Jayhawks Travel to Texas Relays

March 31, 2010

LAWRENCE, Kan. –

Over the next four days, Kansas track and field will have 23 individual athletes and nine relay teams competing at the 83rd Clyde Littlefield Texas Relays at Mike A. Myers Stadium in Austin, Texas. Along with the Kansas Relays, which will take place April 14-17, the Texas Relays is one of the largest outdoor meets held in the country each year. The four-day invitational event will feature many of the nation’s top athletes, while also giving schools and fans an opportunity to preview the site of the 2010 NCAA Outdoor Championships preliminary round.

Meet competition begins Wednesday, March 31 with the decathlon and heptathlon events. Freshman Rebecca Neville will represent Kansas in the multi-events arena, as she competes in the heptathlon Wednesday at 12:30 p.m. and again on Thursday at 12 p.m.

The Jayhawks have six individual athletes and two relay teams slated to compete on April Fool’s Day. Sophomore Alena Krechyk, who was the national junior champion in her native country of Belarus, will participate in the hammer throw at 12:30 p.m., while senior Ryan Hays and sophomore Corey Shank will compete in Section B of the men’s pole vault at 3:30 p.m. On the track, sophomore Sasha Cunningham and freshman Taissa Makhmayeva will run in the prelims on the 400-meter hurdles at 4:30 p.m. The men’s and women’s 4×800-meter relays at 5:35 and 5:50 p.m. will mark the first of nine total relay contests for the Jayhawks this week.

Friday will kick off with an array of hurdle events; starting with freshman Kathryn Lupton in the 100-meter hurdles at 9:30 a.m. Simultaneously with the women’s race, Keith Hayes, Lawson Montgomery and Keyen Porter will run in the men’s 110-meter hurdles. Last weekend at the Razorback Spring Invitational, Hayes ran the 110 hurdles in 14 seconds flat, which is seventh-fastest time recorded this year for athletes in the West region, while ranking fifth overall in the Big 12. The prelims of the men’s and women’s 4×400-meter relay will also take place on Friday morning.

Five Jayhawk women will compete in the long jump, high jump and pole vault on Friday, all of which are scheduled for 10 a.m. Freshman Andrea Geubelle, who will compete in the long jump, is coming off a triumphant weekend in Fayetteville, Ark., where she won both the long jump and triple jump events by more than a foot margin each. Kelsey Erb will put her skills to the test in the high jump, while Julia Cummings, Jaci Perryman and Tara Turnbull all earned a spot in Section B of the women’s pole vault.

On the men’s side, sophomore Corey Fuller will try to nab the triple jump title in back-to-back weekends, after winning the event in Fayetteville with a mark of 14.95m (49-00.75 ft.), which is currently second on the Big 12 performance list.

KU throws coach Andy Kokhanovsky will have two standout athletes competing in the discus on Friday at 5:30 p.m., in freshman Mason Finley and senior Brian Bishop.

In addition to the 4×400-meter relays on Friday, Kansas will race in the invitational men’s and women’s sprint medley relay at 8:10 p.m., while also teaming up for the men’s 4×1,500-meter relay at 9:45 p.m.

Nick Canton will be the first to compete for the Crimson and Blue on the final day of the Texas Relays, as he takes the stage Saturday at 11 a.m. in the men’s high jump. Freshman Heather Bergmann and redshirt-freshman Iain Trimble will throw the javelin at 12 and 1:30 p.m., respectively. Both athletes won the event last weekend at the Razorback Spring Invitational.

Geubelle will aim for a top mark the women’s triple jump at 1:30 p.m., while junior Jordan Scott will face several of the nation’s top vaulters at 3 p.m. in Section A of the men’s pole vault.

Closing out the four-day event will be the distance medley relays, which includes KU’s Indoor All-American women’s DMR team of Rebeka Stowe, Taylor Washington, Cori Christensen and Lauren Bonds.

Live results of each day of the relays can be accessed via www.texassports.com/sports/tex-relays/.

Kansas‘ Lineup for the 83rd Clyde Littlefield Texas Relays

Wednesday, March 31

Athlete Event Time

Rebecca Neville…………….. Heptathlon…………………………………… 12:30 p.m.

Thursday, April 1

Athlete Event Time

Rebecca Neville…………….. Heptathlon…………………………………… 12 p.m.

Alena Krechyk………………. Women’s’ Hammer Throw ………………….. 12:30 p.m.

Ryan Hays…………………… Men’s Pole Vault (Section B)………………. 3:30 p.m.

Corey Shank………………… Men’s Pole Vault (Section B)………………. 3:30 p.m.

Sasha Cunningham ………… Women’s 400mH (Prelims)………………….. 4:30 p.m.

Taissa Makhmayeva……….. Women’s 400mH (Prelims)………………….. 4:30 p.m.

Women’s 4×800-Meter Relay 5:35 p.m.

Men’s 4×800-Meter Relay…………………………………………………….. 5:50 p.m.

Friday, April 2

Athlete Event Time

Kathryn Lupton…………….. Women’s 100mH (Prelims)………………….. 9:30 a.m.

Keith Hayes…………………. Men’s 110mH (Prelims)……………………… 9:30 a.m.

Lawson Montgomery………. Men’s 110mH (Prelims)……………………… 9:30 a.m.

Keyen Porter……………….. Men’s 110mH (Prelims)……………………… 9:30 a.m.

Women’s 4×400-Meter Relay (Prelims)……………………………………… 9:30 a.m.

Men’s 4×400-Meter Relay (Prelims)…………………………………………. 9:30 a.m.

Andrea Geubelle……………. Women’s Long Jump (Section B)………….. 10 a.m.

Kelsey Erb…………………… Women’s High Jump (Section B)…………… 10 a.m.

Julia Cummings……………… Women’s Pole Vault (Section B)…………… 10 a.m.

Jaci Perryman………………. Women’s Pole Vault (Section B)…………… 10 a.m.

Tara Turnbull……………….. Women’s Pole Vault (Section B)…………… 10 a.m.

Corey Fuller…………………. Men’s Triple Jump (Section B)…………….. 2 p.m.

Brian Bishop…………………. Men’s Discus (Section A)…………………… 5:30 p.m.

Mason Finley……………….. Men’s Discus (Section A)…………………… 5:30 p.m.

Women’s Invitational Sprint Medley Relay………………………………….. 8:10 p.m.

Men’s Invitational Spring Medley Relay…………………………………….. 8:10 p.m.

Natalie Becker………………. Women’s 3,000-Meter Steeplechase……… 9 p.m.

Men’s 4×1,500-Meter Relay………………………………………………….. 9:45 p.m.

Saturday, April 3

Athlete Event Time

Nick Canton…………………. Men’s High Jump (Section B)………………. 11 a.m.

Heather Bergmann…………. Women’s Javelin (Section A)………………. 12 p.m.

Iain Trimble…………………. Men’s Javelin (Section A)………………….. 1:30 p.m.

Andrea Geubelle……………. Women’s Triple Jump (Section A)…………. 1:30 p.m.

Jordan Scott……………….. Men’s Pole Vault (Section A)………………. 3 p.m.

Women’s Distance Medley Relay…………………………………………….. 1:10 p.m.

Men’s Distance Medley Relay………………………………………………… 1:10 p.m.