Kansas State track and field found themselves split this past weekend, with some athletes in Texas and others in Iowa. The distance played no folly in outcomes, as the Wildcats enjoyed several high-caliber placings.
Des Moines, Iowa, played host to the Drake Relays from Thursday through Saturday. It was in Des Moines that the highlight of the weekend was made — the Wildcat women’s 4×800 team set a new school record.
Senior Alex Ferguson, super-senior Macy Heinz, and juniors Sydney Burton and Kassidy Johnson clocked in at 8:31.22 to set the record, good for third place.
The men ran well themselves, clocking in at 7:26.21 and bringing home a fifth-place finish. The men’s lineup included fifth-year senior Travis Hodge, sophomore Will Carroll, and juniors Kyle Johnston and Hadley Splechter.
Splechter found himself among the top finishers in the 1,500-meter race as well. The junior ran a personal best time of 3:44.46, finishing in third place.
Sophomore Kade McCall was the other top-five finisher for the men at the Drake Relays, heaving the hammer 67.44m/221-3 and placing third.
The women nearly brought out the broom for a sweep in the 800-meter run as junior Kassidy Johnson took first with a time of 2:06.39, and super-senior Macy Heinz came in a tick behind at 2:07.65. Senior Alex Ferguson took bronze, finishing with a time of 2:08.10 and junior Sydney Burton crossed the line in fifth place with a time of 2:10.24.
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Just 20 miles down the road, other track and field athletes competed at the Kim Janvrin Open in Indianola, Iowa. The open was a Friday-only event with few competitors, but K-State still found some top finishers, with junior Cailan Steward earning silver in the 5,000-meter run with a personal best of 17:38:62.
Several athletes also found their stride in Lubbock, Texas, at the Corky/Crofoot Shootout, especially Wildcat field participants. Lithuanian-native Mata Adamonis’ javelin heave of 57.18m/187-7 secured a third-place finish.
K-State had many top finishers in the men’s high jump — a regular occurrence as of late.
The Wildcats had three top-five placers, including super-senior Tejaswin Shankar (silver), and Kyle Alcine and Kamyren Garrett — tying for fourth with heights of 2.12m/6-11.50. Shankar leaped 22.2m/7-3.25 for his second-place medal.
On the women’s side, senior Tommi Hintnaus earned a second-place finish in the pole vault. Hintnaus vaulted 4.07m/13-4.25. Sophomore Reagan Hukill came up just short and finished in fifth place with a height of 3.82m/12-6.25.
Runners also had their fair share of success down in Lubbock. Junior Shalysa Wray set the pace with a first-place finish in the women’s 400-meter dash, clocking in at 52.32.
Junior Vitoria Sena Batista Alves glided through the women’s 100-meter hurdles finishing with a time of 14.20 for a bronze medal, and Lavaun Stephenson earned fifth place. Stephenson checked in at 1:01.72 in the 400-meter hurdles.
Rounding out the women’s side, super-senior Wurrie Njadoe earned two fourth-place finishes, clocking in at 11.58 in the women’s 100-meter dash and 23.38 in the 200-meter dash.
The men shared some of the triumphs as sophomore Kyle Gale and freshman Antonio Hanson both took home medals in the men’s 400-meter dash. Gale earned a silver medal with a time of 45.99, while Hanson finished behind Gale at 46.24 for a third-place finish.
The men’s relay teams fared well as freshman Darian Clarke, senior Carson Lackey, and juniors Tim Lambert Jr. and Donovan Turner ran a 40.70 for second place.
Two Wildcat teams also placed in the men’s 4×400 relay. Juniors Sean Wilson and Tim Lambert Jr., sophomore Kyle Gale and freshman Antonio Hanson secured the gold medal with a time of 3:06.19. The second team, consisting of Shankar, Uhlin, Turner and Lackey finished in fourth place with a time of 3:23.42.
The Wildcats host the Ward Haylett Invitational for their final meet before conference competition. Events kick off at 6 p.m. on Friday, May 6, and continue at 10 a.m. on Saturday, May 7.
