Five Big 12 Schools to Clash at Kansas Relays
April 12, 2010
LAWRENCE, Kan. –
Including the Jayhawks, five schools from the Big 12 Conference will face off at 83rd Annual Kansas Relays April 14-17 at Hershberger Track and McCook-Olympic Field on the campus of the University of Kansas. Nebraska, Iowa State, Kansas State and Missouri will all journey to Lawrence to participate in one of the premier track and field events in the country. In addition to the Big 12 squads, the Seton Hall track team will travel from New Jersey to compete at the Relays.
The Nebraska Cornhuskers may pose the biggest threat at the Relays this year, as both its men’s and women’s teams are ranked in the top 15 nationally. NU will feature All-American hurdler Lehann Fourie, who is ranked fourth in the nation in men’s 110-meter hurdles. The Cornhuskers are led by head coach Gary Pepin, who is the all-time winningest track and field coach in the history of the Big 12 and former Big Eight Conference, having captured 100 team titles between the men and women.
The in-state rival Wildcats will also enter the Kansas Relays boasting one of the top teams in the nation. The K-State men were ranked 22nd in the latest USTFCCCA poll, with 10 athletes appearing on the NCAA’s top 48 list. Adding to the depth of the 110-meter hurdle field will be Jeffrey Julmis, who is 13th on the NCAA descending order list, one place behind KU’s standout hurdler Keith Hayes.
Iowa State and Missouri will add an array of strong competitors on both the men’s and women’s sides, as Missouri has 19 All-Big 12 performers from the 2010 indoor season and Iowa State is coming off their best performance at the indoor conference championships in the last decade.
Seton Hall will return to the Relays after capturing several victories in 2009, including the men’s 4×400-meter relay and the women’s sprint medley relay.
The 83rd edition of the Kansas Relays begins Wednesday, April 14 and continues through Saturday, April 17. Admission into the meet will be granted to those wearing a 2010 Kansas Relays button. The buttons are $10 for adults and $5 for students, youth and seniors and are valid for all four days of the event. Children under five are admitted for free, as are KU students with a valid KU ID. There is also a Kansas Relays family plan which includes two adult and two student/youth buttons for $20.
This year, Kansas Relays is partnering with Lawrence Memorial Hospital and the KU Cancer Research Center to promote breast cancer awareness. The Kansas track and field team will be wearing special singlets during the event to show their support, while fans and spectators who donate to the “Jayhawks for a Cure” campaign will receive a commemorative button.
