Last Chance for Jayhawks This Weekend

March 7, 2008

<?xml:namespace prefix=”st1″ ns=”urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags”?>LAWRENCE, Kan. – It will be the final opportunity for the Jayhawks to qualify or improve their marks as they travel to several destinations this weekend in search of securing a spot at the NCAA Indoor Championships, March 14-15. Many Jayhawks will be in Ames, Iowa for the Iowa State Invite on Saturday, while others will head to either Seattle, Wash. or Fayetteville, Ark. for their last chance meets. <?xml:namespace prefix=”o” ns=”urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office”?>

The Iowa State NCAA qualifier will begin at 10:30 a.m. (CST) with the women’s weight throw. Running events begin at 11:35 a.m. with the prelims of the men’s 60-meter hurdles. The final event of the day, the men’s 5,000-meter run, begins at 4:30 p.m.

Kansas will have athletes in the women’s 200 meters and the pole vault competitions in Arkansas March 7. Victoria Howard will run in the 200-meter dash at 6:50 p.m. with the women’s pole vault at 3 p.m. and the men’s pole vault at 7 p.m. At the Washington Last Chance meet March 8, senior Paul Hefferon runs in the 5,000 meters at 9:20 a.m. and sophomore Lauren Bonds competes in the mile at 11:40 a.m.

The eighth-ranked women are coming off their best team finish in Big 12 Conference Championship history where they took home four event titles, the most since the 1992 Jayhawks equaled that number at the Big Eight Championships. The 24th-ranked men had two conference champions at the meet in Lincoln, Neb.

Thus far this year, nine women and four men have NCAA qualifying marks. Three of those women and two men have already secured their trip to Fayetteville, Ark. for the NCAA Championships with automatic marks. The rest will look to improve upon their previous bests in order to post an automatic mark or increase their chances as a provisional qualifier.

There have been many other Jayhawks on the fringe of qualifying that will try to capitalize in their final chance to do so. Sophomore Kelsey Erb’s best high jump of 1.75 meters is just three meters short of the provisional mark while the women’s 1,600-meter relay missed a provisional time by less than a second at the Big 12 Championships.

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On the men’s side, sophomore Kirk Cooper set a personal best of 5.15 meters in the pole vault, just five meters short of the NCAA’s. In the 800 meters, senior Matt Baysinger and sophomore Jack Sachse have each neared the championship.

Complete results of all of Kansas’ results can be found at www.kuathletics.com shortly after the conclusion of the each day’s events.