MANHATTAN, Kan. – The Kansas State track and field teams will open their postseason on Wednesday (May 28), as 20 Wildcats vie for the chance to advance to the NCAA Outdoor Championship at the four-day NCAA West Preliminary set for E.B. Cushing Stadium in Bryan-College Station, Texas.
The West Preliminary runs from Wednesday (May 28) through Saturday (May 31) with all four days being streamed on ESPN+ at the start of the track events. The men’s events run on Wednesday and Friday with the women competing on Thursday and Saturday.
The top-12 athletes in each event, and 12 relay teams, for both the West and East Preliminary rounds will advance to the NCAA Outdoor Championships set for Wednesday-Saturday, June 11-14 at Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore.
"I'm excited for the athletes we have headed to the NCAA first rounds. It shows their hard work and dedication in focusing on the process," said first-year head coach Travis Geopfert. "I appreciate these kids buying into the new coaches and consequently finding a large amount of success. This group of young women and men are headed to College Station as competitors, not participants. They're focused on the process and excited to go compete."
Starting on the first day, reigning Big 12 Champion Gary Moore Jr., will compete in the men’s hammer throw at 10 a.m., CT followed by sophomore Riley Marx in the men’s javelin at 2:30 p.m., CT and sophomore Pierson Carlisle in the men’s pole vault at 5:30 p.m., CT. Sophomores Tavon Underwood and Nen Matlock will race in the first round of the men’s 400 meters at 7:25 p.m., CT.
Senior Monique Hardy will be among five Wildcat field athletes competing on Thursday, as she kicks off competition in the women’s hammer throw at 10 a.m., CT. Senior Jessi Brummett competes in the women’s javelin at 2:30 p.m., CT followed by senior Shalom Olotu in the women’s long jump at 4:30 p.m., CT, junior Claire Bybee in the women’s pole vault at 5:30 p.m., CT and senior Jaycee Schroeder in the women’s shot put at 6 p.m. CT.
Five more men will compete on Friday, starting with Moore and junior Nate Collier in the discus throw at 1 p.m. CT. Big 12 champion Jhavor Bennett and freshman Selva Prabhu will follow in the triple jump at 2:30 p.m., CT before senior Tommy Hazen runs in the 3,000-meter steeplechase at 5:40 p.m., CT.
The final day on Saturday will start with junior Tamaiah Koonce in the women’s discus throw at 1 p.m., CT followed by senior Shalom Olotu and sophomore Taylor Mayo in the women’s triple jump at 2:30 p.m., CT and junior Sharie Enoe in the women’s high jump at 3:30 p.m., CT. A trio of competitors – senior Ludivine Aubert, junior Jourdin Edwards and junior Safhia Hinds – will wrap up the competition in the women’s 400-meter hurdles at 7:25 p.m., CT. Hinds claimed the Big 12 title in the event with a time of 55.90.
Eight of the 20 qualifying Wildcats will compete at the West Preliminary for the second consecutive year, including Edwards, Enoe, Hardy, Hazen, Koonce, Matlock, Marx and Schroeder. Seven athletes (Brummett, Bybee, Carlislie, Collier, Hinds, Prabhu and Underwood) will be competing for the first time.
Moore (men’s hammer and discus throws) and Olotu (women’s triple jump and long jump) have each qualified in two events at the West Preliminary. Moore is making the second West Preliminary of his career, but his first in the hammer and discus throws after placing 31st in the shot put in 2023 while at Baylor. Olotu competed in the both events at the 2023 Preliminary before redshirting in 2024, finishing in the 13th in the long jump (6.12m) and 29th in the triple jump (12.9m). Overall, this is the third time Olotu has competed in the long jump at the West Preliminary, placing 15th in the event with a jump of 6.18m in 2022 while at Oral Roberts.
Hardy, Enoe and Marx all enter this week’s Preliminary with top-10 marks in the West Region. Hardy has the No. 7 mark in the women’s hammer throw at 68.07m, while Enoe is No. 6 in the women’s high jump at 1.88m and Marx is No. 10 in the men’s javelin throw at 70.83m.
Hardy is making her third consecutive appearance in the West Preliminary in the hammer throw, finishing 22nd in 2023 with a mark of 60.30m and 13th in 2024 with a mark of 60.21m. This is her fourth straight Preliminary, counting her trip to the East Preliminary in the event while at LSU. The Big 12 runner-up, Enoe tied for 19th in women’s high jump with a height of 1.76m. Marx was the only freshman to compete for the Wildcats at the 2024 West Preliminary, finishing 18th with a toss of 67.04m.
Koonce has qualified for her third consecutive West Preliminary in the discus throw, finishing 24th in 2023 with a mark of 51.26m and 17th in 2024 with a mark of 55.15m.
Others to compete at last year’s West Preliminary include Edwards (400-meter hurdles, 1:00.22, 37th), Hazen (3,000-meter steeplechase, 9:45.52, 47th) and Schroeder (shot put, 16.44m, 25th).
Aubert and Bennett will be making their second West Preliminary appearances, but the first in their respective events. Aubert was part of the 4x400-meter relay that finished 21st in the 2023 event, while Bennett posted a distance of 6.95m in the long jump as a freshman in 2023.
Mayo competed in the triple jump at the 2024 West Preliminary while at Kansas.
Matlock, who was All-American honorable mention at last year’s NCAA Championship in the 4x400-meter relay, will be compete in the men’s 400 meters for the first time at West Preliminary after posting a personal-best time of 46.14 at the Big 12 Championship.
Senior Emil Uhlin has already qualified for the NCAA Championship in the men’s decathlon after compiling the 14th-best performance in the nation at the Drake Relays on April 23-26 with a new personal-best score of 7,788 points. He will begin competition at 2 p.m., CT on Wednesday, June 11 in the 100 meters before concluding the final five events on Thursday, June 12.
Seven Wildcats competed in the 2024 NCAA Championships, including four individuals (Urte Bacianskaite/women’s heptathlon, Eugene Omalla/men’s 400 meters, Hannah Stewart/women’s 3,000-meter steeplechase, Andrew White/men’s discus) along with the men’s 4x400-meter relay team of Nen Matlock, E. Omalla, Jaimie Omalla and Kyle Gale).
West Preliminary Schedule
Wednesday, May 28
10 a.m. – Gary Moore Jr. (men’s hammer throw)
2:30 p.m. – Riley Marx (men’s javelin)
5:30 p.m. – Pierson Carlisle (men’s pole vault)
7:25 p.m. – Tavon Underwood, Nen Matlock (men’s 400 meters)
Thursday, May 29
10 a.m. – Monique Hardy (women’s hammer throw)
2:30 p.m. – Jessi Brummet (women’s javelin throw)
4:30 p.m. – Shalom Olotu (women’s long jump)
5:30 p.m. – Claire Bybee (women’s pole vault)
6 p.m. – Jaycee Schroeder (women’s shot put)
Friday, May 30
1 p.m. – Gary Moore Jr., Nate Collier (men’s discus throw)
2:30 p.m. – Jhavor Bennett, Selva Prabhu (men’s triple jump)
5:40 p.m. – Tommy Hazen (men’s 3,000-meter steeplechase)
Saturday, May 31
1 p.m. – Tamaiah Koonce (women’s discus)
2:30 p.m. – Shalom Olotu, Taylor Mayo (women’s triple jump)
3:30 p.m. – Sharie Enoe (women’s high jump)