Kansas State track and field ended its indoor season at the NCAA Championship in Fayetteville, Arkansas. The Wildcats had a total of 16 athletes who competed in the two-day championship meet.
The team finished in fourth place for the meet and scored 24 points, which was the highest finish and the most points scored at a championship event in team history.
“The men, our first trophy in school history,” K-State head coach Travis Geopfert said. “Again, there’s ups and downs to all of it, but they continue to compete, continue to battle and to win a trophy, to be top-4 in the country. I don’t have words.”
The women’s track and field team also finished in the top 10 as they claimed seventh place, the same as the 2000 team and just one less point than the 2016 team. The women were led by NCAA champion Daniela Wamokpego, who won the triple jump with a jump of 13.84 meters — breaking a K-State school record and finishing with a gold medal.
“Our women came in ranked ninth and finished seventh in the country, and I’m so proud of them,” Geopfert said. “Behind Daniela, breaking the school record, winning the triple jump, she got the party started really this afternoon and brought the energy for the day.”
The Wildcats finished with 12 total First Team All-America honors due to their success at the meet. Six of the All-America honors came on day one of the event, while the last six came on day two.
Tah Chikomba and Uroy Ryan got the ‘Cats going in the long jump, as Chikomba finished in third place while Ryan finished two spots back in fifth. For the women’s long jump, Maud Zeffou-Poaty and Chisom Nwafor finished in sixth and seventh place to bring home points as well for the Wildcats.
Rounding out the day one placings for K-State were Vanessa Mercera, who finished in seventh place in the pentathlon, and Kade McCall, who claimed eighth place in the men’s weight throw.
“I’m really proud of Kade McCall, First Team All-American,” Geopfert said. “He’s a senior, it was his last meet in a K-State uniform and he does not have outdoor eligibility, and he comes out of here with his first-ever All-American honor.”
On day two, the headliner was Daniela Wamokpego with her first-place triple jump finish. Many other Wildcats performed well throughout the day, including Destini Smith, who also placed in women’s triple jump with a fifth-place finish.
The men’s team had three athletes place in the triple jump as well, including Selva Prabhu, who was the national runner-up in the event. Aaron Antoine finished in fifth, and Trevon Hamer squeaked onto the leaderboard with an eighth-place finish.
Between Prabhu, Antoine and Hamer, the Wildcats were able to add 13 points to their score, which led them to their top-five finish. The three triple jumpers all placed marks — the first time since 2011 that three triple jump athletes from the same school all landed on the podium.
The last All-America honoree was Sharie Enoe, who finished in a tie for fourth place in the women’s high jump. Her fourth-place finish marks the second year in a row that Enoe has placed at the championship meet, as she came in eighth place last year.
With the weather heating up, it is now time for the outdoor season, where the Wildcats will look to continue their momentum gained indoors and take it to the outdoor track. K-State’s first invitational will be at Stanford University and will take place April 3-4.
