MANHATTAN, Kan. – With a little over two weeks until the Big 12 Championship, athletes on the Kansas State track and field team will look to bolster their résumés as they head to Des Moines, Iowa, for the 108th edition of the historic Drake Relays beginning on Thursday.

The team will also send a handful of athletes to compete at the Kip Janvrin Open, hosted by Simpson College at Buxton Stadium in Indianola, Iowa.

“The weather does not look ideal, but this will be a great competition for us,” Director of Track and Field and Cross Country Cliff Rovelto said. “They do a wonderful job of putting this meet on. We are running a lot of relays this week, many of which we do not get the opportunity to run very often. The middle-distance athletes will have fun as they will be very competitive in many of the relays. It is just a great event.”

The Wildcats will be making their first trip to Des Moines for the historic meet in three seasons, having not competed at the Drake Relays since 2014. Former Wildcat Sara Savatovic recorded the team’s only win at that meet, recording an event-best toss of 60.53m/198-07.00 in the hammer throw.

The women’s DMR squad, which consisted of current Wildcat Marija Stambolic and former Wildcats Erica Twiss, Sonia Gaskin and Mary Frances Donnelly, also left a mark on K-State history at the 2014 meet, taking seventh in the race with a time of 11:33.01. The time is still the sixth-fastest DMR run in program history.

Thursday’s competition is slated to begin at 6 p.m. with the women’s unseeded 800-meter run, while Friday’s action will begin at 9:32 a.m. with the 100-meter hurdles prelims. Saturday’s competition is expected to begin at 9:00 a.m. with the women’s hammer throw and men’s discus throw.

More information on this season’s Drake Relays, including a complete schedule and start lists, can be found on the meet’s homepage here. Live results will also be provided throughout the entire meet and can be found here.

The contingent heading to the Kip Janvrin Open, made up of 11 student-athletes, will open up competition at 2 p.m. on Friday afternoon. More information on the meet can be found here.

For the latest on K-State track and field follow @kstatesports and @KStateTFXC on Twitter or Kansas State Track & Field/Cross Country on Facebook.

MANHATTAN, Kan. – Kansas State head coach Bruce Weber announced the signing of junior college forward Makol Mawien (West Valley City, Utah/New Mexico Junior College) to a National Letter of Intent on Tuesday.

A 6-foot-9, 220-pound forward, Mawien originally signed with Utah out of Granger High School in West Valley City, Utah in 2014 before redshirting the 2015-16 season and opting to transfer to New Mexico Junior College in Hobbs, N.M., in 2016. He will have three years of eligibility remaining when he starts at K-State this summer.

“We are excited to add a versatile big man like Makol to our program,” said Weber. “He fills an immediate need for a veteran player who has experience at not only the community college level but at Division I while at Utah. He has the length and athleticism to play the 5-spot, but also has the ability to shoot from long range to help us at the 4. He was a highly-regarded player out of high school who we think will be a huge complement to our team.”

Coached by Brian Lohrey at New Mexico Junior College, Mawien led the team in four categories, including rebounding (5.8 rpg.) and blocked shots (2.0 bpg.), as the Thunderbirds posted a 19-11 overall record in 2016-17. He averaged 8.7 points on 49.2 percent shooting (94-of-191), including 41.2 percent (17-of-41) from 3-point range, while playing in 29 games with 25 starts. He also led the team in 3-point field goal percentage and was second in overall field goal percentage, while placing fourth in scoring average. His 59 blocked shots accounted for more than 40 percent of the team’s total.

Mawien scored in double figures 13 times in his lone season with the Thunderbirds, including a season-high 20 points vs. New Mexico Military Institute on November 5 while he twice posted double-doubles. His most impressive game of the season came in a win over Eastfield College on January 3 where he nearly tallied a triple-double with 14 points, a season-high 17 rebounds and a season-best 9 blocked shots.

A member of the Rivals150 for 2015, Mawien originally signed with Utah out of high school over scholarship offers from BYU and Gonzaga. He redshirted his only season with the Utes in 2015-16 where he went up against All-American and Pac-12 Player of the Year Jakob Poeltl in practice. Utah won 27 games, including 13 in Pac-12 play, and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament in his lone season in Salt Lake City.

Mawien averaged 18.4 points and 9.7 rebounds as a senior at Granger High School in 2014-15, where he earned Second Team All-Class 5A honors from both USA Today and The Deseret News. He scored more than 1,000 points and 500 rebounds in his prep career, as he led the Lancers in both scoring and rebounding his final two seasons.

Mawien was born in Egypt before moving to the United States at a young age.

Mawien is the fourth member of the 2017 Signing Class, joining the Fall Signing Class of Mike McGuirl (Ellington, Conn./East Catholic), Nigel Shadd (Chandler, Ariz./Tri-City Christian) and Levi Stockard III (St. Louis, Mo./Vashon).

The Wildcats have one more scholarship remaining for the 2017-18 season.

Makol Mawien (muh-CALL may-WEEN)

6-9 // 220 // F

West Valley City, Utah // Originally from Egypt

Community College: New Mexico Junior College (coached by Brian Lohrey)

High School: Granger (coached by Kurt Schneider)

AAU: Utah Prospects (coached by Lynn Lloyd)

Primary Recruiter: Chester Frazier

Bio:

• A transfer from New Mexico Junior College in Hobbs, N.M., where he played his sophomore season in 2016-17 for head coach Brian Lohrey.
• Helped the Thunderbirds to a 19-11 overall record, including a fifth-place finish in Region 5 play with a 7-9 mark, in 2016-17… Played alongside two other Division I signees, including Shawn Olden (TCU) and Roosevelt Smart (North Texas).
• Averaged 8.7 points on 49.2 percent shooting (94-of-191), including 41.2 percent (17-of-41) from 3-point range, with 5.8 rebounds, 2.0 blocks and 0.6 assists in averaging 14.8 minutes per game… Played in 29 games with 25 starts… Connected on 65.3 percent (47-of-72) from the free throw line.
• Led the Thunderbirds in 3-point field goal percentage (41.2), rebounding (168), defensive rebounds (128) and blocked shots (59) and was second in field goal percentage and offensive rebounds (40)… He ranked fourth in scoring average.
• Scored in double figures 13 times as a sophomore, including a season-high of 20 points vs. New Mexico Military Institute (11/5/16) on 8-of-16 shooting from the field.
• Twice posted a double-double (points/rebounds), including a near triple-double in a win over Eastfield College (1/3/17) with 14 points, a season-high 17 points and 9 blocked shots… Also tallied a double-double with 19 points and 12 rebounds vs. Howard College (1/30/17).
• Registered double-digit rebounds twice, while he grabbed at least 8 rebounds on 6 other occasions.
• Totaled at least 3 blocked shots in 8 contests, including a season-high 9 vs. Eastfield College (1/3/17).
• Spent a redshirt season at Utah in 2015-16 playing for head coach Larry Krystkowiak… The Utes finished the season with a 27-9 record, including a 13-5 mark in Pac-12 play, advancing to the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
• Signed with Utah out of Granger High School in West Valley City, Utah after receiving offers from BYU, Boston College, Gonzaga and Utah State… Picked the Utes over BYU and Gonzaga.
• Rated as one of the top high school players at his position in the state of Utah by a number of recruiting outlets… Ranked No. 148 on the final Rivals150 and No. 160 on the final 247Sports rankings in 2015.
• Participated in the LeBron James Skills Academy (one of only 77 high school players) and Nike Big Man Camps in the summer of 2014.
• Selected second team Class 5A All-State team by both USA Today and The Deseret News as a senior in 2014-15, while he was an honorable mention pick as a junior in 2013-14.
• Totaled 1,026 points, 541 rebounds, 79 assists and 58 steals in his high school career (84 games).
• Averaged 18.4 points, 9.7 rebounds, 1.1 assists and 0.8 steals per game as a senior in 2014-15.
• Led the Lancers in scoring and rebounding as a senior, while his scoring and rebounding averages ranked 8^thand 4^th, respectively, inn Class 5A.
• Scored in double figures in 18 of 23 games played with 11 20-point games and 3 30-point games… Scored a season-high 33 points vs. West (1/13/15).
• Tallied 13 double-doubles (points/rebounds) in 23 games played.
• Registered double-digit rebounds 16 times, including a season-high 15 vs. Manti (12/3/14).
• Averaged 16.1 points, 6.7 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 1.0 steals per game as a junior in 2013-14.
• Led the team in both scoring and rebounding as a junior.
• Was born in Egypt before moving to the U.S. at a young age and taking up basketball in the third grade.

New Mexico Junior College Head Coach Brian Lohrey:

““Makol is a 6-foot-9, power forward type of player who has an all-around solid skill set. He has the ability to score down low over his left shoulder as well as go out and shoot the 3. He dribbles well for a player his size and loves to get out in transition. He has a great body that can take 20 or more pounds of muscle.”

MANHATTAN, Kan. – Scott Eilert, a 25-year member of the K-State Football staff as the director of video services, will be inducted into the Collegiate Sports Video Association (CSVA) Hall of Fame during its annual award banquet on May 18, the organization has announced.

Eilert, only the seventh college inductee into the Hall of Fame, has played a vital role in the success of the Wildcat football program by coordinating and implementing the use of video technology for practices and games, as well as managing statistical analysis tools for the coaching staff to use in game strategy preparation.

“The coaching video industry has some great technology innovators and fantastic men and women. It’s a pleasant surprise to have been selected by my peers to receive this honor,” Eilert said. “It has been a dream come true working for my alma mater’s football program for a legendary head coach during some of the most successful and certainly most memorable moments in K-State football history.”

Eilert also produces numerous weekly highlight videos and manages all content for the annual K-State Football Awards Ceremony. The department’s video production work load for the 2016 season included over 200 individual video sequences including content for @KStateFB as Eilert was the host of “Wildcats in the League,” a twice weekly program highlighting K-State Football’s success at the NFL Level.

“We are all so very happy for Scott Eilert’s recent national award,” head coach Bill Snyder said. “Scott has been an amazing part of any successes we have had over the past two decades. He is a great teammate, loyal, dedicated, innovative, meticulous and a hard worker. He is a person of values and a wonderful family man. We’re truly proud of him.”

In addition to his work assisting the coaching staff and promoting the program, Eilert has also played a major role in the upgrades and improvement of facilities around Bill Snyder Family Stadium, providing audio/visual consultation for the West Stadium Center, while he was directly involved with audio/visual integration for the Vanier Family Football Complex featuring A/V technology supporting the needs of the football players and coaching staff as well as Vanier Complex guests.

A native of Overland Park, Kansas, Eilert was a founding member of CSVA and former executive board member. He has been named Big 12 Conference Video Coordinator of the Year four times, most recently in 2014-15, while he was selected as the National Video Coordinator of the Year for the 1998-99 athletics season. Eilert has won multiple SAVVY awards for his work in production, winning the top honor for Motivational videos in 2001 and 2003, while his 2010 submission in the Highlight category placed second.

A 1991 K-State graduate in Mass Communications, Eilert spent three years as K-State’s assistant video director while an undergraduate student. He also spent one year as a video assistant with the Kansas City Chiefs in addition to working for the Kansas City ABC affiliate, KMBC. He and his wife, Meggan, have two daughters, MaKenna and Hailey.