Jayhawks Close Out Tyson Invite, ISU Classic in Impressive Fashion
| Nicolai Ceban remained undefeated in the shot put this season with a win at the Tyson Invitational Saturday. | ||||||||||||||||
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Tyson Results: Overall | Kansas
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FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Victories from the Kansas men’s 4×400-meter relay as well as sophomore Nicolai Ceban helped the Jayhawks end the Tyson Invitational on a high note Saturday afternoon inside the Randal Tyson Track Center. Ceban secured his third shot put victory in as many outings this season with the help of a career best throw, while the men’s 4×400-meter relay outpaced host Arkansas and Missouri with a season-best clocking to win the meet’s final event.
Ceban remained undefeated in his sophomore campaign after claiming victory in the shot put with a mark that topped the rest of the field by nearly a foot. The Moldova native’s day began with a bang when he heaved the 16-pound implement to a mark of 19.25 meters (63’2″) on his first trip into the ring. The toss marked a new season and career best for Ceban and put him in control of the leaderboard for the remainder of the event.
Ceban posted two more throws that surpassed 61 feet, but his first attempt remained his best and eventually earned him the victory. The performance helped Ceban maintain his position as the 10th-ranked shot putter in the NCAA this season and moved him to second on the Big 12 list.
Just minutes after Ceban’s victory, the Jayhawk quartet of freshman Ivan Henry, senior Jaime Wilson, sophomore Jaron Hartley and senior Drew Matthews took to the track for the final race of the meet, the 4×400-meter relay. Three of the four legs of KU’s team posted sub-47.7 splits with senior Drew Matthews anchoring home the squad in 47.3 and holding off a late charge from the Missouri team to claim the event title. Kansas passed the baton around in 3:10.83 for the team’s fastest 4×400-meter clocking of the season. The foursome’s time has it just outside the top-25 on the national list and fifth on the Big 12 chart.
The KU women also ended their meet with a season-best in the 4×400-meter relay. The squad consisting of junior Whitney Adams, junior Zainab Sanni, freshman Nicole Montgomery and sophomore Adriana Newell finished the mile race in 3:40.30, which was good enough for a fifth-place finish. The time is the fastest by a KU 4×400-meter relay team since 2014 and has the Jayhawks ranked fourth on the Big 12 lists.
AMES, Iowa – For the second straight week, junior Strymar Livingston notched one of the fastest indoor 800-meter clockings in school history as he competed at the ISU Classic Saturday afternoon inside the Lied Recreation Center.
A week removed from entering the school’s all-time top-10 chart in his first 800-meter race as a Jayhawk, Livingston managed to shave off another second off that time going up against the stellar field assembled in Ames. The junior out of Brooklyn, New York took second in his heat and eighth overall when he crossed the finish in 1:49.16, a new career best for Livingston in the indoor event. His time is the fastest posted by a Jayhawk in the 800 meters in nearly 11 years and ranks as the fifth-fastest in program history.
Livingston’s ISU Classic performance ranks only behind Jeremy Mims and Jim Ryun on Kansas’ all-time indoor 800 meter list and puts the KU junior at No. 31 on this year’s NCAA chart as well as first among Big 12 half-milers.
Other notable career bests from Kansas’ final day in Ames came from junior Daniel Koech (800m, 1:52.80), junior Kelli McKenna (mile, 4:57.22), sophomore Matt Anyiwo (800m, 1:53.54) and sophomore Hannah Dimmick (800m, 2:11.74)
The Jayhawks will have a week off before they head back to Ames, Iowa for the Big 12 Indoor Championships to be held in the Lied Recreation Center for the third-straight season. The league meet is scheduled to kick off Friday, February 26 and conclude Saturday, February 27. Get live updates and results from the Jayhawks’ performances by following on Twitter, Instagram and Vine at @KUTrack.
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