The Basics
            The Wichita State track and field teams are at home again this week for the KT Woodman Classic.
            The multis portion of the event begins at 12:30 p.m. on Wednesday with the second day of multis action beginning at 10 a.m. on Thursday. The track and field events are all on Saturday and begin at 11 a.m.
            The Shocker Pre-State Challenge, which is the high school meet that accompanies KT Woodman, is set for Thursday and Friday.
 
FOLLOW THE MEET
            Fans can follow along with updates on Twitter @GoShockersTFXC. A full recap of each day will be posted on Twitter, Facebook and GoShockers.com.
            A live results link will be posted on GoShockers.com when it is made available.
            Fans are welcome in the East stands at Cessna Stadium for track events during the college portion and there is a designated area for fans by the throws area.
            Admission to the KT Woodman multis portion on Wednesday and Thursday is free. Tickets for Saturday's portion are $5 (cash only) for adults and free for children 3 years of age and under.
            Tickets for the all portions of the Shocker Pre-State Challenge are $5 (cash only) for adults and students and free for children 3 years of age and under.
 
Meet Schedule
            The KT Woodman multis portion will take place on Wednesday and Thursday. Wednesday's action kicks off the week at 12:30 p.m. Thursday concludes the multis portion and begins at 10 a.m. Saturday's track and field events start at 11 a.m.
            The Shocker Pre-State Challenge kicks off at 5 p.m. on Thursday. Friday's high school meet starts at 10 a.m.
 
Last Time Out
            The Shockers hosted the Wichita State Open on Saturday and saw a school record go down for the third week in a row.
            Michael Bryan broke the men's hammer throw record for the third consecutive week. He tossed the hammer 70.15m/230-2 to break the 70-meter mark and break his own school record.
            Dowdy Elazarig impressed in the long jump. He jumped    7.38m/24-2.50 for a new personal best and an individual event victory. Elazarig's mark is second in the conference and in the top 70 in the NCAA.
            Yazmine Wright doubled in the 800 and 1,500 meters. She won the 800 meters with a new personal best of 2:10.85. She also finished the 1,500 meters in 4:23.33 after starting the race as a rabbit.
 
Director of Track and Field and Cross Country Steve Rainbolt on the Meet
On having KT Woodman back after last year's meet was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic
"Having track and field in the spring time is really wonderful. I'm happy for the high school athletes, college athletes and the Shocker track and field team. It's an exciting time to get back to spring track and field. Last year, spring track and field in the United States didn't happen for the first time in about 125 years. I heard it was the first time in 125 years that the Penn Relays didn't happen. That's a heck of a long time. It's a tradition in our country, in Wichita and the state of Kansas to have spring track and field for both the high school athletes and the college athletes. It means the world to be back. It's been a huge part of my life since I was a high school freshman."
 
On how historic this event is
"There have been times where it has been a really great event and other years the weather has been disruptive, but any way you slice it, it's a spring track and field carnival with a lot of high school athletes and a large number of college athletes. We've got some post-collegians that come and have had wonderful performances over the years. This is a great track and field extravaganza."
 
On having the first multi-event competition of the season
"It's very important. In Shocker track and field, we're dealing with some injuries that make it tough. We're going to be well-represented at the American Athletic Conference Championships in the decathlon. Not at this meet. On the women's side, we've got a couple of girls who I'm excited to see what they can do in Anna Heacock and Maria Romero. The first heptathlon competition in two years. It's really exciting."
 
Some of the Best in the West 
            The West Region is filled with talent across the track, and Wichita State is in position to compete with some of the nation's best at the West Regional.
            The qualification standard for the regional meets have moved from 48 qualifiers to 32 qualifiers. A top-32 mark in the region shrinks the field, but the Shockers would still have seven regional qualifiers if the season were to end today.
            Zack Penrod (1,500 meters), Winny Koskei (10,000 meters), Ethan Kossover (3,000-meter steeplechase), Rebekah Topham (3,000-meter steeplechase), Nicole McMillen (3,000-meter steeplechase), Michael Bryan (hammer throw) and Taran Taylor (javelin) would represent the Shockers in College Station.
            Expect the Shockers to expand their regional qualification roster by year's end. 
 
If Mike Had a Hammer
            Michael Bryan had a fantastic indoor season to kick off 2021. In the first pair of outdoor competitions, he has picked up right where he left off.
            Bryan's 2021 outdoor debut featured a school-record mark in the men's hammer throw. 
            Saturday at the Wichita State Open, Bryan broke his own record again. He tossed the hammer 70.15m/230-2 to put his name atop the Shockers' performance list in the hammer throw.
            Bryan improved his own school record at the Hayward Premiere. He won the first event at Hayward Field post-renovation with a toss of 68.54m/224-10.
            Bryan now holds the Shocker record for two events. He broke the indoor weight throw record during the indoor season. Bryan's mark of 21.17m/69-5.50 leads the way in the weight throw.
            Bryan's hammer throw performance was one of the country's best.
            His mark comes in at No. 6 in the country, No. 2 in the West region and No. 1 in the American Athletic Conference.
            Could Bryan break his own school record again this weekend?
 
Return of the Jav
            After a year off due to the COVID-19 pandemic, javelin is back.
            The Shockers have two of the best javelin crews in the nation.
            The men's javelin group was ranked fifth in the second week of #EventSquad Rankings of the outdoor season and the women's javelin throwers were ranked 16th.
            Taran Taylor returns after a three-year hiatus due to a combination of injuries and the COVID-19 pandemic. He already has the 23rd-best mark in the nation after three weekends of competition.
            Kendra Henry has the No. 72 mark in the nation, but leads the way for a group filled with javelin specialists.
            Look for Shockers on the podium at the conference meet and lining the Regional heat sheets in the javelin.
 
Shockers in the National Ranks
            The Shocker currently have 17 top-100 NCAA marks, seven of which are in the top 50.
            Zack Penrod: No. 48 in the 1,500 meters - 3:43.64
            Winny Koskei: No. 28 in the 10,000 meters - 34:12.23
            Ethan Kossover: No. 33 in the 3,000-meter steeplechase - 9:01.42
            Rebekah Topham: No. 10 in the 3,000-meter steeplechase - 10:04.38
            Nicole McMillen: No. 46 in the 3,000-meter steeplechase - 10:32.45
            Michael Bryan: No. 6 in the hammer throw - 70.15m/230-2
            Taran Taylor: No. 23 in the javelin - 69.14m/226-10
 
WEATHER REPORT
Wichita , Kansas
Cessna Stadium
- Wednesday: Partly Cloudy; High of 63°; 6% chance of rain; NE winds at 12 mph
- Thursday: Cloudy; High of 59°; 15% chance of rain; ENE winds at 10 mph
- Friday: Rain; High of 47°; 94% chance of rain; NE winds at 16 mph
- Saturday: Mostly Cloudy; High of 53°; 13% chance of rain; NNW winds at 17 mph