WICHITA, Kan. — Wichita State track & field student-athletes
will split up this weekend to compete in the New Mexico Don Kirby Tailwind
Invitational at Albuquerque, N.M., and the Stanford Invitational at Palo Alto,
Calif.
The majority of the Shockers will travel to New Mexico to
compete both Friday and Saturday, while a handful of distance runners will
compete Friday night at Stanford.
The New Mexico Tailwind Invitational opens with the women's
hammer throw at 5 p.m. CDT Friday and with the women's javelin at 10:30 a.m.
CDT Saturday.
Missouri Valley Conference Track Athletes of the Week
Natalie Morerod and Todd McKown will run in New Mexico. Morerod is expected to
compete in the 100-meter hurdles, the 400-meter hurdles and in two relays. The
sophomore set the Wichita State school record in the 400-meter hurdles last
weekend at Arkansas with her time of 59.12 in the event. Her time ranks 21st
in the nation this season. McKown is slated to run in the 200 meters, 110-meter
hurdles and in a relay. McKown, a senior, won the men's 110-meter hurdles at
Arkansas in 13.99 - a time that currently ranks 15th in the nation.
At Stanford, junior Aliphine Tuliamuk and senior Scarla Nero
are scheduled to compete in the women's 10,000 meters, while junior Jake Wike
will run in the 1,500 meters and junior Tomas Cotter in the 3,000-meter
steeplechase. The Shockers' distance events will start at approximately 8 p.m.
CDT Friday in California.
The Wichita State men's team currently holds the No. 1 spot
in the latest U.S. Track & Field Cross Country Coaches Association Midwest
rankings. The ranking marks the highest ever for the Shocker men. The Wichita
State women's team currently is ranked ninth in the Midwest region.
The Shockers opened the outdoor season last weekend,
splitting up to compete in three meets. Sophomore J'Lynn Ledesma won the
women's high jump and senior McKown won the men's 110-meter hurdles in
Arkansas, where the majority of the Shockers' student-athletes competed. Wichita
State throwers competed in Emporia, where junior Megan Fuller and sophomore
Jeff Conner won the women's and men's discus throws. Junior Marcos Bailon
placed first in the men's 5,000 meters at Friends University.
Senior Audacia Moore's time in the 200 meters (23.57) at
Arkansas ranks 13th in the nation this season. Ledesma (long jump),
Lawson Montgomery (110-meter hurdles) and Austin Bahner (decathlon) also own marks
that rank among the nation's top-20 this season.
- Wichita State -
