Finley Excels in Shot Put, Relay Teams Dominate on Track
April 16, 2010
| For a general recap of day three of the 2010 Kansas Relays, click the following link http://www.kuathletics.com/sports/c-relay/recaps/041610aac.html
LAWRENCE, Kan. –
After earning All-American status in the shot put during the 2010 indoor season, University of Kansas freshman Mason Finley competed in his first outdoor competition, winning the shot put title at the 83rd Annual Kansas Relays. Finley threw 18.40m (60-04.50 ft.), edging three Big 12 opponents to capture the Relays’ gold. His mark is currently sixth on the NCAA descending order list and second in the league.
Senior Brian Bishop and sophomore Joel Krause also competed in the shot put for KU, finishing sixth and seventh, respectively. Bishop threw 16.07m (52-08.75 ft.), while Krause recorded a mark of 15.94m (52-03.75 ft.).
Despite running slightly different legs than usual, the women’s distance medley relay squad of Cori Christensen, Kathryn Lupton, Lauren Bonds and Rebeka Stowe won the DMR by a commanding 17-second margin over in-state rival Kansas State. The quartet recorded a winning-time of 12:00.70. Kansas has now captured Relays’ gold in five of the last eight runnings of the event.
The Jayhawks swept the 4×1 Mile Relay, with the women recording a first-place time of 21:24.87 and the men clocking in at 17:25.16. The men’s race was a battle to the end, but redshirt freshman Zach Zarda was able to kick it in and create enough space in the final 200 meters to secure the KU victory.
After recording the top times in their individual heats, Kansas sophomores Keith Hayes and Lawson Montgomery both advanced to the finals of the men’s 110-hurdles. Hayes ran the second-fastest time overall in the preliminary round, crossing the finish line at 14.21, while Montgomery was fourth in the prelims with a time of 14.64.
Saturday’s final of the 110-hurdles will feature six athletes from the Big 12 Conference, including three whom are ranked in the top 15 nationally. Nebraska’s Lehann Fourie is currently fourth on the NCAA descending order list with his season-best time of 13.67. Hayes is 13th in the nation, followed closely by K-State’s Jeffery Julmis, who is 14th with a season-best time of 13.86.
Freshman Kyle Clemons ran the third-fastest prelim time (48.05) of the men’s 400-meter dash, earning a spot in events finals, which will take place on Saturday at 3:05 p.m. Clemons is currently 16th in the nation in the event with his season-best time of 46.53. Senior Reggie Carter also qualified for the event finals after recording the fourth-fastest time of 48.89 in the preliminary round.
The Jayhawks also had two athletes advance in the women’s 400-meter dash, as sophomore Shayla Wilson crossed the finish line in 57 seconds flat to win her heat, and freshman Taylor Washington recorded a qualifying time of 56.17.
Taissa Makhmayeva was the top finisher in the prelims of the women’s 400-meter hurdles, recording a time of 1:00.12. She will compete in the finals of the event on Saturday at 3:15 p.m.
Friday’s lineup at the Relays also featured several field event finals, including the men’s and women’s shot put, triple jump and javelin, as well as the men’s pole vault and women’s high jump. Sophomore Micah Wesley and senior Mary Lacy both recorded personal records in the women’s shot put, as Wesley threw 14.00m (45-11.325 ft.) to take seventh place and Lacy posted a mark of 12.36m (40-06.75 ft.).
Sophomore Darryl Trotter also had a career day, as he leaped 15.21m (49-11 ft.) in the triple jump, besting his previous PR by nearly two feet.
In the men’s pole vault competition, junior Jordan Scott took third with a mark of 5.17m (16-11.50 ft.), while freshman Corey Shank recorded a season-best mark of 5.02m (16-05.50 ft.) to finish in a tie for eighth place.
Freshman Heather Bergmann, who was the winner of the javelin throw as a high school senior a year ago, took third in the collegiate event with a season-best mark of 48.48 meters (159-01 ft.), which currently ranks 14th in the West region.
The final day of the 2010 Kansas Relays will kick off Saturday at 8 a.m. The Jayhawks’ talented discus duo of Mason Finley and Brian Bishop will compete at 4 p.m., while senior captain Lauren Bonds will run in her final individual race at Memorial Stadium; the 800 meters at 2 p.m.
There are a variety of Invitational events also on tap for Saturday, including the women’s 200-meter dash and 4×400-meter relay, which will showcase two-time Olympic gold medalist Veronica Campbell-Brown. The Glenn Cunningham Invitational Mile will also take place on Saturday, as well as the men’s and women’s Invitational 4×100-meter relays. Two-time Olympian Churandy Martina will take the stage in the men’s Invitational 100-meter dash at 2:45 p.m., while three-time Relays champion Nichole Denby will compete in the Invitational 100-meter hurdles at 1:25 p.m. To follow the fourth and final day of the 83rd Annual Kansas Relays via live results, visit www.kuathletics.com or www.deltatiming.com.
