Both sophomore Nina Schultz and senior Terrell Smith had impressive performances this weekend while representing the Kansas State track and field team at the NCAA Indoor Championships in College Station, Texas.
Both Schultz and Smith set new records for the K-State track and field program, and both athletes also earned All-American honors as K-State concluded its indoor season.
In the women’s pentathlon, Schultz first competed in the 60-meter hurdles. She finished third overall with a time of 8.29 seconds. Schultz sat in third place with 1,064 points.
In the next event of the pentathlon, the high jump, Schultz won with a jump of 1.84 meters. Schultz jumped from third to second in the standings as her score went up to 2,093 points.
In the women’s shot put portion of the pentathlon, Schultz got 11th with a throw of 11.53 meters and a total score of 2,723.
The pentathlon continued in the next event, the long jump. Schultz began the long jump in first place with a jump of 6.21 meters. However, she then ended the long jump competition in second place after she underperformed on her final attempt.
Schultz was then in second place in the women’s pentathlon with a total score of 3,638 points.
In the final event of the pentathlon, Schultz made one last push for first place with a strong performance in the 800-meter run. Although she only got eighth in this event, she set her own personal record, running a 2:19.58.
Schultz finished second overall with 4,467 points. She now holds the school record for the most points by a pentathlete in K-State program history. With her second-place finish, Schultz earned her third first-team All-America honors in her career. Schultz also improved on her performance last year at the NCAA Indoor Championships, where she finished third with a score of 4,340.
“It was cool knowing that I am becoming part of K-State history, and hopefully I can build on that because I still have two more years,” Schultz said to K-State Sports. “Being out here again was just a good experience.”
On the men’s side of things, Smith broke the school record in the men’s 200-meter run for the third time this season with a time of 20.81 seconds. It was his first appearance at the NCAA Indoor Championships, and he finished ninth overall to receive second-team All-American honors.
“I was feeling good when I was running; it was a phenomenal run,” Smith said to K-State Sports. “I had family come out. I had friends in the stands, so there is nothing better I can ask for.”
Smith set multiple school records in his performance. With his ninth-place performance, he is the first K-State Indoor All-American in the 200 meters since Carlos Rodriguez finished 14th in 2013. Smith now holds both the indoor and outdoor school records in a 200-meter run for K-State and has made himself one of the best sprinters in K-State history.
To cap off the day for K-State at the NCAA Indoor Championships, Schultz recorded a jump of 6.03 meters on her second attempt in the women’s long jump finals. She placed 11th overall.
K-State track and field will now head into the outdoor season, which begins March 23 and 24 at the Roadrunner Invitational in San Antonio.
