Simpson, Geubelle Get Jayhawks on the Board at NCAA Indoors
March 9, 2012
Results | Kansas Agate 
- Redwine Recap
- Francine Simpson
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NAMPA, Idaho – Francine Simpson and Andrea Geubelle earned Kansas’ first points in the long jump Friday at the NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships. Simpson took sixth while Geubelle finished eighth in the event to combine for four points. Each will likely be first team All-American selections.
Simpson and Geubelle became the first KU field duo to take part in the same event at the NCAA Indoor meet. The juniors took to the runway in the women’s long jump Friday night hoping to garner high points for the women’s team.
Geubelle started things off, as she competed in the first of two sections. On her second attempt, the University Place, Wash., native hit a mark of 6.24 meters (20-05.75 ft.) to move her into the all-important top nine of the opening round of jumps. The mark would stick, and eventually propelled Geubelle to the final round of jumps.
With Geubelle having already earned a spot in the finals, Simpson looked to dublicate the feat, as she was slated to jump in the second preliminary heat. After below average marks on her first two attempts, the Chapelton, Jamaica native had one last opportunity for a big jump. She didn’t disappoint, hitting 6.34 meters (20-09.75 ft.) to move up to sixth and paving her way into the final round.
In the finals, the two each bettered their previous top marks. Geubelle jumping to a distance of 6.33 meters (20-09.75 ft.) on her fifth attempt and Simpson, once again saving her best for last, leaping to a mark of 6.39 meters (20-11.75 ft.) on her sixth a final attempt. Geubelle would end up finishing in eighth-place, earning a point toward the team total and collecting her third indoor All-American distinction. Simpson’s personal best jump on her final jump moved her to a sixth-place finish, gave three additional points to the team total and earned her the second indoor All-American distinction of her career.
Diamond Dixon showed no signs of nerves as she competed in the preliminary round of the women’s 400 meters. The sophomore, who placed sixth overall in the indoor event a year ago, came into this season’s meet with the No. 2 time in the nation (52.55).
Running in the third of the four preliminary heats, Dixon, as usual, got out to an early lead. The Houston, Texas native pushed the pace and steadily increased her lead as she made her two laps around the 200-meter track. She crossed the finish line in a facility record, and second-best individual time of the season in 52.67. The time is the fastest among the eight remaining competitors as the group heads into the event finals Saturday.
Making her first appearance at an NCAA Indoor Championship meet was senior Alena Krechyk, who took part in the weight throw. Krechyk, who hails from Grodno, Belarus, entered the day ranked 10th in the nation after her runner-up and school-record performance at the Big 12 Indoor Championships Feb. 25. Krechyk hit a personal best mark of 21.01 meters (68-11.25 ft.) at the conference meet three weeks ago to earn her automatic spot at the national meet, the first female weight thrower to do so under head coach Stanley Redwine.
Friday afternoon, Krechyk got out to a strong start in the preliminary heat of the event. She hit a mark of 18.54 meters (60-10 ft.) on her first attempt to shoot up the leaderboard and into the top ten. After fouling on her second attempt, the senior unleashed a throw of 18.87 meters (61-11 ft.) to keep herself in the discussion to move on to finals. The mark would not be enough, however, as Krechyk would be unable advance to the last round of throws, finishing 13th overall. The finish will likely earn the senior second team All-America honors, the first of her career.
Also seeing action in her first NCAA Championship meet, Paris Daniels, competing in the 200 meters, put forth a valiant effort. The junior out of St. Louis, Mo., entered the meet notching the 11th-best mark in the nation and was vying for her first All-American honors at the NCAA Division I level. Running in the third of five heats, Daniels got out to a strong start, pushing the pace through the first 100 meters. However, on the home stretch, Daniels began to falter, falling to a second-place finish in her heat and a time of 23.63. The time would be good enough to earn her 11th-place overall and a likely spot on the All-American second team.
The Jayhawks will be in action again Saturday in Day 2 of the 2012 NCAA Indoor Championships. The nation’s No. 1 triple jumper, Geubelle, will lead things off as she returns to the jumping pits for the event at around 7:30 p.m. (CT). Dixon will not be far behind, running in the finals of the 400 meters at 7:55 p.m. (CT). The women’s 400-meter relay team will close things out for the Jayhawks, running in the final heat of the event at 9:40 p.m. (CT). Log on to kuathletics.com and follow on twitter at KU_Track for live updates and results as the Jayhawks compete on the last day of the NCAA Indoor Championships.
