Jayhawks Wrap Up Regular Season with Arkansas Twilight and Payton Jordan Invitational
April 29, 2010
LAWRENCE, Kan. –
This weekend marks the final tune up for the Kansas track and field teams before postseason competition begins with the Big 12 Outdoor Championships May 14-16 in Columbia, Mo.
Most of the team will be in Fayetteville, Ark., for the Arkansas Twilight on Friday, April 30, while select members of the KU distance squad journey West for the Payton Jordan Invitational, held Saturday, May 1 on the campus of Stanford University.
Joining the 23rd-ranked Jayhawk men and 36th-ranked Jayhawk women in Arkansas will be four Big 12 opponents in Baylor, Missouri, Iowa State and Oklahoma State. Kansas will have 17 athletes who are ranked in the top 10 of the Big 12 Conference competing on Friday.
Highlighting that list is freshman Mason Finley, who is second in the league in both the shot put and discus. Finley is coming off a season-best performance of 196-4 in the discus, which earned the Salida, Colo., native Co-Male Big 12 Athlete of the Week honors. He will be joined this weekend by senior Brian Bishop in the both the discus and shot put events.
On the track, freshman Kyle Clemons returns to the site of his season-best performance in the 400-meter dash. Three weeks ago at the John McDonnell Invitational in Fayetteville, Clemons ran a 46.43, which is currently 21st on the NCAA descending order list and fourth in the Big 12 Conference.
For the KU women, freshman Taissa Makhmayeva will lead a pack of three Jayhawks in the 400-meter hurdles, while sophomore Alena Krechyk headlines the list of field competitors for KU. Krechyk is the top-ranked hammer thrower in both the West region and Big 12 Conference with her season-best mark of 211-10 ft.
While most of the KU squad is competing at the familiar John McDonnell Field in Fayetteville, Ark., six members of the team will be out West at the Payton Jordan Invite. Among those competing in Stanford, Calif., will be senior Lauren Bonds and sophomore Rebeka Stowe, both of whom are ranked in the top 48 in the nation in their respective events.
Having only competed in her specialty event once this season, Bonds will look to improve her standing in the 1,500 meters, as she is currently 33rd on the NCAA descending order list and 14th in the West region. Stowe will run the 3,000-meter steeplechase, an event in which she is ranked 43rd in the country and 26th in the West region.
For the Jayhawk men, sophomore Donny Wasinger will race against 66 other athletes in the 1,500 meters, while redshirt-freshman Austin Bussing will put his training to the test in the 3,000-meter steeplechase.
The Payton Jordan Invitational is historically one of the best meets in the country for distance runners. The six Jayhawks competing in Saturday’s distance carnival will certainly face stiff competition, but the fierceness of the field is what makes the meet so conducive for earning top times.
For a complete list of entries and to follow the Jayhawks via live results at the Payton Jordan Invitational, click the following link: http://www.sml1.com/recordtiming/stanford/pjc10/
Live results of the Arkansas Twilight can be found at www.flashresults.com.
