The Kansas State men's track and field team has claimed the top spot in the NCAA rankings for the second week of the indoor season, marking the first No. 1 ranking for any K-State sport in 14 years. The women's team rose 19 spots to No. 15. This achievement follows strong performances at the DeLoss Dodds Invitational.
The USTFCCCA national poll, released on Tuesday, placed the Kansas State men's track and field team at No. 1 with 142.93 points, up two spots from the previous week. They surpassed Tennessee at No. 2 (130.10 points) and Oregon at No. 3 (124.17 points). This is the first time a K-State team has reached No. 1 since the football team in the BCS standings in November 2012, and the coaches' poll in 1998.
Head coach Travis Geopfert expressed pride in the program: “Obviously, it’s exciting for the program and the K-State community. I’m proud of everyone within our program. We’re just going to keep focusing on the process and have fun doing it.”
The men's team excelled in event squad rankings, topping the long and triple jumps, placing third in high jump, and fifth in weight throw. In triple jump, sophomore Selva Prabhu (16.63 meters), juniors Trevon Hamer (16.47 meters) and Aaron Antoine (16.40 meters), and senior Jhavor Bennett (15.73 meters) averaged 16.31 meters. The long jump group, including junior Tah Chikomba (8.09 meters), averaged 7.73 meters. High jump featured freshman Alan Hanna, senior Devin Loudermilk, Mattix DaCunha, and freshman Dorian Charles at 2.09 meters average. Weight throw averaged 20.11 meters with seniors Gary Moore Jr. and Kade McCall, and juniors Ricardo Hayles and Riley Marx.
The women's team jumped to No. 15 with 60.30 points, the third-highest in the Big 12 behind BYU and Texas Tech. They ranked No. 2 in high, long, and triple jumps. Note that one report placed the women at No. 19, but the detailed poll confirms No. 15.
These rankings follow the Wildcats' hosting of the DeLoss Dodds Invitational on January 30-31, where multiple men achieved top-10 NCAA and world marks. The team next competes at the Tyson Invitational in Fayetteville, Arkansas, on February 13-14.
