:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/66234996/usa_today_10852302.0.jpg)
Let’s get the less-than-good news out of the way first. The basketball teams (yes, both of them) had a disappointing weekend.
The Kansas State men lost to West Virginia 66-57 in Morgantown. The ‘Eers needed 19-6 run in the second half to pull away from the Wildcats. Kansas State is now 2-6 in the Big 12. As Luke Sobba notes, West Virginia was solid on defense on a day when the Wildcats could only throw up bricks.
The women were their own brand of unlucky, losing to TCU 65-61. The Wildcats even had a late lead, but it was not to be, as the Horned Frogs put the game away in the waning minutes. It was a banner day for Peyton Williams though, who had a school record 22 boards in the game.
lt was at the Razorback Invitational that Kansas State tasted some weekend success. In a packed field featuring some of the best programs in the country, the Wildcats had notable success in several events.
Lauren Taubert took first place in the pentathlon with 4352 points. That total is the sixth-best in the meet’s history, and also fourth best all-time in school history. She took a narrow lead after the first two events, set personal best marks in the first four events, and never looked back as she ran out ahead of the field.
Colin Echols joined Taubert in the winner’s circle, taking gold in men’s weight throw.
In the heptathlon, Edgaras Benkunskas and Aaron Booth finished in sixth and seventh place respectively. Benkunskas scored a total of 5,631 points, good for eighth all-time at Kansas State.
The Wildcats also scored a number of podium finishes on the track. Notable performances included Ethan Powell (3rd, men’s 3000m), Hadley Splechter (3rd, men’s mile), and Travis Hodge (4th, men’s 800m).
Up next, the two track and field teams will travel to South Carolina for the South Carolina Invitational.
Finally, the tennis team is in action today at the Mike Goss Tennis Center in Manhattan, taking on Missouri at noon. The Wildcats are coming off a 5-2 victory over Wichita State yesterday, including singles wins for Maria Linares, Anna Turco, Margot Decker, and Rosanna Maffei. Linares teamed up with Ioana Gheorghita to take one doubles match, while Ines Mesquita and Karine-Marion Job took the doubles point by winning their match.