Kuzhil Shatters Kansas Record and Qualifies for NCAA Championships

Feb. 26, 2010

COLLEGE STATION, Texas –

Junior Iuliia Kuzhil broke a Kansas record in the 100-yard backstroke at the Big 12 Championships Friday in College Station, Texas. With a 52.80 finish, Kuzhil beat Kansas’ previous record of 53:06, set by Kuzhil in 2009. The score qualified Kuzhil for the NCAA Tournament and put the Jayhawks in fourth place going into the last day of competition.

Sophomore Stephanie Payne also made her place in Kansas history by breaking the record in the 400-yard IM with a time of 4:13.83. Payne beat her own record of 4:15.69 set in 2009.

Junior Joy Bunting, sophomores Abigail Anderson, Kath Liggett and Shannon Garlie all had career days, breaking personal records in their respective events.

Kansas’ 400-yard IM Relay consisting of Kuzhil, Bunting, freshman Monica Johannessen and senior Emily Lanteigne finished in fourth place to give the Jayhawks a strong start.

Payne, Bunting and sophomore Alyssa Potter built on KU’s success with fifth, sixth and 15th-place finishes respectively in the 400-yard IM.

In the 100-yard butterfly, sophomore Abigail Anderson recorded an eighth place finish, while Johannessen finished 11th with a time of 54.95.

Three Jayhawks placed in the 200-yard freestyle as Lanteigne finished ninth, freshman Brooke Brull placed 11th and Garlie 12th.

Kuzhil concluded Friday’s events with a second-place finish in the 100-yard backstroke with a time of 53.05. Anderson earned an eighth-place finish in the event.

“I felt really fresh for my first race,” said Kuzhil. “I did not feel quite as fresh for the second one, but the support of my teammates helped a lot. It was a lot of fun.”

Check back with kuathletics.com for a report for the last session of the Big 12 Championships on Saturday. Competition begins at 10 a.m.

Complete Results

3M Diving

1. Jaele Patrick, Texas A&M – 358.30

2. Janie Potvin, Texas A&M – 336.95

3. Jordan Morcom, Missouri – 327.25

4. Maren Taylor, Texas – 306.10

5. Tien Tran, Iowa State – 298.65

6. Diana Wilcox, Texas – 298.20

7. Emily Watson, Texas A&M – 288.35

8. Samantha Holland, Texas – 255.00

10. Meg Proehl, Kansas – 277.55

19. Christy Cash, Kansas – 220.35

20. Allison Ho, Kansas – 220.30

24. Taylor Ilten, Kansas – 175.90

400 yard IM Relay

1. Texas (Guro, Sogar, Hersey, Bispo) – 3:33.12

2. Texas A&M (Wilkinson, Atkinson, Medrano, Woods) – 3:33.91

3. Iowa State (Liu, Nixt, Glaser, Behrens) – 3:39.19

4. Kansas (Kuzhil, Bunting, Johannessen, Lanteigne) – 3:39.97

5. Missouri (Bouchard, McCleery, Gordon, Nathanson) – 3:42.00

6. Nebraska (Dufour, Arntz, Grushecky, Hutchinson) – 3:43.10

– Kansas (B. Potter, Legako, A. Potter, Heyrman) – 3:56.96

– Kansas – (Powers, Landi, Vignatelli, Hettenbach) – 3:57.50

– Kansas – (Wagner, Kuehler, Maez, Rudman) – 4:00.50

400 yard IM

1. Leah Gingrich, Texas – 4:12.39

2. Emily Neal, Texas A&M – 4:10.95

3. Melissa Hain, Texas A&M – 4:11.42

4. Melanie Dodds, Texas A&M – 4:12.47

5. Stephanie Payne, Kansas – 4:13.33

6. Joy Bunting, Kansas – 4:14.46

7. Laura Sogar, Texas – 4:14.54

8. Casey Hurrell-Zitelman, Texas A&M – 4:16.45

15. Alyssa Potter, Kansas – 4:30.01

100 yard Butterfly

1. Kathleen Hersey, Texas – 52.08

2. Nan Liu, Iowa State – 53.24

3. Rita Medrano, Texas A&M – 53.56

4. Kelsey Amundsen, Texas – 53.59

5. Kendra Chernoff, Texas A&M – 53.68

6. Ella Doerge, Texas A&M – 54.37

7. Colleen Gordon, Missouri – 54.55

8. Abigail Anderson, Kansas – 55.19

11. Monica Johannessen, Kansas – 54.95

16. Brittany Potter, Kansas – 56.48

21. Kath Ligget, Kansas – 56.29

200 yard Freestyle

1. Karlee Bispo, Texas – 1:44.99

2. Kristen Heiss, Texas A&M – 1:45.37

3. Kim Jasmer, Missouri – 1:46.50

4. Katharine Riefenstahl, Texas – 1:46.95

5. Adrienne Woods, Texas – 1:47.29

6. Maureen McLaine, Texas A&M – 1:47.95

7. Traci Van Matre, Texas – 1:48.75

8. Stephanie Rovig, Missouri – 1:48.79

9. Emily Lanteigne, Kansas – 1:49.39

11. Brooke Brull, Kansas – 1:50.15

12. Shannon Garlie, Kansas – 1:50.16

24. Mel Heyrman, Kansas – 1:53.98

100 yard breaststroke

1. Alia Atkinson, Texas A&M – 59.80

2. Laura Sogar, Texas – 1:00.52

3. Alexi Spann, Texas – 1:01.32

4. Kaitlin Arntz, Nebraska – 1:01.38

5. Jeli Nixt, Iowa State – 1:01.64

6. Spindrift Beck, Texas – 1:02.34

7. Bethany Adams, Texas – 1:03.25

8. Morgan McCleery, Missouri – 1:03.77

13. Stephanie Payne, Kansas – 1:04.66

23. Brittany Rospierski, Kansas – 1:04.98

100 yard backstroke

1. Julia Wilkinson, Texas A&M – 52.77

2. Iullia Kuzhil, Kansas – 53.05

3. Tess Simpson, Texas A&M – 53.30

4. Lindsey King, Texas A&M – 53.58

5. Katharine Riefenstahl, Texas – 53.68

6. Jessica Guro, Texas – 54.09

7. Nan Liu, Iowa State – 54.37

8. Abigail Anderson, Kansas – 54.83

19. Alyssa Rudman, Kansas – 57.37

22. Mel Heyrman, Kansas – 57.79

24. Carrah Haley, Kansas – 58.86

Scores through 27 events

  1. Texas A&M – 662
  2. Texas – 618
  3. Missouri – 330
  4. Kansas – 285
  5. Iowa State – 230
  6. Nebraska – 159