K-State Begins Season with Bob Timmons Classic

MANHATTAN, Kan. – The K-State men's and women's cross country teams will kick off the season on Saturday (August 31) at the Bob Timmons Classic at Rim Rock Farm in Lawrence, Kan. This will be the third consecutive season the Wildcats begin the season at Rim Rock.

The men will race in the 6k at 9 a.m. CT, with the women's 5k race following at 9:45 a.m. CT. This year will include a larger racing field with other competing schools Baker University, Haskell, Kansas, Kansas City, McDaniel, Oral Roberts and Park University.

K-State starts the season with a new coach at the helm in Kate Bucknam. Bucknam spent the last seven seasons at Belmont with the women's cross country team.

"This meet will be a great opportunity for the athletes to flip that switch from being in pre-season to in season," Bucknam said. "It's a little bit of a dress rehearsal for the meets later on this season, so we want to take advantage of that and get comfortable with our routines the week of and the day of the race."

Last season at the Bob Timmons Classic, the women's team won for a second consecutive year with 24 points, including a first-place finish for Hannah Stewart at 18:00.2, the fastest K-State 5k time at Rim Rock Farm, while the men finished third with 52 points.

Returning for K-State is a core group of three senior men— Alex Gutierrez, Matthew Hauser and Tommy Hazen, while the women's team boast experience from juniors Cecilia Fisher, Grace Meyer and Katie Schwartzkopf and seniors Kate Kowalik and Alexa Rios.

Both Wildcats' teams feature multiple freshmen, including three women and six men, who will all race in their first collegiate meet.

"I know the team is excited to compete after a long summer of training and it will be helpful for us coaches to get a good look on where we are at right now, all the while knowing it is only August 31. It's great for everyone to get back in that racing mode and do so on a challenging course." Bucknam said.

The Big 12 Conference begins another season with four new additions Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado and Utah. In the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) national preseason coaches' poll released on Tuesday, the women of Utah are ranked no. 14 while Colorado's men are no. 20 and its women team no. 26.

-- k-statesports.com --

How to follow the 'Cats: For complete information on the K-State Track and Field and Cross Country Teams, visit www.kstatesports.com and follow the team's social media channels on X (formerly Twitter), Instagram and Facebook.

Kansas State University Athletics

Players Mentioned

Cecilia Fisher

Alex Gutierrez

Matthew Hauser

Tommy Hazen

Kate Kowalik

Grace Meyer

Alexa Rios

Katie Schwartzkopf

Hannah Stewart

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