April 21, 2007

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LAWRENCE, Kan. – The 80^th Anniversary of the Kansas Relays concluded Saturday with record-setting performances by both invitational and Kansas athletes. Bershawn “Batman” Jackson ran the fastest time in the world this year in the 400-meter hurdles while the Jayhawks saw senior Eric Babb and sophomores Sha’Ray Butler and Victoria Howard pick up individual victories.

The competition Saturday started well for KU as Babb cleared 25-09.25 (7.85m) to win the men’s college long jump. The mark represents a new career best for the senior and catapults him into the Big 12 Conference and NCAA Division I top-10.

“I had all my family here today so it was a great accomplishment for me,” Babb said. “It was pretty crazy to see my winning mark. I wasn’t expecting my first jump in the finals to do so well. When I saw that mark, I knew I was going to be able to jump well today.”

Kansas continued to do well throughout the day as sophomores Howard and Butler collected victories in the women’s 100-meter and 400-meter hurdles. Butler ran a personal-best time of 59.44 seconds while Howard captured the sprint title in 11.58 seconds.

“I felt that last week I didn’t run very well – it was cold,” Butler said. “Now that the weather is nice, I felt like I could come out and run a nice race. I was trying to finish sub-:60 today, and I did that.”

Fans were also treated to several outstanding performances from athletes competing in the Gold Zone. Jackson’s winning time of 48.75 seconds represents the world’s best time in the event by over a second in the event and now makes him the three-time defending Kansas Relays champion.

“There are a lot more good things to come,” Jackson said. Every athlete has expectation for their first race of the season, you train so hard in the fall, and your first race often determines how your season will turn out. I am happy with the time. It was a definite plus.”

Also competing well in the Gold Zone was Matt Teagankamp who won the men’s 1500-meter run in a time of 3:43.01, which equates to a four-minute mile. Nichole Denby won the women’s 100-meter invitational hurdles, defeating 2004 Olympic champion Joanna Hayes in a time of 12.72 seconds.

The Jayhawks also saw junior Ashley Brown miss setting a new Kansas record in the 100-meter hurdles, finishing sixth in the women’s invitational in 13.33 seconds. She also improved her mark in the 400-meter hurdles with a time of 58.48 seconds. Fellow hurdler junior Julius Jiles registered a new personal-best in the men’s 110-meter hurdles, finishing his preliminary heat in 13.89 seconds.

In all, 10,421 fans enjoyed spectacular weather and competition over the four days of the 80^th Anniversary of the Kansas Relays. The Jayhawks return to action at the Drake Relays April 27-28 in Des Moines, Iowa.

Saturday’s Event Winners Quotes

Women’s 400 Meter Hurdles

Sha’Ray Butler – Kansas (59:54r)

On her performance:

“I am happy. I felt that last week I didn’t run very well – it was cold. Now that the weather is nice, I felt like I could come out and run a nice race. I was trying to finish sub-:60 today, and I did that.”

On winning at the Relays:

“It feels amazing to win here at home. It’s truly a blessing. This race will help me build my confidence for the rest of the season.”

Women’s 400 Meter Hurdles Invite

Carla Thomas – Lincoln University (57.31)

On her win:

“It felt great to compete at the Relays. I didn’t know it was an invitational event. I was placed in lane two and it was hard, but I did the best that I could to finish strong. It was my best performance of the season.”

Men’s 400 Meter Hurdles

Andrew Pearson – Nebraska (51.99)

On his win:

“It feels good. I got out a little slow. I was really pleased with how I came down the home stretch with the wind today.”

On battling his teammate at the end:

“We run together everyday in practice. We have a good group of hurdlers, so it is always good to run with them. I’m glad (Tim Grier) got second. We can’t ask for anything more.”

On the Relays:

“I like how the stadium is set up. The fans and all the kids really help to push us down the home stretch.”

Men’s 400 Meter Hurdles Invite

Bershawn Jackson – Unattached (48.75)

On the wind:

“It was really bad. It affected me a lot. I feel had there not been so much wind, I would have easily ran sub-:48. I had to (adjust my strategy) because the wind threw me off. It was worse then the wind when I was here in 2005.”

On recording the best time in the world this year:

“There are a lot more good things to come. Every athlete has expectation for their first race of the season. You train so hard in the fall, and your first race often determines how your season will turn out. I am happy with the time. It was a definite plus.”

Women’s 400 Meter Dash

Krista Harmon – Wichita State (55.37)

On the race:

“It went well. I felt good for the most part and then we hit the wind on that last freeway, it was definitely harder. Overall, I think it went pretty well.”

On her strong performance as a senior:

“It is really cool to be able to go out there and do well in your senior year. It’s the last time you’ll be here and it’s really nice to go out like that.”

Men’s 400 Meter Dash

Andetti Bain – Oral Roberts (46.06)

On his performance:

“It was okay. It was my first 400 for the outdoor season. I just needed to do some speed work to get ready for the 400 meter hurdles. I wanted to run it in 0:45 but I’ll accept 0:46.”

On participating in the Kansas Relays for the first time:

“I’m impressed. It’s very well organized. The crowd support is good.”

On the weather conditions:

“This is the warmest meet I’ve had all season. I thought the wind was a little bit heavy coming home but I’m impressed with the overall meet.”

Men’s 400 Meter Dash Invitational

Chris Lloyd – Unattached

On his performance:

“I feel it went great. The only thing is it’s a little big too windy out here today. That could have hindered my performance a little bit, but I was able to pull off the win, so I’m happy with it.”

On competing in a collegiate meet:

“There are so many professional athletes out here that it gives it the atmosphere of running in a professional meet. It’s a good meet and I like it.”

On his time:

“That was actually my personal best. I recently switched coaches, so the 400 meters comes a lot easier now that I know how to run it. If the wind wasn’t here today, the track record would have fallen.”

Women’s 100 Meter Dash

Victoria Howard – Kansas

On the race:

“I felt pretty good. My coach and I have been working on my technique. I’ve been battling through some injuries but I gave it my all today and executed my race.”

On winning her home meet:

“It’s always nice to be at home because we never get a home meet. It feels good because I have a lot of support from my family and friends.”

Women’s 100 Meter Dash Invitational

Nicheshia Anderson – Unattached

On the race:

“I felt good today. These are good conditions and the track is great. The weather is good as well. It’s windy and it definitely helps.”

On running a collegiate race:

“It is really good coming from Great Britain. We are out here on a training trip. It’s amazing that the conditions are so much better than any other place in Europe. It was windy but you put your body through that and you can go out and to better at the end of the season.”

Men’s 100 Meter Dash

Brendan Christensen – Unattached

On the race:

“I wish my start would have been a little better. I have been working on it in practice and my reaction time has been a little slow. Overall this was a pretty good race. It was my first race this season.”

On the wind:

“The wind gave me a good push, which I needed. I’m not really a polished runner so I need all the help I can get.”

Men’s 100 Meter Dash Invitational

Mark Jones – Unattached

On his performance:

“I felt pretty good but I have a lot of work to do. Right now, I’m just trying to focus on my European season and the World Championships. All things considered, it was a pretty good race. I had a few technical breakdowns, but it was okay. The race was pretty comfortable for me because we had three other members of my team right next to me. It was kind of like a practice.”

Discus Throw

Sheldon Battle – Unattached

On his performance in the discus:

“Being at home you feel a little tight, that’s how we are in our circle, but my performance this year in the discus was much better than in previous relays.”

On the wind effect:

“It was a cross wind, if you caught it right it could really carry you, but it was a little more difficult to get it out there. The conditions have been great, I’m glad there’s been no rain, so overall it was a good day.”

Men’s Long Jump

Eric Babb – Kansas (25-09.25)

On his performance:

“I felt good. I wasn’t able to compete last year because I was injured. I had all my family here today so it was a great accomplishment for me. It was very windy, but it was nice that it was warm not freezing.”

On his feelings after seeing his final mark:

“It was pretty crazy to see. I wasn’t expecting my first jump in the finals to do so well. When I saw that mark, I knew I was going to be able to jump well today.”

On a friendly competition between he and teammate Barrett Saunders:

“Coach Donley said Barrett (Saunders) should be able to go by Monday and that we’ll be able to have a good competition then. I think it’s great to have the two of us jumping so well together.”

Women’s Pole Vault

Bryce Stately – Nebraska (14-03.50)

On her winning performance:

“I told my coach during warm-ups that if it got ten degrees warmer I would be able to clear fourteen feet. I have been training very hard and I knew I was also running very fast, but it was a matter of having the weather to go with it. I didn’t know any of the heights I was clearing until afterwards. I asked the officials and after I cleared 14 feet, I knew I had set a school record.”

Women’s Two-Mile Relay
Allison Poolle – Drake (9:21.42)

On the Kansas Relays:

“It is always fun coming to the Kansas Relays. The fans and people who work here are really great. Every year we come here, and the competition gets better, so we always look forward to competing here.”

On their performance:

“It was a little windy, so not everyone was quite where we wanted to be. But we will definitely take the win.”

On upcoming competition:

“Next week we’re hosting our own meet, and we are really excited. We hope to improve on the two mile-relay because it is on our own track. We hope we can break our school record and qualify for regionals.”

Men’s Two-Mile Relay

Brian Beard – University of Illinois (7:43.89)

On the Kansas Relays:

“This is always a great meet. It was nice to run against solid competition.”

On their performance:

“I am very pleased with our team. Three of us have been running together since high school. It is a pleasure to run with them now rather than against them.”

On upcoming competition:

“Next weekend, we are going to Drake, where we will put together another (two-mile relay) and see if we can improve on our performance today.”

Women’s 800 meters
Kimberly Pancoasc – Nebraska (2:11.12)

On her performance:

“I was happy. No one would take the lead and I didn’t want to take the lead because it was windy. I was like, `heck I will just go’, and so it worked out good. I was happy with it.”

On the Kansas Relays:

“The Relays are really nice. There were a lot of fans and it’s a great stadium to run in. I had a really good time.”

Men’s 800 meter

Elphas Sang – Midamerica Nazarene (1:48.69r)
On his performance:
“I felt very good about my performance. I have been trying to improve and this was good for me. I enjoyed it a lot.”

On the Kansas Relays:

“I like the Kansas Relays because it enables me to run with some really good guys. I am from the NAIA and we can see that when we come to the Kansas Relays we have to be well prepared.”

Women’s 800 meter Invitational
Rebecca Johnstone – Unattached (2:05.99)

On her performance:

“It was definitely a great opportunity to come out here. This is only my second race this season, so it was good to have a competitive field so early in the season. It has been great.”

On the Kansas Relays:

“The Relays have been really cool. This campus is amazing, just jogging around. It’s a little windy but that’s alright.”

Men’s High Jump

Dusty Jonas – Nebraska (7-03.00)
On the High Jump:

“Everybody jumped pretty well. I was surprised to see as many people go over seven feet as there was. Overall the weather and atmosphere are great.”

Compared to his performance at last year’s Relays:

“I didn’t jump nearly as high last year. I jumped 7-feet-5¾-inches and won the invitational. I can’t really look at it to bad because we haven’t had a good day to jump outside all year. We didn’t have an invitational this year but it was still a good experience. The competition was very good.

On competing in the Kansas Relays:

“I think it’s really exciting. I like the stadium and all the fans that showed up.”

Women’s 4×100 (47.42)
Krista Harmon – Wichita State

On competing in the Kansas Relays:

“It’s really exciting since it’s so close to home.

On her last year competing at the Relays:

“I qualified for the 400-meters which I’ve never done before so that’s exciting.”

On the weather:

“The wind was pretty strong on the back stretch but it helped the second runner.”

Men’s 4×100 (41.20)

Seth Cavenee – Wichita State

On competing in the Kansas Relay’s:

“It’s a really exciting time out here.”

Competing at the Kansas Relays for the first time:

“It’s pretty exciting watching from the stands. It’s definitely a different atmosphere down here.”

On the WSU women winning right before their race:

“It did help watching them come back (and win). I was very proud and happy for them.”

Women’s Invitational Long Jump

Grace Upshaw – Unattached (21-08.00)

On her performance:

“It was alright. I would have liked to been carried by the wind and get a really big jump. I think the wind hurt me because it was hard to get in a good, consistent series (of jumps).”

On competing in a collegiate meet:

“It’s good. I ran in El Paso last week, but that was definitely more low key than this. This is the first time I have ever been at Kansas and I like it because it brings me back to my college days (at the University of California).”

Women’s 1500 meters
Lasaira Del Valle – Unattached (4:25.77r)

On the race:

“It was a new race for me. When I was at Kansas State, I just ran the 800 meters, but now I am running the 1500 meters for my country (Puerto Rico).

On the pace of the race:

“My coach told me to just be comfortable because we are just learning how to race. He told me to be patient because an 800 meters runner has to go out fast from the gun. When I got to the last 300 (meters) I knew I could push it all the way to the finish line.”

Men’s 1500 meters

Matt Teagancamp – Unattached (3:43.01r)

On racing close to home:

“This is the first time I’ve run back in the Kansas City area since I was in college, so it has been six years now. I was hoping for a nicer day. The temperature is good but it’s normal springtime wind. This was a really good opener for my outdoor season. It’s nice to get close to my hometown (Lee Summit) and go out and give the crowd some excitement, it was a really good time.”

On his race preference:

“I definitely wish it would have been the mile. I think the overall crowd can relate better to a mile. It is easier for them to understand a four-minute mile than it is for a conversion to a 1500 (meter). I think it is something that would have been nice, maybe next year.”

Nebraska Omaha (Women’s Sprint Medley, 1^st Place, 3:59.78)

Senior Angela Kampschnieder

On competing at Kansas Relays:

“We enjoy coming to Kansas Relays. We like coming here and competing against teams that we don’t usually see. It kind of emulates Drake Relays. We go there next weekend, so it, a good pre-Drake meet.”

On winning the event:

“I think we’re excited. We definitely weren’t expecting it. We went out there and did what we could. We had pretty good conditions, we’ve been running in the cold weather the last couple of weeks or so we were pretty excited about the weather here. You’re going to have different conditions at every meet, so you have to do what you can.”

Cloud County Community College (Men’s Sprint Medley, 1^st Place, 3:26.59)

Freshman Adam Bialis

On the Kansas Relays:

“I’ve never competed at the Kansas Relays; I’ve just competed at Texas Relays. Kansas Relays has been a great time. It’s beautiful today. You couldn’t ask for better.”

University of Kansas (Men’s Long Jump, 1^st Place, 25-09.25)

Senior Eric Babb

On his performance:

“I felt good. I wasn’t able to compete last year because I was injured. I had all my family here today so it was a great accomplishment for me. It was very windy, but it was nice that it was warmer than freezing.”

On his feelings after seeing his final mark:

“It was pretty crazy to see. I wasn’t expecting my first jump in the finals to do so well, so when I saw that mark, I knew I was going to be able to jump well today.”

On a friendly competition between he and teammate Barrett Saunders:

“Coach Donly said Barrett (Saunders) should be able to go by Monday and that we’ll be able to have a good competition then. I think it’s great to have the two of us jumping so well together.”

Women’s 4 x 400 Meter Relay

Davita Prendergast – Lincoln University

On the team’s performance:

“I don’t even know how to explain our performance. We are very happy with what we accomplished”.

On the Kansas Relays:

“I enjoyed the Relays. Whenever I come here I always seem to do my best. Believe me.”

Men’s 4 x 400 Meter Relay

John Park – Barton County

On the team’s performance:

“We felt like we were going to do very good today. In the preliminaries we had a very

good time. We felt like we were going to do well if we just ran our race”.

On the Kansas Relays:

“This is my first time coming out here and I enjoyed it, every bit of it. This is really a cool meet.”