Kansas Track and Field Set to Compete at Three Different Sites
Feb. 11, 2010
LAWRENCE, Kan. –
This weekend, the Jayhawks will divide for three separate track and field competitions. Twenty-six members of the KU squad, including sprinters, pole vaulters and a few jumpers will head to Fayetteville, Ark., for the Tyson Invitational. The throws team travels to Colorado Springs, Colo., for the Air Force Invitational, while the remaining members, primarily mid-distance, distance and multi-event athletes, will compete in Ames, Iowa at the ISU Classic.
TYSON INVITATIONAL – Fayetteville, Ark.
At Arkansas, the Jayhawks will face 16 of the nation’s top 25 teams between the men and women, including five Big 12 foes in Baylor, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and Kansas State.
Senior Lauren Bonds, the lone distance runner to travel to Fayetteville, will compete in the “mile invitational,” which is considered the more competitive race of the two mile events held at the meet. Bonds is coming of an impressive performance at the Meyo Invitational on Feb. 6, where she beat 60 other competitors to win the mile with a season-best time of 4:44.09. The Hutchinson, Kan., native has now met two NCAA provisional standards this season in the mile and 3,000 meters.
Also competing in an “invitational” event in Fayetteville are freshmen Andrea Geubelle and Corey Shank and senior captain Jordan Scott. Geubelle will face some of her toughest competition of the year in the triple jump, while Shank and Scott will vie for a medal in the pole vault.
As a freshman, Geubelle has already met a provisional standard in the triple jump and ranks fifth in the Big 12 in the event. Scott, who is the three-time defending Big 12 Champion, has the top vault in the conference this season and has met the NCAA provisional mark in every meet in which he has competed in 2010. Shank is looking to earn his first qualifying standard in the pole vault, after nearly missing with his season-best mark of 5.05 meters (16-06.75 feet) at the KU vs. MU Duel on Jan. 15.
Other KU athletes to watch in Fayetteville are freshmen Kyle Clemons (60, 400, 4×400 relay), Denesha Morris (60, 200, 4×400 relay) and Taylor Washington (400, 4×400 relay), sophomores Keith Hayes (60 hurdles, 4×400 relay) and Shayla Wilson (400, 4×400 relay) and senior Reggie Carter (400, 4×400).
ISU CLASSIC – Ames, Iowa
The ISU Classic is one of the largest meets the Jayhawks will compete in this season, and will be especially beneficial, as it is also the site of the 2010 Big 12 Indoor Championships. Highlighting the Jayhawks’ cast in Ames are distance runners Donny Wasinger, Nick Caprario and Bret Imgrund for the men, and Amanda Miller, Rebeka Stowe and Kara Windisch for the women. The distance squad has seen vast improvement already this season, as several athletes have turned in medal-winning performances, as well as set personal records.
Nick Caprario won the 5,000 meters last weekend in Nebraska with a career-best time of 14:52.24, which is currently tenth in the Big 12. Rebeka Stowe also appears in the top 10 of the Big 12, as she ranks ninth in the mile after a stellar performance in South Bend, Ind., where she bested her PR by nearly eight seconds and finished eighth overall in a field of 61 competitors.
Also looking to gain valuable experience in Ames are freshmen multi-event athletes Rebecca Neville and Sara Noonan. Both will compete in the 60-meter hurdles, high jump and shot put. This is the last outing before the freshmen duo puts its skills to the test in the pentathlon at the Big 12 Championships.
AIR FORCE INVITATIONAL – Colorado Springs, Colo.
Coach Andy Kokhanovsky will take four of the Jayhawks’ top throwers to Colorado Springs, Colo., for the Air Force Invitational. This meet will give KU athletes a chance to compete in a new arena against some top competition from the West in BYU, Colorado, Colorado State, Utah State and Wyoming.
The Air Force Invitational is also special for one particular member, who will get the chance to compete in front of his friends and family. Freshman Mason Finley grew up in Salida, Colo., which is only two hours from the United States Air Force Academy campus. Finley’s father, Jared, who played an important role in his son’s development as a national-caliber thrower, will be on hand to watch him compete at the collegiate level.
Finley currently holds the best shot put mark in the Big 12 at 19.10 meters (62-8 feet), and has met the NCAA provisional standard in the event four separate times this season. Also leading the Big 12 performance list is Alena Krechyk, who transferred to Kansas at the semester from Yanka Kupala State University in Belarus. Krechyk has the top mark in the women’s weight throw at 18.59 meters (61 feet).
In addition to Finley, senior Brian Bishop and junior Joel Krause will compete in the shot put.
There is much to look forward to this weekend when the Jayhawks spread out across the country. Results and a recap of the three meets will be available following each day of competition on the Kansas Athletics website at www.kuathletics.com/trackandfield. Live results of the Tyson Invitational can be found at ArkansasRazorbacks.com or FlashResults.com, while live results of the ISU Classic are available at cyclones.com. Flotrack.org and Runnersspace.com will be onsite broadcasting live footage from the ISU Classic as well.
