Jayhawks Split for Weekend Meets in Fayetteville, Seattle
Feb. 9, 2012
Meet Notes 
 |
|
| Tyson Invitational/Husky Classic | |
| Date |
Friday, Feb.3, 2012 |
| Location |
Fayetteville, Ark. |
| Venue | Randal Tyson Track Center Dempsey Indoor Track |
| Start Time | Fri – 12 p.m. Sat – 10 a.m. |
| Coverage | Meet Central (will go live Friday) |
| Live Results | Tyson Invite | Husky Classic |
| Tyson Meet Schedule | Husky Meet Schedule | |
| Tyson Entries | Husky Entries | |
LAWRENCE, Kan. – For the first time this indoor season, the Kansas Jayhawks’ track and field team will compete at two separate meets, as some select athletes will compete at the Tyson Invitational in Fayetteville, Ark., while others head to the Husky Classic in Seattle, Wash. Both are two-day meets, taking place Friday and Saturday, Feb. 10-11.
“This weekend will be another opportunity for our athletes to really improve before the conference meet at Texas A&M,” said head coach Stanley Redwine. “The goal is to get better week by week, event by event and these meets are just another step in that process. We definitely need to focus a little bit more on the competition and I think once we get that aspect taken care of, we’ll start performing better.”
KU sprinters Diamond Dixon and Paris Daniels will help lead the 24th-ranked women as they make the trip to the Tyson Invitational this weekend. Both are ranked in the top six in the Big 12 in the 400 meters with Daniels also ranking fourth in the conference in the 200 meters. Dixon, who is the reigning Big 12 Champion in the outdoor 400 meters, currently boasts the fourth-fastest 400-meter time in the NCAA this year. Both student-athletes will be in action both days of the meet in Fayetteville, running in the 400 meters at 1:45 p.m. Friday, the 200 meters at noon Saturday and will team up with Shayla Wilson and Taylor Washington Saturday at 3 p.m. for the 4×400-meter relay.
Other Jayhawks to watch in Arkansas will be junior sprinter Kyle Clemons (400 meters, 4×400-meter relay), sophomore Alex Bishop (pole vault), sophomore Dalen Fink (800 meters), sophomore Demi Payne (pole vault), freshman Alisha Keys (60 meters, 200 meters) and freshman Kenneth McCuin (400 meters, 4×400-meter relay).
Payne was set a new PR in each meet this season, with her current top clearance of 4.20 meters (13-09.25ft.) ranking 12th in the nation and second in the Big 12. Follow vaulter Bishop, who bolsters a No. 25 national ranking with a top clearance of 5.21 meters (17-01.75ft.), will lead his young teammates in Fayetteville as they get their last tune-ups in before the conference meet in two weeks.
Junior horizontal jumpers Andrea Geubelle and Francine Simpson will hit the road to Seattle with a small contingent of distance runners and jumpers to the always-competitive Husky Classic. Both Geubelle and Simpson have the conference’s top marks in the triple jump and long jump, respectively, with Geubelle also holding the nation’s top triple jump mark of 13.20 meters (43-03.75ft.). The women will be in action Saturday at noon in the long jump with Geubelle going on to compete in the triple jump later in the afternoon at 4:30 p.m. (CT).
KU athletes to look for at the Husky Classic include senior Rebeka Stowe (3,000 meters), junior Rebecca Neville (60-meter hurdles, long jump), senior Cori Christensen (mile), junior Austin Bussing (3,000 meters) and junior Chris Toombs (long jump).
“The first part of the season, you’re trying to get in the right physical condition and get in ‘race-shape,'” explained Redwine. “After you get to that point, there’s a mental aspect of it and there’s a mental toughness that has to develop in races. I think that’s really where you have to have the mental focus to be able to compete. Those are the things we’re looking to have the athletes improve on this weekend because it will be so critical as we move toward the Big 12’s.”
Action at the Tyson Invitational begins Friday at 1 p.m., with the women’s mile and Saturday at 10:45 a.m., with the men’s 3,000 meters. The Husky Classic will kick off Friday with the women’s 5,000 meters at 8:10 p.m. and Saturday with the women’s 60-meter hurdles at 11 a.m. (all times central). Follow all the weekend’s events through the interactive Meet Central Blog, were you can stay updated on the all Jayhawks’ performances and find live results and schedules from both meets. Also be sure to follow through twitter at KU_Track.
