Jayhawk Track Previews 2015 at Media Day
LAWRENCE, Kan. – Kansas track & field head coach Stanley Redwine discussed his team’s upcoming 2015 season at media day, Thursday inside the Rock Chalk Park media room. Questions ranged from the team’s excitement over their new facility at Rock Chalk Park to the difficult schedules it will face as they head into the heart of the 2015 season.
Track & Field Head Coach Stanley Redwine
Opening statement:
“I am excited about our facilities, it is a great facility. Dr. Zenger made an effort to make sure we have a class facility that we are going to be able to compete at a national level like everyone else. We are really working hard. Yesterday the weather was nice enough to work outside and today we are going to be inside. That is the way the weather is this time of year. I am glad that we can have facilities that our athletes can train well in both weather conditions. We have to work on continuing to be competitive on our race days and going to continue to compete at the highest level. The coaching staff has done a great job of making sure our athletes are ready to compete. We came back from the Christmas break not knowing what the athletes have done over the holidays, but now we have been here long enough to know what we are supposed to be doing.
I don’t like singling people out, but Michael Stigler is one guy that I know that will give everything he has every time he steps on the line. That is in practice and everything he does. We are excited about his senior year. Rhavean King is in middle distances. She is a true leader, both on and off the track. One crazy thing about her is she is getting ready to graduate and start law school next year. Talk about competitors – you tell her she can’t do something, she will go out there and prove that she can. There is also Anastasiya (Muchkayev) who is a really good shot putter. She will do anything she has to do in order to be successful at the NCAA level. Our women have had the knowledge of being on the national championship team, so they know what they want to get back to. Stigler and the other athletes are setting an example for the new and younger athletes. With younger athletes, you never know what you are going to get on a day-to-day basis. We are in-season now, so the younger athletes are called on and need to step up and do their thing.
We are going to have a great Kansas Relays. We had the opening of Rock Chalk Park last year with the Kansas Relays and hopefully this year it will be even more exciting.”
Anastasiya Muchkayev // Junior // Throws
On expectations of this year:
“I started my freshman year and qualified for nationals in indoors. I am going back there and going to work on it.”
On school and athletics:
“It was really hard to adapt. I actually had to combine studies with athletics.”
Michael Stigler // Senior // Hurldes
On running the 400:
“The 400 is pretty tough, but you have to train for it and be ready for it. I recently just started running the 800. I have run that a couple times now. That race is different and a little tougher.”
On Rock Chalk Park:
“This is a great facility. Not having the track at Memorial is great, because now we have a place just for track athletes. The surface is fast, it is a really fast track.”
Rhavean King // Junior // Middle Distance
On balancing her school work with athletics:
“It took a lot of self-discipline. The resources we have here at KU have really helped me. It gave me the opportunity to take summer school the summer before my freshman year started, so I came in with six hours of credit. I went through my freshman and sophomore year like anybody else. I met with my advisor and he would look over it with me. It is important to me to know that we are students first and athletes next.”
Casey Bowen // Junior // Pole Vault
On the change in conditions at Rock Chalk Park versus Memorial Stadium:
“There are eight of us on the team now. We love it being out, because coming from memorial stadium it was kind of a swirling wind with the “U” shape. Now at Rock Chalk Park, it is a straight-tail line. The runway and everything is better. It has been wonderful for us, all of the guys love it.”
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