MANHATTAN, Kan. – Five current and/or former Kansas State track and field athletes will vie for a chance at the Tokyo Olympic games with a trip to historic Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon for the U.S. Olympic Team Trials, which are set for Friday, June 18 through Sunday, June 27.
The list of athletes includes rising senior Ashley Latimer (women’s shot put), recent graduates Ashley Petr (women’s discus), Jah Strange (men’s triple jump), Logan Wolfley (men’s javelin) and two-time Olympian and 2012 London Olympic gold medalist Erik Kynard (men’s high jump).
The 10-day Olympic Trials will begin on Friday with a full slate of running and field events, including Petr in the qualifying round of the women’s discus at 6 p.m., CT. As many as three Wildcats could be action on Saturday beginning with Wolfley in the qualifying round of the men’s javelin at 4:15 p.m., CT, followed by Strange in the qualifying round of the men’s triple jump at 7:15 p.m., CT and Petr in the finals of the discus at 8:42 p.m., CT.
If either advance, Strange and/or Wolfley would be action on Monday, June 21 in the finals of their respective events with Wolfley in the javelin starting at 6:15 p.m., CT, followed by Strange in the triple jump at 6:40 p.m., CT.
After a two-day break in the competition, Latimer begins the qualifying round of the women’s shot put at 3:30 p.m., on Thursday, June 24 with the finals in the event set for later in the day at 10 p.m., CT.
Kynard will begin his journey to a third Olympics in the men’s high jump on Friday, June 25 with the qualifying round set for 5 p.m., CT, while the finals are set for Sunday, June 27 at 3:30 p.m. CT.
For Latimer, Petr and Wolfley, the surroundings will be familiar, as each just finished their respective collegiate seasons at the NCAA Championships at Hayward Field with All-America performances.
A native of Valley Center, Kansas, Latimer finished 13th in the shot put with a throw of 16.82m/55-02.25 to earn All-America accolades in the event in consecutive NCAA Championships (2019 and 2021). She collected her second straight Big 12 title in the event on May 15 with a season-best mark of 17.73m/58-02.
Petr is coming off a top-15 finish in the discus at the NCAA Outdoor Championships, in which, the Hastings, Nebraska native, earned All-America honors for the first time in her career. Her toss of 54.34m/178-03 came on her third and final attempt to finish in 15th place to secure Second Team honors.
The Big 12 champion in the javelin, Wolfley recently finished his K-State career at the NCAA Championships, where he finished 15th with a throw of 67.59m/221-9 to collect Second Team All-America honors. A native of Silver Lake, Kansas, he broke the school record with a toss of 73.08m/239-09 to become the first-ever Wildcat to win the javelin at the conference championship.
Strange, who competed in just one season after transferring from Purdue, narrowly missed a trip to the NCAA Championships in the triple jump with a 14th-place finish at the NCAA West Regional on May 28. His best leap of
15.95m/52-04 came on his final attempt, missing qualifying by a mere foot. He was the Big 12 runner-up in the event with a near season-best mark of 16.21m/53-02.25 on May 16.
An Olympian in the high jump in London (2012) and Rio de Janeiro (2016), Kynard will attempt to make the Games for a third time at the Trials. A silver medalist in London, his medal was recently upgraded to gold after a disqualification, while he finished sixth in 2016. He jumped 2.30m/7-06.50 at the Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista, California on April 3.
Schedule of Events
Friday, June 18
6:00 pm – Ashley Petr, Women’s Discus (qualifying)
Saturday, June 19
4:15 pm – Logan Wolfley, Men’s Javelin (qualifying)
7:15 pm – Jah Strange, Men’s Triple Jump (qualifying)
8:42 pm – *Ashley Petr, Women’s Discus (finals)
Monday, June 21
6:15 pm – *Logan Wolfley, Men’s Javelin (finals)
6:40 pm – *Jah Strange, Men’s Triple Jump (finals)
Thursday, June 24
3:30 pm – Taylor Latimer, Women’s Shot Put (qualifying)
10:00 pm – *Taylor Latimer, Women’s Shot Put (finals)
Friday, June 25
5:00 pm – Erik Kynard, Men’s High Jump (qualifying)
Sunday, June 27
3:30 pm – Erik Kynard, Men’s High Jump (finals)
For the latest on K-State Track and Field follow @kstatesports and @KStateTFXC on Twitter or Kansas State Track & Field/Cross Country on Facebook.