Bartnovskaya, Munsch Tabbed KU's Athletes of the Week

April 8, 2013

LAWRENCE, Kan. – Juniors Natalia Bartnovskaya and Josh Munsch were selected as KU track & field’s athletes of the week Monday as was announced by the coaching staff. Both athletes posted NCAA top-five performances over the weekend as they competed at the 86th Annual Sun Angel Classic in Tempe, Ariz.

Natalia Bartnovskaya // JR // Krasnoyarsk, Russia // Pole Vault
For the second-consecutive week, junior pole vaulter Natalia Bartnovskaya rewrote the school record books, hitting a career-best height of 4.41 meters (14’5.5″) at the Sun Angel Classic Saturday. The reigning indoor pole vault champion’s leap earned Bartnovskaya her first outdoor victory as a Jayhawk and puts her at No. 3 in this season’s national rankings. Her vault was just two inches from making the Krasnoyarsk, Russia native one of the top-10 all-time performers in NCAA history and also topped both the facility and meet records.

Josh Munsch // JR // Hays, Kan. // 1,500 Meters
Junior Josh Munsch ran the fastest 1,500-meter race of his career among some the best professional and collegiate distance runners in the U.S. Saturday night in Tempe. The Hays, Kan., product managed to cross the finish in a personal-best 3:43.03 to finish fourth overall. A Second Team All-American in the event last season, Munsch’s time puts him at No. 5 in this season’s NCAA rankings and just was .2 seconds from getting him inside the prestigious top-five of KU’s all-time 1,500-meter list.

KU Track & Field Outdoor Athletes of the Week
Date Women Men
April 1 Francine Simpson (long jump) Michael Stigler (400m Hurdles)
April 8 Natalia Bartnovskaya (pole vault) Josh Munsch (1,500 meters)