Heavyweight Sprinters Commit to 2012 Kansas Relays

March 29, 2012

LAWRENCE, Kan. – Four of track & field’s fastest sprinters have signed on to compete in the 100-meter dash at the 2012 Kansas Relays to be held April 21. Kansas Relays 100-meter record-holder Ivory Williams along with world-caliber sprinter Rae Edwards, as well as Olympians Muna Lee and LaShaunte’a Moore on the women’s side, will make the journey to Lawrence for one of the more anticipated races of the Kansas Relays.

Williams, who currently resides in Kansas City, Mo., has become a force in American sprinting over the past five years. His top times have been among the fastest in the country each year since 2008 which makes him a regular at the USA Indoor and Outdoor Championships year in and year out. After winning the 2011 Kansas Relays in the 100 meters, Williams went on to join the U.S. 4×100-meter relay team that competed at the World Championships in Daegu. Former Kansas Relays champions Maurice Green, John Capel and Justin Gatlin have never topped Williams’ meet record mark of 9.95. The Houston grad has a legitimate shot of vying for a spot on Olympic team that heads to London in late June and his pursuit of that goal will begin at the Kansas Relays.

Monzavous “Rae” Edwards has been a consistent presence on the national sprinting stage over the past decade. He landed in the U.S. spot light when he won both the 100-meter and 200-meter junior national championships in 2000, while attending school at Bevill State Community College. In 2005 he finished sixth at the USA Championships, earning him a spot on the World Championship 4×100-meter relay team, though he did not compete. Edwards again leaped to the top of the American sprinting lists with his bronze medal at the USA Outdoor Championships in 2009 and in 2010 when he ran a PR of 10.00. He is a three time-competitor at the Kansas Relays as he also resides in Kansas City, Mo., training with world-renowned sprints coach, Al Hobson.

Lee, a product of Central High School in Kansas City, Mo., has a long list of U.S. and international accolades that date back over a decade. The LSU alum was among the top-five American female sprinters throughout the 2000’s. She competed at both the 2004 and 2008 Olympic Games and added multiple top-three finishes at the USA Championships within that stretch. Lee is arguabley the fastest female sprinter ever to come out of Kansas City and will look to earn a trip to her third Olympic Games later this summer. Lee’s top 100-meter time of 10.85 makes her one of just 30 women all-time to run at 10.85 or better.

Moore also has an Olympic appearance under her belt as she saw action in the Athens games in 2004 as a junior at Arkansas. The Akron, Ohio native picked up an NCAA title in the 200 meters before her time was up in Fayetteville and then went on to become one of the top short distance sprinters in the U.S. As a 200-meter specialist, Moore claimed several top-three finishes in the event at the international level, including a bronze medal at the World Championships in 2007. As recently as 2010 Moore held the world lead for a short time in the 100 meters and has been close to the top of the rankings ever since.

The women’s invitational 100-meter race will take place on the final day of the Relays, Saturday, April 21 at 1:55 p.m. The men’s invitational race will only be a short time later at 2:20 p.m. Log on to www.kurelays.com for updated additions to the men’s and women’s field and check out the Kansas Relays Facebook page for more news on this year’s event.

Ivory Williams
2011 World Ranking: No. 25
Hometown/College: Jefferson County, Texas/Houston `05
Notable Achievements:

  • Bronze Medalist at 2010 USA Outdoor Championships
  • Member of 2011 World Championship 4×100-meter relay team
  • 2011 Kansas Relays 100-meter Champion (10.05)
  • Kansas Relays 100-meter record holder (9.95), set in 2010
  • Holds PR of 9.93 (No. 37 on All-time 100m list)
  • World Junior 100-meter Gold medalist (2004)

About Williams
Ivory Williams has proven to be a force in American sprinting. It landed him on Team USA for the 2011 World Outdoor Championships as a member of the 4x100m relay. His career includes a top five finish in the USA Outdoor Championships and his times have been in the top 10 in the country each year since 2008. He consistently proves himself a competitive sprinter as he has posted sub-10 marks since the 2008 Olympic Trial quarterfinals. However, he failed to progress beyond the semifinals after being beat by Xavier Carter by just a thousandth of a second. He ran, at the time, a personal best of 6.52 seconds in the 60 meters at the 2009 USA Indoor Championships, reaching the final as the fastest qualifier. However, he was disqualified in the final of the event for a false start.

Monzavous “Rae” Edwards
2011 World Ranking: No. 49
Hometown/College: Opelika, Ala./Kansas City CC `02
Notable Achievements:

  • Sixth in 100 meters at 2005 USA Championships
  • Fifth-place in the 100-meters at the 2010 USA Championships
  • 2009 World Championships participant (6 in semifinals)th
  • Two-time US Junior Champion (100m, 200m)
  • Third in 100-meters at 2010 and 2011 Kansas Relays

About Rae
Edwards’ 2010 season was highlighted by setting a personal best in the 100 meters with his time of 10.00 set in New York City on June 12. With his third-place finish at the 2009 USA Outdoor Championships, Edwards earned a spot on a World Outdoor Championships roster for the first time in his career. Following his sixth-place finish in the 100 meters at the 2005 USA Outdoor Championships, Edwards was selected to be a member of the Team USA 4×100-meter relay pool for the 2005 World Outdoor Track & Field Championships in Helsinki, Finland, though he did not compete. In 2005 Edwards posted a new personal best of 10.08, which bettered his previous career best of 10.09 from 2003. Edwards was the 2000 JUCO national 100m and 200m outdoor champion while attending Bevill State Community College, that year Edwards also won the USA Junior national titles in both events. In 2005 Edwards equaled his personal best in the 100 meters with a 10.09 performance in the semifinals at the USA Outdoor Championships.

Muna Lee
2011 World Ranking:
Hometown/College: Kansas City, Mo./LSU `04
Notable Achievements:

  • Two-time Olympian (2004, 2008)
  • 2009 USA Outdoor 100m and 200m runner-up
  • 2008 Olympic Trials 100m champion and 200m runner-up
  • 2005 World Outdoor 4X100-meter relay gold medalist
  • Two-time NCAA Indoor 60m champion (’03, ’04); 2003 NCAA Indoor 200m champion; Two-time NCAA Outdoor 100 and 200m runner-up (’03, ’04)
  • One of 30 women to run 10.85 or faster in the 100 meter all-time

About Muna
Lee has long list of U.S. and international accolades that date back over a decade. The LSU alum was among the top-five American female sprinters throughout the 2000’s. She competed at both the 2004 and 2008 Olympic games and added multiple top-three finishes at the USA Championships within that stretch. Lee is arguabley the fastest female sprinter ever to come out of Kansas City and will look to earn a trip to her third Olympic games later this summer. Lee’s top 100-meter time of 10.85 makes her one of just 30 women all-time to run at 10.85 or better.

LaShaunte’a Moore
2011 200m World Ranking: No. 14
Hometown/College: Akron, Ohio/Arkansas `05
Notable Achievements:

  • 2010 100-meter national runner-up
  • 2004 Olympian
  • 2004 200-meter NCAA Champion

About LaShaunte’a
Born and raised in Akron, Ohio, Moore attended Archbishop Hoban High School and took part at her first global athletics competition at the age of 15, winning the 200 meters gold. She began attending Barton County Community College and formed a strong women’s track pairing with Veronica Campbell. The 2004 season was a significant breakthrough for Moore, as she took third in the women’s 200 meters at the United States Olympic Trials behind Allyson Felix and Muna Lee, gaining her qualification in the event for the 2004 Summer Olympic Games. She reached the Olympic semifinals of the women’s 200 meters, but could not match her form of earlier in the season, finishing sixth in a time of 22.93 seconds. Moore’s career again peaked at the 2008 Olympic Trials, where she recorded a 100-meter best of 11.03 seconds.

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