Kansas Track and Field Saturday Round-Up

Feb. 12, 2011

The KU track and field team had members in meets across the country this weekend with a total of 60 athletes traveling to four different sites. The throwers made the trip to Colorado Springs to take part in the Air Force Invitational, a meet that traditionally attracts the top throwers from around the country. Many of the vertical jumpers went to Fayetteville, Arkansas at the Tyson Invitational, which has proven to be a successful meet for the Jayhawks in the past. Junior Rebeka Stowe was the lone athlete representing KU at the Husky Invitational in Seattle, Washington this weekend. The majority of the team traveled to Ames, Iowa for the ISU Classic, with a total of 39 members competing in 23 different events Friday and Saturday.

Ames, Iowa – The Jayhawks nabbed seven top three finishes, including three first place finishes at the ISU Classic this weekend. Top performances came from Diamond Dixon, Keron Toussaint, and the women’s 4X400 meter relay team, each continuing their dominance in their respective events. Seventeen Jayhawks recorded new personal bests and an additional eight earning their best times of the season.

Diamond Dixon took him the crown in the 400 meter dash with a school record time of 53.66. The win marked her third first place finish of the season and was also the fastest 400 meter time run by a Jayhawk this season. Senior Kendra Bradley also competed in the event, finishing in fifth with a time of 55.60, her fastest of the year.

The women’s 4X400 meter relay team continued its successful season with its fourth first place finish of the year. Denesha Morris, Shayla Wilson, Kendra Bradley, and Diamond Dixon ran a season best time of 3:39.27 which brought them the victory by just .15 of a second.

Senior Keron Toussaint ran a personal best time of 1:10.42 in the 600 yard dash in route to his third first place finish of the year. The time was just .2 of a second from KU’s fastest 600 yard time of the year. Dominique Manley also recorded his career best in the 600 yard with a time of 1:11.43, finishing third.

On the women’s side of the 600 yards, Shayla Wilson took home third place on a time of 1:21.66. This time set a personal best for Wilson, and set the fastest time for KU on the season. Taylor Washington and Anna Barber ran their fastest 600 yard times of the season as well. Washington placed fourth with a time of 1:22.25 and Barber ran the race in 1:28.15 for a 15th place finish.

Sophomore Kyle Clemons finished third in the 400 meter dash with a time of 47.17. This mark is the best of his career and the fastest time for KU this season. Pieter Marx also competed in the event, finishing 37th with a time of 49.70.

Seattle, Wash. – The lone competitor for KU at the Husky Invitational was Junior Rebeka Stowe, who participated in the competitive 3,000 meter run. Stowe finished in 31st but ran a career best time of 9:36.72. The time is also the fastest for KU in the 2011 indoor season, leaving expectations high for Stowe for the remainder of the season.

Colorado Springs, Colo. – It was another successful outing for the men’s and women’s throwers this weekend at the Air Force Invitational. The highlight once again coming from sophomore Mason Finley who notched his third first place finish of the season. The women’s throwers also had solid outings, placing two KU throwers in the top 13 out of 45 throwers.

The men’s shot put team had two members finish in the top eight with Mason Finley taking home first with a throw of 19.89m (65-03.25ft.), his second longest throw of the year. Senior Brian Bishop finished close behind with an eighth place finish and a top throw of 15.93m (52-03.25ft.), his second best of the year. Junior Joel Krause also competed in the event, throwing a distance of 14.92m (48-11.50ft.) and finishing 21st.

KU had two athletes compete in the weight throw on Friday afternoon. Joel Krause took home a 20th place finish with a throw of 14.52m (47-07.75ft.) and Senior Elise Umbarger had her second best throw of the season with a distance of 13.64m (44-09.00ft.), finishing in 16th place.

The women’s best performer in the shot put was freshmen Jessica Maroszek, who finished fourth with a personal best throw of 14.18m (46-06.25ft.). This distance is also the longest throw for the Jayhawks this season. Heather Bergmann and Elise Umbarger also competed in the event. Bergmann finished 13th with her best throw of the year at 12.82m (42-00.75ft.), and Umbarger took home 20th place with a throw of 12.00m (29-04.50ft).

Fayetteville, Ark. – The men’s and women’s jumpers put out a solid effort in the Tyson Invitational on Friday and Saturday. Seven Jayhawks finished in the top ten of their respective events, this coming against the best competition the team has seen this season.

Freshmen Alex Bishop was the highlight of KU’s trip, finishing third in the college division of the men’s pole vault. Alex cleared a height of 4.90m (16-00.75ft.), giving him his third top three finish of the season. Cooper Merrill competed in the invitational division of the pole vault and had a jump of 4.90m (16-00.75ft.), finishing in tenth place.

In the women’s triple jump Andrea Geubelle finished seventh with a jump of 12.78m (41-11.25ft.), taking home her second longest distance of the season. The lone competitor in the long jump for the KU women was sophomore Francine Simpson. Simpson recorded a jump of 5.89m (19-04.00ft.) and a 16th place finish.

The Jayhawks will be back in action in two weeks at the Big 12 Championships in Lincoln, Nebraska. Several Jayhawks will be top contenders for several Big 12 titles, including Mason Findley, who will be going for his second straight conference title in the shot put.