Day Four Quotes
April 23, 2011
2011 Kansas Relays
April 23, 2011
Lawrence, Kan. — Memorial Stadium
Day Four Quotes
Invitational Men’s 110 Meter Hurdles, Antwon Hicks, adidas
On if this is where he wants to be at this point in the year:
“(My time of) :13.35 is decent for right now. I would have liked to go :13.20 but it’s a little cool so that’s fine for today.”
On what it’s like to come back where he holds the record:
“I love it. For April this is probably my best meet and the best place I need to come to. So I need to make this meet a staple for my career.”
Invitational Women’s 100-Meter Dash Winner, Lauryn Williams, Saucony
On what she expected out of today’s race:
“(I’m) Coming off of a year off I didn’t really know what to expect. My training has been going well; I ran a solid 200 meters last week but the 200 is not the 100 so you just have to come out here and try out, see where you are and adjust from there. If my coach sees the race she’s going to be proud of the finish and the way I came on at the end.”
On if she usually runs the 200 or 100 meter:
“(I usually run the) 100 meters. I just opened on the 200 at home at the University of Miami last week.”
On if she had ever been to the Kansas Relays before:
“No, this is my first time to Kansas. I don’t think I’ve even been to the state before. I heard (about) this (meet) from all of my colleagues so I figured `why not check it out’. The weather perked up just in time so I can’t complain about that.”
On her continual pursuit to improve:
“I am looking to improve. I am not sure what my coach is going to say once she watches the race. I think it was a positive win and it takes away from the time a little bit.”
On what she is does in her free time:
“I got a job working at the University of Miami in the athletic department. I ski, I sky dive and play flag football. You name it and I probably have done it.”
On her training:
“There are so many variables to my training right now from using hurdles to false starts and different weight programs.”
On all of the volunteering she does:
“I think that it is everyone job to give back. There has always been someone there in my life to support and guide me. If I can give back and help my community then why not?”
On where she will be competing next:
“You will see me at the relays (Penn Relays) back home. I am going to Pennsylvania and it is going to be good to go back to my state and be around family and friends.”
Invitational Men’s 100-Meter Dash Winner, Ivory Williams, Nike
On hurting his hamstring:
“It hurts a little bit, but I was focused on staying relaxed during the race and trying to finish off with a victory.”
On trying to make his first USA team:
“I think that I am sitting really good. This was the first track meet of the year. I am focusing on staying healthy, staying relaxed and doing the best I can right now.”
On being ready to compete:
“I am ready to compete and run against whomever. I think that we have a very good chance of beating Jamaica this year. They just have to put the right people together and the coaches need to come together and decide who is going to be on the relay team. I feel that if everything can come together we can beat Jamaica. Jamaica competes in the same relay every track meet and they end up beating us every time we go out. I think we need to stay with the same people and run like that.”
On the USA Team using different athletes on the relay teams:
“I think that messes with the hand-offs. I think that if we stay together we will know who the person we hand-off to is going to be. I think we need to stay together even if it is two teams.”
On where he wants to be at going into competition in Europe:
“I am not worried about that right now. I am focused on running every track meet and coming out with the victory. I am not worried about standings and where I am ranked because all I want to do is win right now.”
Invitational Women’s 400-Meter Hurdle Winner, Sheena Tosta, Nike
On competing in her first Kansas Relays:
“The weather is a little windy, but everything is going very nicely and smoothly.”
On running in the wind:
“I think I ran about a 0:55. However, on the back stretch the wind was in my face, but overall it was ok.”
On the competition at the Kansas Relays:
“I noticed that they were closing on me at the handoffs. I tried to make sure to hold my position and make sure that no one caught me.”
Invitational Women’s 200-Meter Dash Winner, Veronica Campbell-Brown, adidas
On her current training regimen:
“I am going to keep on training hard and continue to get better.”
On her plans for competing in the next Olympics:
“It is still almost two years from now. (The) 2011 (season) is what I am focused on right now and my objective is to train and work hard and I will see what will happen in the next two years.”
On the competition at the Kansas Relays:
“The competition is good because it helps me prepare for future races.”
Men’s Invitational 400-Meter Hurdles Winner, Bershawn “Batman” Jackson, Unattached
On the race:
“I was really nervous. It was my season-opener. My fall was really bad because of the snow and cold and we don’t have an indoor facility in Raleigh. Overall I felt really good. It was really windy in the backstretch and I know Judge Nelson would go out hard. I wanted to keep everyone within striking distance. My strength is the last three hurdles and I let my strength and speed come in and I think I did a great job of opening it up.”
On coming back to the Kansas Relays:
“My first exposure as a professional was at the Kansas Relays. The first meet that I won and people were like, `Who is this kid Bershawn Jackson?’. This was the first meet to put me on the radar. I am excited to come back every year and be successful. I have never taken a loss here and I want to keep it that way until I retire.”
On how much the wind affected him (on the backstretch):
“A whole lot. I am a small guy so when the wind hit me it played a big part. I love conditions like this because at the world championships or Olympic games, you can’t predict the weather. It might be windy. It might be cold. I actually won my first world championship in the rain.”
Men’s Invitational 200-Meter Dash Winner, Jordan Boase, Unattached
On the race:
“I felt good. I didn’t feel great the first 100 or so, but the last 30-40 meters I could feel myself catching up to them a little bit so I had a feeling I was going to end up getting by them towards the end there.”
On if this was what you expected for your first race this year:
“The time was about what I expected because it is pretty tough turn to run a fast time here. My coach told me I could win but I didn’t really believe him. Coaches always have more faith in their athletes than the athletes do (in themselves), but once I got to that 50-meter mark I was feeling good and I just tried to stay relaxed the rest of the way.”
On talk about the burst at the end to win:
“There are only me and a couple of other guys who are 400 runners, so obviously Doc (Darvis Patton) and Randy Christian are more 100, 200 guys so I had a feeling and my coach even texted me and said stay with them, a stride or two off the curb and if you can do that you can get by them that last 50.”
Paralympics Invitational 100-Meter Dash Participant, Kortney Clemons, Kansas Volunteer Assistant Coach
About the race:
“Today was an awesome day. I am very appreciative the Kansas Relays put this together for us. We got a chance to come out here and show our talents. As far as my race, it might have been a PR. I don’t know if the wind held up or not, but it was a good race for me. It is real early in the season and I look forward to getting better and continuing training at KU with the track team, Coach Redwine and the guys. I am just excited to be here.”
On his performance:
“For me to be in the 13s every race this year is a big deal for me. I usually run 14.2 or 14.3 and to be running 13.8 is great. I am excited and looking forward to growing as an athlete.”
On how he influences others and how they influence him:
“When they talk to me it really hits home and lets me know the effect I have on people. Being disabled on an everyday basis, you forget the effect it has on people. For people to say things and have the KU Relays have everybody stand up when you run the 100 is huge. It shows that they believe in us and respect us for what we do. It is great.”
On how he lost his leg:
“I lost my leg in 2005. I was an army medic. I was carrying a guy to a Blackhawk and an ID exploded and I lost my right leg above the knee and we lost three other service members that day. Since then I have been rehabbing and going to school and trying to make my life better. Today was another step in that direction and I am excited about that.”
Glenn Cunningham Men’s Invitational Mile, Will Leer, Unattached
On how he thought he ran today overall:
“Well, we showed up yesterday and I hadn’t seen a start list yet. So we went to check in and I only saw five names. I haven’t been in a race like that in quite awhile. Every other race usually has 17, 18 or 19 guys and everyone is going for it, so that was startling to say the least. I recognized everyone who was on the start list and I thought we ran a tactile, but moderately aggressive, race for the day. All that was important today was getting out here and busting some of the winter rust and competing.”
On if this was his first time at Kansas Relays:
“Yeah this is my first time and I’ve heard that when the weather is nice that this place gets pretty filled up with people. When I got here yesterday and went for a jog, I thought the weather was amazing. It was like 70 degrees, sunny and hardly any wind so I thought that we might have one of those types of days again today. But you can’t control Mother Nature.”
On if this win is important for him:
“Winning is important and every time you can win a race against your professional competitors it’s really good. It lets me know that the training is going really well and I felt really easy throughout the entire race and was really relaxed. It was only the last 75 meters that I had to sprint.”
Paralympic 100-Meter Dash Winner, Blake Leeper, Unattached
On the race:
“It felt real good. I had a PR today. It was a really fast track and the crowd cheering for us was really great and pushed us along.”
Women’s 200-Meter Dash Winner, Reyare Thomas, Iowa Central Community College
On how she felt about her winning race:
“It was not my best race, but I went into it knowing that I wanted to win and I came out on top. So I was just happy to know that I finished strong.”
On her strategy for the finals today:
“The strategy from day one was just to go out and run my race. It was to run the curve, and for the first 70 meters run as hard as possible, which I was able to accomplish. I think I triumphed on the straightaway. I just went for the finish line, to get there first.”
Men’s 200-Meter Dash Winner, Dane Hyatt, Lincoln (Mo.)
On his race and the competition faced today:
“Pain, pain, pain, pain. But, glory lasts forever. Pain is temporary. I worked my butt off. I have to thank God though, because He is el numero uno.”
On the pain he was experiencing:
“Pain from training session and during the race. It tends to get a pain here and there, but if you pay attention to it, then you miss the big picture, and I’m all about the big picture. And the big picture is win for me.”
On racing against his teammate, Terrel Cotton, who won this event at the 2009 and 2010 Relays:
“Yeah, he pushed me and he’s happy for me also. So it’s not really how I feel about beating him. My main aim was to win. I’m sure he wanted to win too, but it came down to who wanted it most. And I definitely needed it the most. I’ve just got to build from here and then (I’ll) go far.”
Men’s Two-Mile Relay, Ryan Hocker, Wichita State
On Kansas’ Dalen Fink dropping the baton on the first leg:
“KU dropped it (the baton) and I made a move on the outside because I saw him drop it. I knew I had to go right then.”
On Kansas dropping the baton:
“I was kind of glad he dropped it because it was one less person I had to worry about.”
On Wichita State’s 2 Mile Relay team:
“This is the first time we have run a (2 mile relay). We just threw our fastest 800 (meter) people together. We don’t ever run the (2 mile relay). I was surprised that we ran that fast because one of our legs wasn’t as fast as the other three, but he ran pretty well.”
Women’s Two-Mile Relay Leah Thompson, Wichita State
On her strategy knowing that her team had a big lead:
“I knew that we were in the lead so I came out as hard as I could and gave it all I had. I took it as if someone was close to us.”
On not being challenged at the end of the race:
“I kind of saw her when I came around the corner. I didn’t see anyone (close to her) so I felt a little bit better.”
Women’s Two-Mile Relay, Samantha Shukla, Wichita State
On her leg of the race:
“When I saw (teammate) Danielle (Walker) in front I knew that I just had to hold it for the team and that’s what I tried to do. I ran a smarter race than I did yesterday (in the 800 meter race).”
On yesterday’s 800 meter race versus today’s 2 mile relay:
“I really was drained yesterday and I couldn’t kick in my 800 (meter) race. Today I went with a better strategy for the team.”
Women’s 400-Meter Relay, Nyoka Cole, Lincoln University
On how she felt about her individual leg of the race:
“I felt it went exceptionally well. My own leg was great, it was super awesome, and probably the best I’ve ever run.”
On how she felt about her team’s performance:
“We did really well, I was extremely proud of how we did.”
On the competition she faced:
“What can I say, every team out there did their best. We had a few good teams out there that we had to compete against. We just went out there and did our best.”
Women’s 400-Meter Relay, Jhanell Brown, Lincoln University
On how she felt about her team’s overall performance:
“As a team we could have done better, but we still won the race and I’m proud of how we did.”
On what it’s like competing at the Kansas Relays:
“It feels very great. It’s really nice getting to make a quick drive and come compete at this meet.”
Men’s 400-Meter Relay, Jeffery Julmis, Kansas State
On how he felt about his individual performance in the race:
“I felt I ran a pretty good race – I did feel like I left a little bit early (when I got the baton). After I got the stick, I felt like I ran pretty well.”
On how he felt about the team’s performance:
“First place is always nice to achieve, but if we could have improved our handoffs, I know we could have done better.”
On how it feels to run at the Kansas Relays as another Kansas school:
“It’s a great experience; it is a little cold today, and usually with better weather, we have better performances.”
Men’s 400-Meter Relay, Jason Coniglio, Kansas State
On how he felt about the team’s race today:
“I felt like our handoffs could have been better, but first place is always a nice accomplishment.”
On how he felt about his individual performance:
“I thought I ran pretty well, but as a competitor, you always feel like you could do better.”
On how he felt about the competition in their heat:
“We faced some really good competition. Nebraska is always a good team, so is Emporia State – it’s really nice to get to face good competition.”
On what it’s like competing at the Kansas Relays:
“It’s always fun coming here. It’s close to home, so we always get a good night’s sleep before the meet. It’s always a good atmosphere (here), so we really like coming here.”
Women’s Pole Vault Winner, Natalie Willer, Nebraska
On her performance in the event:
“Well I won so that was good enough for me. It wasn’t my best day. I had some aches and pains going on but I did enough to get the win.”
On the position this win puts her in as she goes forward in the season:
“With all these outdoor meets it’s nice when you get good weather, so I’m just going to work on building up my consistency with everything. I’m feeling good for the rest of the season though.”
Men’s 400-Meter Hurdles Winner, Steve Banton, Lincoln
On his thoughts coming into today’s race:
“I felt good, I have been tired, but I seemed to manage.”
On the finals race:
“I didn’t start how I wanted, but I came home strong.”
On the rest of the season:
“I am planning to finish the season off with a 0:49, that’s my goal. So I am aiming to get there.”
Women’s 400-Meter Hurdles Winner, Ryann Krais, Kansas State
On her thoughts coming into today’s 400m hurdle race:
“I was pretty confident, especially coming off of yesterday’s race with the bad weather. I was thinking that if there were good conditions today, it would be a good day.”
On her performance in the Finals:
“There were a couple glitches in it (my race). I normally try to execute it a little differently, but it didn’t work out. You just have to adjust in this race.”
On how she thinks the rest of the season will go after today’s performance:
“I am really excited because I know that I couldn’t execute a race like I like to and that is going to be a really good time; but it’s nice to see a race that isn’t (run) perfect (and still) come out with a PR.”
Men’s 100-Meter Dash Runner-Up, Ravel Grey, Lincoln (Mo.)
On his thoughts coming into today’s race:
“It felt pretty good, the weather was a little better than yesterday. It was great.”
On the finals race:
“I was a little nervous because I know these guys are kind of fast, but I made sure I concentrated on my start, (especially) getting out and tried to finish.”
On the rest of the season:
“Next week is Drake (Relays), and after that we have our conference meet. Drake is usually rainy, but I think I can do pretty well. In conference we have really good competitors, but I think I am ready.”
Women’s 100-M Dash Winner, Reyare Thomas, Iowa Central Community College
On how she envisioned today’s race going:
“I felt comfortable knowing that I had the fastest time, so I just had to go out there and prove myself once again.”
On the finals race:
“It wasn’t my best performance, but it was my best on this day. There is room for improvement.”
On her plans for the rest of the season:
“I am getting ready for regionals next weekend and junior nationals at the end of May.”
Women’s Discus, Jessica Maroszek, Kansas
On how she felt coming into today:
“I felt really confident because I practice in this ring a lot and because it’s a home meet I felt like I had to do really well.”
On if the weather affected her:
“No, actually today was a perfect day. There was no wind so it wasn’t helping or hurting the disc. It was just a matter of staying warm in this kind of colder weather.”
On if she knew when she released it was going to beat her personal record:
“Yeah, when I let it go I felt like it went a little farther, but then when I saw where it hit, it didn’t seem like it went very far.”
Women’s 1500-Meter Run Winner, Rebeka Stowe, Kansas
On how she felt about this year’s relays:
“Well it’s the same time as last year but honestly, I haven’t been running well this year so it’s just kind of exciting to get back to where I was so I can start moving forward now.”
On how she will continue to move forward:
“I’m not sure what I’ll run at conference but I get to run a steeple chase next weekend which is really exciting because that’s where I was blessed enough to have some success last year. I’m excited to see where I’m at going into that.”
On if there is anything she is going to work on before the NCAA Championships:
“(To) Just try and get faster. Right now I’m still in a really high mileage portion of my season so I’ll probably start cutting off some mileage and hopefully that will make me faster.”
Men’s 1,500-Meter Run Winner, Don Wasinger, Kansas
On how he felt about his race:
“Definitely happy. I didn’t see exactly what my time was but somewhere around 45 or 46 but my goal was to hit a 46. So I felt my time was good. (It was the) fastest time in the Big 12 this year so that’s legit.”
On what the rest of the season looks like:
“Well, promising I guess so I’m looking forward to it. It’s going to be a lot of fun.”
On time goals going into Big 12 and NCAA Championshps:
“Just keep working on my time. I really want to get below 45 in the 1500 meters.”
On how he felt his teammates ran:
“I wish they would have been up there because we kind of had a plan to go out at like two-flat at the 800 but I went a little fast. But there was a guy out there so I had to chase him.”
Men’s 800 Meter Run, Dalen Fink, Kansas
On how he felt before today’s race:
“I felt pretty good. I ran the preliminaries in the 4X400 yesterday and that was my only race. I didn’t have practice on Thursday so I was pretty well rested.”
On how he felt about his time:
“It’s a little disappointing. I ran a 1:52:8 last week and I felt like I could shave a second off of that time.”
On the rest of the season:
“We head to Drake (Relays) next week, then Arkansas and then conference so we still have three big meets left to go.”
On his goals for the last three meets:
“I want my times to keep dropping every meet, so I’m taking steps in the right direction. As long as my time drops somewhere, I don’t really care which meet.”
Women’s 400-Meter Dash Winner, Diamond Dixon, Kansas
On what she thought about today’s race:
“I felt pretty good today, I had a goal set in my mind and I tried to follow through with that.”
On what her goal was for today:
“My goal was to run a 52.90 or 52.80 and to beat my outdoor personal record.”
On what she hopes to accomplish the rest of the season:
“I hope to make it all the way to nationals and compete with all of the competitive and fast ladies. Hopefully I’ll compete really well and be an All-American in outdoor track.”
Men’s 400-Meter Dash Winner, Kyle Clemons, Kansas
On how he felt about today’s race:
“I felt pretty good, it’s been a long week.”
On how he felt about his time:
“I’m not too pleased with my time. My personal record is about two seconds faster, but I guess the most important part is the win.”
On what his goals are for the remainder of the outdoor season:
“Try and win that Big 12 title and then take it from there.”
Men’s 110-Meter Hurdles, Michael Hancock, Iowa Central Community College
On his race:
“I got off to a good start. It wasn’t as aggressive or as clean as I wanted it to be, but I have not been feeling well. I have a sore throat and have been having hard practices all week. I had a heavy work load, but overall I am pleased to come out with the win.”
On battling sickness and the colder weather:
“I really don’t look at all that stuff. If you come to perform, you will perform. If you come to win, you will win. I don’t believe in excuses. I come to win and that is my goal in every race. Sometimes you don’t get the time that you want, but I am ready to go a whole lot faster. I am pleased with the win, I will take it.”
Women’s Long Jump, Mara Griva, Nebraska
On her performance:
“The last few competitions for me were really bad. I just hoped to jump 6.20 meters or 6.30 meters maybe, but I did much better than that so I was very happy with my performance today.”
On the atmosphere at Kansas Relays:
“I really liked competing here. I did the triple jump yesterday, but we were facing a head wind so that was difficult. Today we were jumping with the wind so it was really good.”
On her focus going forward in her season:
“My next competition will be at Big 12’s and then NCAA Regionals and Nationals. I want to advance to the NCAA meet in both the long jump and triple jump so I have my work cut out for me. I need to get back to practice and work on my technique and hope that I can continue to improve.”
Boy’s 100-Meter Dash Winner, Adonis Saunders, Olathe North
On the race:
“I finished strong. It was very close. I didn’t know if I could pull it off, but I did. I will take that any day.”
On winning at the KU Relays:
“It feels really good because not many people from Olathe North come back to win the KU Relays, especially two years in a row. It feels really great. The four by one (hundred) did it earlier and now I did it in the 100.”
On what has been the best part of the Relays:
“Probably the relay. It is more of a team thing and I have all my other brothers with me, so it makes it that much better for me.”
On if Coach Turner Gill let him run track at KU:
“We talked about that and he said it will be up to me, so we will have to see.”
On if he felt pressure competing in the Kansas Relays being committed to KU:
“Definitely. I felt I needed to step my game up a little bit.”
Women’s 1,600-Meter Relay, Kendra Bradley, Kansas
On her thoughts coming into the race:
“We felt pretty confident coming in.”
On the team’s performance in the final:
“(It’s) Not what we wanted, but it’s all right for now. We were aiming for the meet record. We wanted to get the 3:36.”
On the rest of the season:
“You can only go up from here, so we are just trying to repeat what we did during the indoor season for the outdoor season.”
Men’s 1,600-Meter Relay, Dalen Fink, Kansas
On his thoughts coming into the race:
“We’re feeling pretty good; (but) we are pretty tired from the preliminaries, and the 800s and 400s that we had to run earlier today, but we are still feeling pretty good.”
On closing out the 84th Annual Kansas Relays with a win:
“It’s great, that’s how you have to end it at KU Relays.”
Men’s 1,600-Meter Relay, Keron Toussiant, Kansas
On the KU men’s team’s performance in the final:
“It feels good; that’s the fastest time we have run all year. We have some room for improvement, but it was good to get this win on our track.”
On the rest of the season:
“We have got to do a lot more. That (another race like today) will not be enough for Big 12 (Conference meet). We have got to keep improving. We have to go out and work hard at practice, that’s the only way to get better.”
Men’s Discus Winner, Mason Finley, Kansas
On his performance:
“Today was kind of disappointing for me. My technique was off and I couldn’t quite make the throws I was looking for.”
On how it feels to collect wins in both discus and the shot put:
“It is a good feeling to know I could pull through for my team. It’s always good to keep Kansas on top.”
On Kansas’ performance in this week’s meet:
“I feel like everyone’s really coming together as a team. We’re out supporting each other in almost every event. I think our growth as a team is really starting to show in the results.”
