Finley And Bonds Lead Jayhawks On Final Day Of 2010 Big 12 Outdoor Track And Field Championships

May 16, 2010

Complete Results in PDF Format

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COLUMBIA, Mo. –

Kansas picked up two more titles on the final day of the 2010 Big 12 Outdoor Track and Field Championships here Sunday as freshman Mason Finley picked up his second title of the weekend by winning the discus and senior Lauren Bonds used a strong kick down the stretch to win the 1,500 meters. For his efforts, Finley was named Co-Outstanding Performer of the meet.

The two titles on Sunday gave the Kansas men’s and women’s teams a combined total of five first place finishes on the weekend, the most for a Jayhawk squad since they claimed six titles at the 2007 Big 12 Outdoor Championships.

With first place finishes by Bonds and freshman Alena Krechyk in the hammer throw, the Kansas women took seventh place with a three-day total of 71 points. It marked the best finish for the KU women’s team since it claimed a fourth place at the 2008 Big 12 Outdoor Championships.

Behind Finley’s two titles and a win in the pole vault by junior Jordan Scott on Saturday, the KU men finished in eigth place in the team standings with 53 points. The eigth place finish marked the best finish since the 2007 season when the Jayhawks finished in sixth place.

Finley set a new personal best with his first throw in the finals as he tossed the discus 60.18m (197-05 ft).

“My first throw in finals was my best throw,” said Finley. “My next two throws I was feeling it, but once you start feeling it I have a tendency to pull my head a little bit and try to get that extra stretch. I got some good throws, but not quite as good as that first throw in finals.”

He opened the competition with a mark of 59.25m, which was nearly two meters farther than his closest competitor. Finley also recorded a mark of 58.15m in the finals giving him three throws that could have won the meet.

“On my first throw I just wanted to hit all of my movements just like in the shot put yesterday,” said Finley, who hails from Salida, Colo. “It went pretty well. My next two throws weren’t that great, but coach (Andy Kokhanovsky) talked to me and I did a warm up before finals and got back in it.”

Finley’s winning toss was .06 meters further than his previous career best set at the Arkansas Twighlight meet on April 30. His new personal best keeps him in third place in the NCAA rankings, however, he defeated the national leader Julian Wruck of Texas Tech on Sunday. Finley’s mark ranks fourth on the KU all-time discus chart.

“It is really nice to set a personal best at a big meet like this,” said Finley. “It is also awesome to do it in the rain. I have to think if it was dry and not raining I would have the potential to throw a lot farther.”

Bonds paced herself throughout the 1500 meters, staying with the pack of runners before making her move with about 300 meters left to run. The Hutchinson, Kan., native pushed herself along the straightaway, taking the lead with about 200 meters remaining before coasting to the win with her time of 4:20.02. Bonds won the race by 2.5 seconds, capturing her first Big 12 Outdoor title.

“The game plan was to stick close to the leaders,” said Bonds. “It was a very tactical race. I ran about as fast in prelims as I did in the finals. I definitely wasn’t the favorite coming in so I was really happy to pull off the win.”

Bonds also garnered the Jayhawks two points for her seventh place finish in the 5,000 meters. Bonds clocked in at 16:23.87 in her second race of the day, setting a new personal best by over 30 seconds.

In addition to Finley’s 10 points for claiming first place in the discus, the Jayhawks got six more points from senior Brian Bishop who finished third in the event. Bishop also recorded his best mark on his first throw in finals as he registered a throw of 56.84m (186-06 ft). It marked the second-consecutive third place finish at the Big 12 Outdoor Championships for Bishop.

“I had a pretty good series overall,” said Bishop. “I consistently increased my mark. That is how I tried to set it up. Let the first one fly and then attack it from there. We are a team on the rise right now,” said Bishop. “With Mason and myself we have a good double-team in the discus. I feel a great sense of pride for Kansas to be able to contribute to the team like we did today.”

“It is awesome to score 16 points for the team in one event,” added Finley. “It goes to show how well we are being coached. If we can both finish that high it shows how technically sound we have gotten this late in the season.”

Sophomore Rebeka Stowe scored eight points of the Jayhawk women with her record-setting run in the 3,000-meter steeplechase. Stowe improved her personal best time to 10:03.41, which is also a new KU school record. Her previous career-best time of 10:15.92 came in her previous race at the Payton Jordan Invitational on May 1.

“I wanted to come out here and put myself in the mix,” said Stowe, a native of Olathe, Kan. “I wanted to give myself a shot to be up there in the top three instead of just being in the race to score.”

Stowe spent the majority of the race battling for fourth place before making a push with just over a lap to run. Stowe then made a second charge in the last 100 meters to claim the second place medal.

“We work a lot in practice on changing gears in practice. I knew if I stayed at the same pace I wouldn’t be in a position to make a move for the finish so with about 600 meters to go I started to push. With about 300 meters to go I switched into a higher gear to see how high I could finish.”

Kansas got another eight points from freshman Andrea Geubelle in the triple jump. Geubelle, who also took home second place in the long jump, leaped 12.93m (42-05.25 ft) on her first jump of the day. Geubelle collected 16 points for KU in her first Big 12 Outdoor Championships.

Also scoring points for the Kansas women were freshman freshman Taissa Makhamayva (fifth, 400-meter hurdles 59.29), Heather Bergmann (sixth, javelin 47.72m), freshman Taylor Washington (seventh, 400 meters 54.90) and sophomore Julia Cummings (eighth, pole vault 3.84m) The KU 4×100-meter relay team of freshman Denesha Morris, Geubelle, junior Kendra Bradley and Washington finished in fifth place with a time of 46.49, while the Jayhawk 4×400-meter relay team of Morris, sophomore Shayla Wilson, Makhamayva and Washington also took home fifth place with a time of 3:42.79.

Freshman Kyle Clemons scored three points for the KU men by taking sixth place in the 400 meters with his time of 47.11, while sophomore Corey Fuller also recorded a sixth place finish in the triple jump. Fuller leaped 15.47m (50-09.25 ft) setting a new personal best in the event. Sophomore Donny Wasinger collected a point for the Jayhawks with his eighth place finish in the 1500 meters with his time of 3:56.81, while the KU 4×400-meter relay team composed of senior Reggie Carter, senior Jarrell Rollins, Clemons and senior Keron Toussaint finished in sixth place with a time of 3:09.07.

The Jayhawk track and field teams will return to action May 27-29 when they travel to the National Championships Preliminary Round held in Austin, Texas at the University of Texas.

Big 12 Track and Field Championships Agate

Day 3 – Sunday, May 16, 2010

Kansas Results Only

Women

Triple Jump

2. Andrea Geubelle, 12.93m

Shot Put

20. Micah Wesley, 12.85m

Javelin

6. Heather Bergmann, 47.72m

Pole Vault

8. Julia Cummings, 3.84m

11. Tara Turnbull, 3.69m

13. Abby Jones, 3.69m

15. Jaci Perryman, 3.54m

17. Kate Colvin, 3.54m

4×100-meter relay

5. Kansas (Denesha Morris, Andrea Geubelle, Kendra Bradley, Taylor Washington), 46.49

3,000-Meter Steeplechase

2. Rebeka Stowe, 10:03.41

1500 Meters

1. Lauren Bonds, 4:20.02

400 Meters

7. Taylor Washington, 54.90

400-Meter Hurdles

5. Taissa Makhamayva, 59.29

5,000 Meters

7. Lauren Bonds, 16:23.87

10. Rebeka Stowe, 16:42.48

21. Allie Marquis, 17:10.57

23. Tessa Turcotte, 17:18.14

30. Allison Knoll, 17:48.86

4×400-Meter Relay

5. Kansas (Denesha Morris, Shayla Wilson, Taissa Makhamayva, Taylor Washington), 3:42.79

Men

High Jump

10. Nick Canton, 1.95m

14. Nate Scherzer, 1.95m

Discus

1. Mason Finley, 60.18m

3. Brian Bishop, 56.84m

Triple Jump

6. Corey Fuller, 15.47m

11. Darryl Trotter, 14.60m

15. Eric Fattig, 14.16m

4×100-Meter Relay

9. Kansas (Keyen Porter, Reggie Carter, Keith Hayes, Kyle Clemons), 41.06

3,000-Meter Steeplechase

9. Austin Bussing, 9:11.04

1500 Meters

8. Donny Wasinger, 3:56.81

400 Meters

6. Kyle Clemons, 47.11

5,000 Meters

14. Donny Wasinger, 14:34.19

15. Zach Zarda, 14:3435

19. Nick Caprario, 14:41.88

25. Bret Imgrund, 14:49.40

27. Josh Baden, 14:50.37

4×400-Meter Relay

6. Kansas (Reggie Carter, Jarrell Rollins, Kyle Clemons, Keron Toussaint), 3:09.07