Kansas State Track and Field Set to Host DeLoss Dodds Invitational at Cliff Rovelto Indoor Track

K-State Track and Field Hosts DeLoss Dodds Invitational

Kansas State Track and Field sophomore Mikah Scott | Evert Nelson/The Capital-Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

As the indoor track and field season reaches a defining point, Manhattan, Kansas, is set to take center stage. Kansas State will host the DeLoss Dodds Invitational on January 30–31 at the Cliff Rovelto Indoor Track. They will be welcoming one of the most competitive and unique meets of the indoor calendar.

Kansas State Enters as a National Contender

Kansas State arrives at its home invitational riding serious momentum. Following the release of the first USTFCCCA national poll of the season, the Wildcat men are ranked No. 3 in the nation with 107.85 points, trailing only Tennessee and Georgia. The women’s program has also made a strong early impression, opening the season at No. 34 nationally.

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The DeLoss Dodds Invitational will feature multiple ranked programs. That includes the No. 6 Oklahoma men, No. 19 Baylor women, and No. 27 Air Force men.

Friday night will elevate the meet beyond traditional collegiate competition. From 7–9 p.m., the Cliff Rovelto Indoor Track will host a World Athletics Indoor Tour stop.

The two-hour window will feature four sponsored competitions: the women’s pole vault, men’s high jump, women’s long jump, and men’s long jump. Olympic medalists, world champions, and NCAA champions are set to compete, bringing global attention to Manhattan.

Fans will see world-class athletes such as Shelby McEwen in the men’s high jump, Claire Bryant in the women’s long jump, and Jasmine Moore in the women’s triple jump.

While international stars headline Friday night, Kansas State’s men enter the weekend intent on continuing their dominance in the field events. According to the latest TFRRS qualifying lists, the Wildcats boast extraordinary depth, especially in the triple jump.

Kansas State currently owns three of the top five triple jump marks in the nation. Sophomore Selva Prabhu ranks No. 2 with a jump of 16.49 meters, junior Trevon Hamer follows closely at No. 3 with 16.42 meters, and junior Aaron Antoine sits at No. 4 at 16.40 meters.

Freshman Alan Hanna is tied for the No. 1 high jump clearance nationally at 2.25 meters. In the long jump, junior Tah Chikomba enters among the nation’s elite with a mark of 7.83 meters. The weight throw has also been a strength, led by seniors Gary Moore Jr. at 23.14 meters and Kade McCall at 22.41 meters.

Momentum from a Historic Season Opener

Kansas State’s confidence is backed by results. At the season-opening Thane Baker Invitational on January 16, the Wildcats delivered one of the most productive meets in program history. Eight Wildcats earned event victories, and two school records were broken.

Gary Moore Jr. highlighted the meet by breaking his own school record in the weight throw with a mark of 23.14 meters. He eclipsed his previous best from the Big 12 Championships by 18 inches. On the track, senior Vanessa Mercera returned to competition for the first time since May 2024 and immediately set a new school record in the 400 meters at 53.04 seconds.

The DeLoss Dodds Invitational begins Friday morning with the multi-events. The women’s pentathlon starts at 10:45 a.m. with the 60-meter hurdles, followed by the men’s heptathlon 60-meter dash at 11 a.m. Open field events begin at 3:45 p.m. with the women’s weight throw, while track action starts at 4:15 p.m. with the women’s 800 meters.

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