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