The Kansas State track and field team wrapped up the Big 12 Indoor Championship on Saturday, Feb. 26, in Ames, Iowa, with several athletes returning with hardware.
The women’s team finished sixth with a total of 61 points, and the men’s team finished seventh with a total of 56 points. In both the men’s and women’s, Texas took first.
“It is all about the team effort,” Cliff Rovelto, director of track and field and cross country, said to K-State Athletics. “Clearly, a lot of people rose to the occasion. As a group, I thought we competed really well. There were some really outstanding marks today.”
In the men’s heptathlon, freshman Emil Uhlin placed third overall with 5,639 points, a personal best. Uhlin was seventh in the 60-meter hurdles, third in the pole vault and first in the 1,000-meter run.
Along with Uhlin, freshman Carl af Forselles placed fourth overall with 5,586 points, another personal best. He finished thirteenth in the 60-meter hurdles, first in the pole vault and tenth in the 1,000-meter run.
Freshman Kavian Kerr finished fourth in the 200-meter run, tying for first in program history on an oversized track.
“Any time a freshmen scores at this meet, it is pretty good,” Rovelto said to K-State Athletics. “Kavian is an extremely talented athlete, and he really did a great job.”
In men’s high jump, super-senior Tejaswin Shankar finished second with a jump of 2.20m. Along with Shankar, freshman Kamyren Garrett finished fourth with a jump of 2.17m, junior Devon Richardson finished fifth with a jump of 2.17m and super-senior Kyle Alcine finished sixth with a jump of 2.14.
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In the men’s mile final, junior Hadley Splechter finished sixth with a time of 4:02.98, which now ranks second in program history on an oversized track.
Freshman Antonio Hanson also ranks second in program history on an oversized track, but in the 600-yard dash. Hanson finished third in the meet with a time of 1:08.97.
On the women’s side of the meet, junior Sydney Burton placed second in the 1,000-meter run with a time of 2:49.04.
Junior Kassidy Johnson broke a school record in the 800-meter run on an oversized track. She placed third in the meet with a time of 2:04.00.
“Kassidy has really contributed a lot in her four years,” Rovelto said to K-State Athletics. “She has really risen to the occasion at all of our conference meets.”
In the 3,000-meter final, junior Jaybe Shufelberger got sixth overall with a time of 9:43.57.
Placing eighth in the 60-meter hurdles was junior Vitoria Sena Batista Alves at a time of 8.80.
The women’s 4×400-meter relay team of junior O’Shalia Johnson, junior Shalysa Wray, senior Alex Ferguson and super-senior Macy Heinz finished fourth with a time of 3:40.06.
The Wildcats are back in action March 11-12 as they travel to Birmingham, Alabama, to compete in the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championship.
