Eight Jayhawks Victorious in Opening Outdoor Meet
March 29, 2008
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Eight Jayhawks won event titles, four earned regional qualifying marks and one set a meet record at the Missouri Relays to open the outdoor track and field season this weekend in Columbia, Mo. Freshman Iain Trimble set the meet record in the men’s javelin, while senior Julius Jiles won the men’s 400-meter hurdles and qualified for Regionals in winning the 110-meter hurdles.<?xml:namespace prefix=”o” ns=”urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office”?>
Junior Zlata Tarasova and senior Ashley Brown joined Trimble and Jiles in qualifying for the outdoor Regionals. Tarasova did so with her hammer throw of 54.44 meters (178 feet, seven inches). She placed fourth in the event at Audrey J. Walton Stadium. Brown was second in the women’s 100-meter hurdles with a qualifying time of 13.89.
Trimble’s regional-qualifying toss of 68.04 meters (223-03) broke the previous Missouri Relays record set last year by Marcin Kazubowki of <?xml:namespace prefix=”st1″ ns=”urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags”?>Northern Iowa by nearly five feet. In his Jayhawk debut, the Overbrook, Kan., native now ranks fourth all-time in Kansas history in the event.
Jiles finished the 110-meter hurdles at 14.03 to qualify and crossed the 400-meter hurdles finish line in 53.55 for the victory in that event.
Also claiming victories on the men’s side were junior Eric Fattig and sophomore Kirk Cooper. Fattig won the long jump with a leap of 6.83 meters (22-05 ft.) and freshman Jareb Stallbaumer placed third in the event at 6.73 meters (22-01 ft.). Cooper won the pole vault at 4.90 meters (16-00.75 ft.). The Centennial, Colo., native won the tie-breaker as he did not miss a height prior to his winning vault.
For the Kansas women, junior Emily Reimer won the shot put with a toss of 12.41 meters (40-08.75). Sophomore Lauren Bonds and junior Victoria Howard were also victorious as Bonds won the 3,000-meter run in a time of 9:56.56 and Howard took the crown in the 200-meter dash. Howard stopped the clock at 24.08.
Junior Sha’Ray Butler was triumphant in the 400-meter hurdles as she raced to a first-place finish of 1:03.49.
Brown also served as the first leg of the 1,600-meter relay team with Howard, senior Maresia Pencil and junior Cydney Gaines. Kansas won the relay with a time of 3:47.72.
The men’s 1,600-meter relay team of senior Matt Baysinger, junior Jarrell Rollins and freshman Keron Toussaint were second at 3:15.13.
Senior Libby Harmon and freshman Julia Cummings were successful in the women’s pole vault. Harmon was second at 3.70 meters (12-01.50 ft.) and Cummings was third at 3.55 meters (11-07.75 ft.).
Sophomore Lacy Cunningham was second in the women’s javelin with a toss of 42.74 meters (140-03 ft.).
Kansas heads to Austin, Texas April 2-5 for the Texas Relays. After the John Jacobs Invitational in Norman, Okla., the following week, the Jayhawks host the Kansas Relays April 16-19.
