2A State Cross Country Championship. He won 12 individual state championships. He was a two-time Scholar Bowl State Champion and was named a Kansas Scholar. He lettered in cross country, track and field, and basketball.
"Basketball was probably more fun to do than running, but I'd say track and basketball were my favorites," Splechter says. "I enjoyed competing at them equally, but basketball was a lot of fun in high school. I was focused on running and wasn't an all-star basketball player by any means, but I just loved to play. I was just the hustle player that loved being out there and getting to compete with teammates instead of competing individually for once."
When on his own, focusing on putting one foot in front of the other in track shoes, he was virtually unstoppable.
As a K-State freshman, he ran the mile in 4:09.11. As a sophomore, he ran it in 4:12.92. Last season, he finished sixth at the Big 12 Indoor Championships with a time of 4:02.98.
His hard work has paid off.
"I compete best in the mile so that's probably my favorite," Splechter says. "It helps that in the Big 12 there are a bunch of guys who are top-of-the-line athletes at the mile. When I get in a race and beat them, that just fuels me to go even more."
Recently, it even ended with a picture-perfect moment.
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