Jayhawks Set to Host 83rd Annual Kansas Relays
April 13, 2010
LAWRENCE, Kan. –
Now it is 83rd year, the Kansas Jayhawks will host the legendary Kansas Relays at Memorial Stadium April 14-17. Home of Hershberger Track and McCook-Olympic Field, Memorial Stadium has hosted every Kansas Relays since the inaugural meet in 1923. The Kansas Relays is one of the premier events held in the U.S. every year, bringing together a collection of talented high school, collegiate and professional athletes for four days of intense track and field competition.
Over the last 83 years, many of the world’s top athletes have passed through the gates at Memorial Stadium, including several former Olympians. This year, the elite field is stacked once again, as five-time Olympic medalist Veronica Campbell-Brown will compete in the women’s Invitational 200-meter dash and 4×400-meter relay, and Churandy Martina, a two-time Olympian from the Netherlands Antilles, will run in the men’s Invitational 100-meter dash. Three-time Kansas Relays champion Nichole Denby will make her return to Memorial Stadium for the women’s Invitational 100-meter hurdles, while legendary Jayhawk Billy Mills will be in attendance to lend his support to the athletes on Saturday. In total, between the high school, college and professional athletes entered, there will be 5,521 individuals competing at the Kansas Relays this year, making it the second-largest track and field meet in the country.
The meet begins Wednesday, April 14 at 10 a.m. with the decathlon and heptathlon events. The combined events will conclude on Thursday afternoon, while the men’s and women’s hammer throw competition will begin Thursday at 12 and 4:30 p.m., respectively. Thursday evening will feature several running event finals, including the 5,000 and 10,000 meters. Friday will commence with an array of high school events, starting at 8 a.m., followed by several preliminary and event finals of the collegiate events. The final day of the Relays will get underway at 8 a.m. and continue though the final two events, the men’s and women’s 4×400-meter relay, scheduled for 5:05 and 5:15 p.m. Most of the Invitational events featuring the meet’s elite athletes will take place between 1 and 5 p.m. on Saturday.
The Jayhawks will have 96 athletes competing in the Relays this year, 15 of which are ranked in the top 48 nationally in their respective events. KU also has 23 individual athletes and three relay teams that are currently among the top 10 on the Big 12 outdoor performance list.
The KU men’s team, ranked 25th in the latest USTFCCCA national poll, will highlight junior Jordan Scott in the men’s pole vault on Friday at 1:30 p.m. Scott is currently tied for the best mark in Division I track and field at 18-08.75 feet. He will be joined by senior Ryan Hays, who has set a new PR in each of his last two meets, and is currently 27th in the West region with a mark of 16-06.75 ft.
In addition to the pole vault, the men’s discus event will feature two of KU’s top performers of the year, including freshman Mason Finley, who enters the event with fourth-best mark in the nation at 194-1 ft. Finley won the discus competition at the Texas Relays, and will vie for his second major Relays title on Saturday at 4 p.m. Senior Brian Bishop will also compete in the discus as the 13th -ranked thrower in the West and 17th overall in the nation. Before the discus competition on Saturday, fans will get a chance to witness both athletes in action, as they will also compete in the the men’s shot put on Friday at 3 p.m.
Redshirt-freshman Iain Trimble, a native of Overbrook, Kan., will throw the javelin in front of a home crowd for the first time in nearly two years. Trimble, who returned this season after suffering an injury in 2008, is ranked 15th in the West region and fifth in the Big 12 in the event. He will throw at approximately 5:30 p.m. on Friday.
Senior captain Eric Fattig is coming off the best performance of his career last weekend at the John McDonnell Invitational, where he jumped 7.46m (24-05.75 ft.) in the long jump, which landed him in 17th place on the West region descending order list. Fattig will jump in his final Kansas Relays on Saturday at 10 a.m.
On the track, the men’s 110-meter hurdles will be sure to dazzle, as three athletes from the Big 12, all of whom are ranked in the top 15 nationally, will battle it out, starting with the preliminary round on Saturday at 9:35 a.m. Pending qualification, the athletes will run in the event finals at 1:40 p.m. Sophomore Keith Hayes will be the top contender for the Jayhawks, as he is ranked 13th in the nation in the event.
On the women’s side, fans will get a chance to witness the 2010 Big 12 indoor weight throw champion, Alena Krechyk, competing in her specialty event; the hammer throw. Krechyk is currently atop the West region rankings in the event, while holding the third-best mark overall in Division I track and field at 211-10 ft. Krechyk will be the first female Jayhawk to take the stage at the Relays, as she will step into the ring on Thursday at 4:30 p.m.
Freshman Andrea Geubelle will compete in the triple jump at 12 p.m. on Friday, an event in which she holds the eighth-best mark in the nation. Geubelle was the only freshman to earn a spot in the triple jump at this year’s indoor national championships. The University Place, Wash., native is also entered in the women’s long jump on Saturday at 1:30 p.m. Geubelle is ranked 14th in the West region in the long jump and third overall in the Big 12 Conference.
Freshman Heather Bergmann, who won the girl’s javelin event as a high school senior at last year’s Kansas Relays, will compete in the women’s javelin on Friday at 2 p.m. Bergmann, a native of Concordia, Kan., is currently 33rd in the West region and eighth in Big 12 Conference in the event. She will face Kansas State’s Ali Pistora, who is ranked 14th in the West region and fifth in the Big 12.
On the track, fans will get the chance to watch standout distance runner Lauren Bonds competing in her final Kansas Relays. Bonds will run the 800, 3,000 and 5,000 meters, as well as contributing a leg to the women’s distance medley relay and 4×1 mile relay.
Coming off stellar performances last weekend in Fayetteville, freshmen Taissa Makhmayeva and Kathryn Lupton will compete in the prelims of the women’s 400-meter hurdles on Friday at 12:40 p.m. Makhmayeva is currently 11th in the West region in the event, with a season-best time of 59.86, while Lupton is 39th with a time of 1:01.46.
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.
Live results of the 83rd Annual Kansas Relays can be accessed on the KU Relays web site at http://www.kuathletics.com/sports/c-relay/kan-c-relay-body.html or at www.deltatiming.com. For more a complete meet schedule, news and information, as well as quotes, results and recaps of each day’s events, visit the KU Relays web site (see link above)!
Kansas‘ Complete Relays Lineup
MEN
Athlete …………………………………………… Event
George Browne…………………………………. 800m
Sean Proehl……………………………………… 800m
Aaron Schmitt………………………………….. 800m
Sam Jones………………………………. 800m, DMR
Corey Mims………………………….. 800m, 4×880
Derrick Perry……………………….. 800m, 4×880
Ryan Peterson……………………… 800m, 4×880
Greg Bussing………………………………… 1,500m
Sam Cosgrove………………………………. 1,500m
Levi Huseman……………………………….. 1,500m
Clay Schneider……………………………… 1,500m
Kaman Schneider……… 3,000m Steeplechase
Nick Capario…………………………………. 5,000m
Josh Baden…………………….. 5,000m, 4×1 Mile
Bret Imgrud.. 5,000m, DMR, 4×1 Mile, 4×880
Dav Van Orsdel…………………………….. 5,000m
Zach Zarda……….. 1,500m, 5,000m, 4×1 Mile
Jarrell Rollins…………………………… DMR 400m
Don Wasinger………… DMR, 4×1 Mile, 1,500m
Jacob Breth……………………………………… 400m
Reggie Carter…………………………………… 400m
Kyle Clemons…………………………………… 400m
Josh Baden………………………………….. 4×1 Mile
Kaleb Humphreys………………………….. 1,500m
Kevin Hays………………………………… Pole Vault
Ryan Hays…………………………………. Pole Vault
Cooper Merrill……………………………. Pole Vault
Clint Robison…………………………….. Pole Vault
Jordan Scott………………………………. Pole Vault
Corey Shank……………………………… Pole Vault
Brian Bishop Hammer Throw, Shot Put, Discus
Mason Finley……………………. Shot Put, Discus
Joel Krause………………………………….. Shot Put
Iain Trimble……………………………………. Javelin
Jesse Vaughn…………………………………. Javelin
Eric Fattig…………………………………. Long Jump
Jareb Stallbaumer……………………… Long Jump
Corey Fuller……………. Long Jump, Triple Jump
Darryl Trotter…………. Long Jump, Triple Jump
Nick Canton………………………………. High Jump
Nate Scherzer……………………………. High Jump
Isaac Bradshaw……………………………… 400mH
Keith Hayes……………………… 400mH, 110mH
Lawson Montgomery………….. 400mH, 110mH
Keyen Porter…………………….. 400mH, 110mH
Dustin Rowe…………………………………… 400mH
WOMEN
Athlete …………………………………………… Event
Amanda Akin……………………………………. 800m
Anna Barber…………………………………….. 800m
Tara Grosserode………………………………. 800m
Clarie Hall……………………………………….. 800m
Kellie Schneider…………………………….. 1,500m
Cassi Sokol…………………………………… 1,500m
Kathleen Thompson……………………….. 1,500m
Natalie Becker….. 1,500m, 3,000m, 4×1 Mile
Lauren Bonds……….. 800m, 3,000m, 5,000m,
……………………………… DMR, 4×1 Mile
Cori Christensen 800m, 1,500m, DMR, 4×1 Mile
Rebeka Stowe………… 1,500m, DMR, 4×1 Mile
Kyra Kilwein………………………………….. 3,000m
Amanda Miller……………………………….. 3,000m
Lindsay Schaefer…………………………… 3,000m
Tessa Turcotte……………………………… 3,000m
Kara Windisch……………………………….. 3,000m
Mackenzie Abernathy…………………….. 5,000m
Brenna Farren……………………………….. 5,000m
Allison Knoll………………………………….. 5,000m
Allie Marquis…………………………………. 5,000m
Riley Wertenberger………………………. 10,000m
Taylor Washington…………………… DMR, 400m
Kendra Bradley…………………….. 400m, 4×100
Shayla Wilson…………………………………… 400m
Sasha Cunningham…………….. 400mH, 4×100
Kathryn Lupton…………………. 400mH, 100mH
Taissa Makhmayeva………………………. 400mH
Andrea Geubelle 4×100, Triple Jump, Long Jump
Devin Wiegers………….. 3,000m Steeplechase
Jamaica Collins………. Long Jump, Triple Jump
Rebecca Neville.. Long Jump, 4×100, 100mH
Elizabeth Beisner……………………….. High Jump
Kelsey Erb…………………………………. High Jump
Alena Krechyk…………………….. Hammer Throw
Elise Umbarger…………………… Hammer Throw
Mary Lacy………………………… Shot Put, Discus
Micah Wesley…………………… Shot Put, Discus
Heather Bergmann………………………….. Javelin
Lacey Cunningham………………………….. Javelin
Amanda Radovich…………………………… Javelin
Claire Christie…………………………… Pole Vault
Alex Colvin……………………………….. Pole Vault
Kate Colvin……………………………….. Pole Vault
Julia Cummings…………………………. Pole Vault
Sarah Hedberg…………………………… Pole Vault
Abby Jones……………………………….. Pole Vault
Jaci Perryman……………………………. Pole Vault
Tara Turnbull…………………………….. Pole Vault
Kelsey Grimm…………………………. Heptathalon