SLATE: Wildcats in action tonight at NCAA Outdoor

It’s time for the last of your Kansas State Wildcats to compete in the 2020-21 school year as official representatives of K-State, as the 2021 NCAA Outdoor Championships begin today from historic Hayward Field in Eugene, OR. From today, June 9th, through Friday, June 12th, thirteen Wildcats will be competing for their shot at an individual NCAA title, and maybe just a few with sights set on the bigger goal of competing in Tokyo later this summer at the Olympics.

Logan Wolfley, who earned his spot after winning the Big 12 title and NCAA West Region title in men’s javelin, and Jullane Walker, in his second appearance at the outdoor championships in men’s long jump, are the first Wildcats in action. Wolfley’s event starts at 8:15pm CT and Walker’s at 8:30pm CT, and both events should be able to be seen on WatchESPN, and possibly on ESPNU/2 as they will have live broadcast of events at 8pm CT tonight.

Staying on the national stage, a group of four K-State women’s basketball players are headed to Springfield, MA to compete in the 2021 Red Bull USA Basketball 3X Nationals. The event, held on June 12th & 13th at the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, is a 3-on-3 tournament, and will serve as the final evaluation for Team USA’s women’s 3x3 team for the Olympic games this summer. The group of Cats (Ayoka Lee, Rachel Ranke, Cymone Goodrich, and Emilee Ebert) qualified for the event by winning the 2019 Red Bull USA Basketball 3X East Region title. During the 2019 regional, K-State won its pool and then cruised to wins in the semifinals and finals to capture the regional crown at Queens College in New York City. The 2020 Nationals were postponed last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and moved, duh, to 2021. Preliminary round games are on Saturday, then teams will be seeded based on those results for the knockout round on Sunday. It does not appear the event will be televised/streamed.

If you’ve never seen it, 3x3 basketball is quite a bit different from the “traditional” game, and looks more like a rec-league game as it is played on a half court with a 10-minute clock and a 12-second shot clock, and the first team to 21 points, or the team in the lead at the end of regulation, is the winner. Shots are worth one and two points instead of two and three, and the ball is always in play (no in-bounds).

The BatCats might have been inconsistent on the field, but they were very consistent in the classroom, as a program-record 17 student-athletes were included on the 2021 Academic All-Big 12 Baseball Teams, including 15 on the 1st Team. That list includes star pitcher, and future first-round draft pick, Jordan Wicks, who picked up second team honors.

After a full week of recruiting visits, social media has exploded with pictures of recruits on campuses, and that’s just as true for K-State football where fun pics include pictures under the lights at Bill Snyder Family Stadium, posing with Taylor Braet’s purple Jeep, and lounging in the barber chair in Vanier Football Complex.