Jones leading heptathlon field at NCAAs

BracketCat's countdown is now in full swing. We're less than 85 days from kickoff, and we mark the occasion with a profile of #85 tight end Trace Kochevar.

Three days of competition at the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships in Eugene have gone by, and Kansas State athletes have collected their share of honors. Cementing our status as High Jump U, Christoff Bryan took second place in the men's high jump with a mark of 2.22m and earned first-team All-American status as a result. It was his second-best jump of the season, and the best performance by a Wildcat since Erik Kynard's title in 2013. Bryan could have taken first if he'd cleared the bar on his final jump. Teammate Thilina Karunaratne cleared 2.02m to finish in 18th place in his first-ever NCAA Championships.

The men finished the competition in a tie for 26th place with nine points total. The women are currently in eighth place with eight points (all from Sara Savatovic and her second place finish in hammer throw).

Meanwhile, Akela Jones just does Akela Jones things. Defending her heptathlon title from 2015 and in what could be the strongest NCAA heptathlon field ever, Jones took second in the 100m hurdles with a sprint of 13.10s, good for second place behind a lightning quick race from Georgia's Kendell Williams, who set a new collegiate record with a time of 12.83s. She edged closer to the lead after tying for second with a high jump mark of 1.81m. A monster effort in the shot put, a throw of 14.75m, put Jones in first place, and she kept the lead with a win in the 200m race with a time of 23.73s. Her first day total of 3,951 points, while not quite the record setting pace of 2015, put her ahead of Williams by 141 points.

Jones will wrap up the remaining heptathlon events today, while teammates Kim Williamson (high jump) and Shadae Lawrence (discus throw) will also be in action.

You can follow the action as it happens HERE or by tracking the #KStateTF hashtag on Twitter.