Jayhawk Men Lead After Day One of Big 12 Championships
May 13, 2005
Results | Photo Gallery
MANHATTAN, Kan. – The University of Kansas men’s track and field team are the leaders after day one of the 2005 Big 12 Outdoor Championships in Manhattan, Kan. The Jayhawks had a huge day at the R.V. Christian Track, as they scored 20 points and currently lead second-place Kansas State by one point. The Kansas women’s team currently reside in fourth place after the first day of action with 15 points.
Junior thrower Sheldon Battle amazed the crowd by winning the hammer on the final throw of the competiton. Battle not only won the event with a toss of 210-00, but that effort is the second best throw in Kansas history. He now trails only Jayhawk legend Scott Russell in the record books.
“Being the Big 12 Champion was a goal for me,” Battle said. “I got beat on my last throw of the shot put at the Big 12 Indoor Championships and I did not want that to happen again, so I just stepped in the ring and tried to execute.”
Junior Colin Dutton also picked up key points in the hammer with a fifth place, 190-02 effort. It is the best throw in in Dutton’s career and ranks him fourth in the KU record books all-time.
Senior Jen Widerstrom took second place in the women’s hammer throw with a new KU record of 189-09 in the event. Widerstrom crushed her own school record of 182-01 that she set earlier this season at the Missouri Relays.
“Today was a lot more about competing than distances,” Widerstrom said. “I was really trying to go for the right technical throw in the ring and hope that it went as far as I wanted it to. I give my effort a 10 if you want to put a number on it.”
The last two races of the night was the men’s and women’s 10,000-meter run. Junior Benson Chesang finished third in the race with a time of 29:33.74. It was the first time since his freshman year that he had ran the 10k.
Senior Paige Higgins placed seventh in the women’s 10,000-meter run with a time of 35:50.73.
Other point winners for the women’s team included a sixth and seventh place finish for the Jayhawks in the javelin. Junior Denita Miller finished sixth in the event with a throw of 140-07, while sophomore Megan Foster placed seventh to pick up two points with a toss of 135-00.
A full day of track and field action is scheduled for Saturday in Manhattan. The meet resumes at 10 a.m. with the women’s heptathlon long jump. The men’s and women’s 200-meter dash will end the day’s events at 6:40 p.m.
Day One Men’s Scores
1. Kansas 202. Kansas State 193. Nebraska 134. Colorado 125. Texas 86. Texas Tech 47. Missouri 2
Day One Women’s Scores
1. Texas A&M 182. Oklahoma State 173. Kansas State 164. Colorado 154. Kansas 156. Nebraska 127. Texas Tech 108. Baylor 89. Missouri 6
