KU Track and Field Announces 2012 Team Captains

Feb. 7, 2012

LAWRENCE, Kan. – Prior to their trip to New York for the New Balance Collegiate Invitational last week, the KU track and field coaches announced those who will serve as team captains for the 2012 season. For the men, junior Mason Finley and sophomore pole vaulter Alex Bishop were named captains, and seniors Julia Cummings, Rebeka Stowe and Shayla Wilson along with juniors Andrea Geubelle and Heather Bergmann will captain the women’s team.

Thrower Mason Finley will take the captain duties for the second time. The Salida, Colo., native is a six-time All-American in the shot put and discus and has claimed three Big 12 titles in his first two years at KU. Finley holds the school record in the indoor shot put and ranks second and third in the outdoor shot put and discus, respectively, on the all-time school performance lists. In 2011, he was also selected to the Big 12 All-Academic first team as well as the USTFCCCA All-Academic team for his work in the classroom as he pursues a degree in film and acting.

Sophomore pole vaulter Alex Bishop will be a team captain for the first time. The Phoenix, Ariz., native has been the men’s top vaulter in the start of the 2012 indoor campaign, having the 25th-ranked mark (5.21m) in the NCAA this year. As a freshman, he was one of only two KU men to compete at both the indoor and outdoor conference meets, as well as the NCAA West Preliminary meet.

Returning as a team captain for a third-consecutive season is redshirt senior Julia Cummings. Cummings is the most experienced pole vaulter on the women’s team having competed in a combined six indoor and outdoor conference meets and has vaulted in three NCAA preliminary meets. The Overland Park, Kan., native currently stands sixth on the school’s all-time outdoor pole vault list as she is only one of six women in school history to clear four meters in both the indoor and outdoor pole vault. She was named to the Academic All-Big 12 first team the last two seasons as well as the USTFCCCA All-Academic team last year as she pursues a bachelor’s degree in exercise science.

Shayla Wilson will repeat as captain after holding the position for the 2011 season. The senior was a member of the 4×400-meter relay team that placed eighth and broke the school record in the event at the 2011 NCAA Outdoor Championships. Wilson, who hails from Milford, Del. has the fourth-fastest 600 yard time in school history and holds the school record in the indoor 500 meters. Wilson plans to graduate in May with a bachelor’s degree in psychology.

Rebeka Stowe will be captaining the track and field team for the second time. The Olathe, Kan., native is a two-time All-American in the distance medley relay and the Steeplechase. She has been named to multiple academic lists, including being a two-time recipient of Academic All-Big 12 first team honors, the USTFCCCA All-Academic team in 2011 and the CoSida All-District Academic team last year as well. She has twice been a captain of the cross country team where she was an All-Big 12 runner the last two seasons. The senior was recently awarded the Marlene Mawson award by Kansas Athletics for her outstanding contributions on and off the track throughout her KU career.

Andrea Geubelle is also in her second stint as a captain of the women’s squad. The star horizontal jumper is a five-time All-American in the long and triple jumps and is currently in possession of the No. 1 triple jump mark in the nation in 2012 (13.20m). The University Place, Wash., native has her name in the top five of each of the indoor and outdoor all-time school performance lists, ranking No. 2 in the indoor and outdoor triple jump. Geubelle is pursuing a major in community health and pre-nursing.

Heather Bergmann will be a team captain for the first time. The junior stormed onto the scene a year ago, earning All-America first team honors in the javelin after her fifth-place finish at the 2011 NCAA Championships. Bergmann, who is majoring in chemistry, was selected to the academic All-Big 12 first team last season and was named to the CoSida Academic All-District team as well. The Concordia, Kan., native holds the school record in the javelin throw, which she broke last season at the Kansas relays.

The men’s and women’s teams will split up this weekend when the distance runners and horizontal jumpers travel to Seattle, Wash. for the Husky Classic, with the rest of the team heading to Fayetteville, Ark. for the Tyson Invitational. Both meets will take place on Friday, Feb. 10 and Saturday, Feb. 11. Stay updated on all the action from the meets by going to the meet central page at kuathletics.com and follow on twitter at KU_Track.