The Basics
            The Shocker track and field teams return for a home meet on Saturday after a handful of athletes went to Eugene, Oregon, for the Hayward Premiere and the rest of the roster was off.
            Cessna Stadium will play host for the second time this year. The Shockers have four home meets on the schedule in 2021.
 
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 and there is a designated area for fans by the throws area.
 
Meet Schedule
            The Wichita State Open is a one-day meet and takes place on Saturday inside of Cessna Stadium.
            Action kicks off at Noon with the hammer throw competitions. Running events are set to begin at 3 p.m. with the 4X100-meter relays. A distance carnival will begin at 7:30 p.m. with the 3,000-meter steeplechase races.
 
Last Time Out
            The Shockers sent select athletes to help open up the new Hayward Field at the Hayward Premiere.
            Michael Bryan improved his own school record in the hammer throw, winning the first event at Hayward Field post-renovation with a toss of 68.54m/224-10.
            Bryan's mark broke the school record for the second consecutive week. His toss also comes in at No. 7 in the country and No. 2 in the American Athletic Conference.
            Rebekah Topham opened up her season in the 3,000-meter steeplechase where she has aim on a second straight All-America honor in the event in her sights.
            Topham finished fourth in an elite field in Eugene, Oregon. She crossed the line in 10:04.38. Her time is No. 7 in the country and leads the American Athletic Conference by seven seconds.
            Zack Penrod ran in the 1,500 meters and threw down a top-25 time in the nation. 
            Penrod took second in his heat and finished with a time of 3:43.64 for No. 22 in the country. He also leads the conference in the 1,500 meters.
            Jed Helker (1,500), Ethan Kossover (3,000-meter steeplechase) and Yazmine Wright (1,500) all set new personal bests at Hayward Field.
 
Assistant Director of Track and Field and Cross Country John Wise on the Meet
On how the off week was for most of the team
"Obviously, some people went to Oregon and that was great for them to hopefully get qualifying marks for the NCAA West Regional. Indoor this year, we didn't really have an off week like this, and we kind of struggled the second week, so it made sense for us to take an off week last week. I think it was good to have had a meet and see where we're at, but also have two weeks to improve on those things. There's nothing like a track meet to help you figure out what you need to do better. Practice was good. I think now everyone is zeroing in on the next couple of weeks at home here to improve their performances. The next two weeks are important for a lot of people."
 
On staying motivated when athletes have been competing since January, but are still so far from the conference meet
"For freshmen it's tough. Freshmen have never had an indoor season like that, so you take a break and then start back up again. It's tough for freshmen, so we're just trying to manage them and keep them healthy. For upperclassmen, they're just kind of getting going. Because the end of the track season has a wide variance depending on if you're done before the conference meet or you compete at the Olympic Trials, it depends. For kids looking at the NCAA meet, it's glorified time trials and it's really early. For some people, we've only got a few weeks left. That's the good thing about being at home. We get to have everyone compete and don't have a travel limit. With an athlete like Antonio Norman who had a small injury after indoors, we can manage that and take our time because he should be around later in the season. For some people, there's more urgency, for others it's putting in the work right now. That's the thing about track, we're all managing different phases at the same time."
 
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. 
            He tossed the hammer 66.72m/218-11 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. 7 in the country, No. 3 in the West region and No. 2 in the American Athletic Conference.
            Could Bryan break his own school record again this weekend?
 
Making a Splash
            One of the best steeplechase duos in the country wears the Black and Yellow.
            All-American Rebekah Topham and Division II All-American Nicole McMillen are both primed for excellent steeplechase seasons for the Shockers.
            Topham finished fourth at the Hayward Premiere and McMillen took seventh in the same race.
            Topham's time of 10:04.38 ranks seventh in the nation and McMillen's time of 10:32.45 is No. 35 in the nation so far this season.
            Topham and McMillen are the best one-two punch in the American in the steeplechase and are on of the best in the country.
            The Shocker duo is one of just 10 schools in the country to have two or more women ranked in the top 50 of the steeplechase so far this season.
            Topham and McMillen figure to be on the podium at the AAC Outdoor meet in May.
 
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 sixth in the first #EventSquad Rankings of the outdoor season and the women's javelin throwers were ranked 14th.
            Taran Taylor returns after a three-year hiatus due to a combination of injuries and the COVID-19 pandemic. He already has the 21st-best mark in the nation after two weekends of competition.
            Kendra Henry has the No. 66 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 15 top-100 NCAA marks, seven of which are in the top 50.
            Zack Penrod: No. 23 in the 1,500 meters - 3:43.64
            Winny Koskei: No. 26 in the 10,000 meters - 34:12.23
            Ethan Kossover: No. 25 in the 3,000-meter steeplechase - 9:01.42
            Rebekah Topham: No. 7 in the 3,000-meter steeplechase - 10:04.38
            Nicole McMillen: No. 35 in the 3,000-meter steeplechase - 10:32.45
            Michael Bryan: No. 7 in the hammer throw - 68.54m/224-10
            Taran Taylor: No. 21 in the javelin - 69.14m/226-10
 
WEATHER REPORT
Wichita , Kansas
Cessna Stadium
Saturday: Sunny; High of 69°; 7% chance of rain; NW winds at 13 mph