K-State Slate: Coaching Changes and Athletic Highlights

Welcome Back to the Sunday Slate!

Editors note: Due to login and scheduling issues, this Slate from Sunday is being posted on Monday. It's not April Fools Day just yet!

The Sunday Slate is back! Based on the famous Confucian admonition, we may be living in interesting times, but at least there's plenty to discuss in the realm of Kansas State athletics.

Men's Basketball

Let's just jump right into the purple elephant in the room: the men's basketball team has a coach again. Last Friday, the athletic department announced that Belmont's Casey Alexander has taken on the role. He will make his first formal appearance at a press conference today in Bramlage Coliseum.

Alexander's contract spans five years, beginning at $3.3 million, accompanied by a $50,000 annual raise. A solid mid-major coach since 2011, his tenure includes six conference titles. His most recent Belmont team tragically lost the Missouri Valley Conference title game to Drake but impressively turned down an NIT bid after losing their head coach. The expectation is set high for K-State under Alexander's guidance.

Women's Basketball

The women's team showed resilience during the Big 12 Basketball Tournament, making noteworthy strides before ultimately losing to TCU in the semifinals. This impressive run seems likely to lead to a bid to play in the WBIT, just a notch below the NCAA Tournament.

On an individual level, K-State senior Tess Heal is a finalist for the College All-Star game. It's an exciting time for the women's program as they continue to push boundaries.

Baseball

Switching gears, the BatCats began strong, winning nine consecutive games, highlighted by a 16-1 triumph against Houston to clinch the series on Saturday. However, in a surprising turn, they suffered a setback on Sunday, with Houston exacting revenge by beating Kansas State 16-6. This result breaks their nine-game winning streak and demonstrates how quickly fortunes can change in sports.

Despite a hot start, with senior Carlos Vasquez hitting a grand slam in the first inning, the game took a turn. Tied in the eighth, Houston unleashed an 11-run surge that left the Wildcats scrambling to recover. Up next, the team faces Baylor in Waco for a mid-week matchup that airs on ESPN+

Tennis

Meanwhile, the tennis team's struggles persisted with a disappointing 4-1 loss to #27 Oklahoma State. Although they secured a win in doubles, they struggled to find consistency thereafter. Currently at 5-6 overall and 2-3 in the Big 12, the Wildcats are set to return home for their upcoming matches against #44 Baylor and #19 TCU.

Track and Field

Now, let's talk about the star of the show—the track and field teams. The Kansas State men's track team claimed fourth place at the 2026 NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships in Fayetteville, marking the program's first NCAA trophy in track and field history. This historic feat is truly something to celebrate!

This marks the highest postseason finish for Kansas State in team sports that I can recall and perhaps in your lifetime as well. The only team to outshine this is the men's basketball team's runner-up finish in 1951. The men scored a total of 24 points in this meet, a record-breaking performance for the program.

As for the women's team, they finished seventh, with an impressive 25 points—just two points shy of their preceding record set in 2016. The spotlight truly shone on the triple jump, where Daniela Wamokpego not only won the national title with a remarkable personal best of 13.84m but also shattered the school record previously held since 2017. Further underscoring the team's prowess, Selva Prabhu took silver with a personal best of 17.05m, rewriting a 46-year-old record of his own.

Conclusion: Looking Forward

The track and field outdoor season is just around the corner, and historically, Kansas State has fared better in Eugene than at the Indoors. I firmly believe we are a track school, or more fittingly, a field school. Let's embrace this culture of excellence!