Four More Jayhawks Move On To Eugene With Top 12 Finishes At 2010 NCAA Outdoor Championships--West Preliminary
May 28, 2010
AUSTIN, Texas –
Kansas track and field saw four more competitors advance to the NCAA Championships as junior pole vaulter Jordan Scott and freshman sprinter Kyle Clemons on the men’s side and freshman jumper Andrea Geubelle and sophomore steeplechaser Rebeka Stowe each finished in the top 12 of their respective events here Friday at the 2010 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships—West Preliminary held at Mike A. Myers Stadium on the campus of the University of Texas.
Scott qualified for the NCAA Championships after clearing 5.30 meters (17-04.50 ft.). He passed on the first height of the competition before entering the meet at 5.20 meters (17-00.75 ft.). He missed on his first attempt at that height before easily clearing the bar on his second trip down the runway.
“When I was warming up I had a tailwind,” said Scott, who hails from Watkinsville, Ga. “Then when it was my turn to go, the wind had shifted to a headwind and it kept getting stronger, but my time was running out so I had to go. I tried to get a good push out of the back, but my footwork was off and so I couldn’t take off or else the pole would have snapped for sure.”
Scott again took a pass when the bar was set at 5.25 meters (17-02.75 ft.) before taking the runway with the bar at 5.30 meters. The height proved to be no barrier for Scott as he easily sailed over the bar on his first attempt. That clearance was all it would take for the six-time Big 12 Conference champion to advance on to Eugene as the competition had dwindled down to the final 12 competitors.
“I feel really good about today’s competition,” said Scott. “I tried not to get nervous and I really wasn’t that nervous for this meet. I tried to focus on just seeing how high I could get today. I wanted to have fun with it like I have been doing all season. I was able to focus on what I had to do technically and I took care of business, so it feels good.”
Clemons set a new personal best time in the 400 meters for the second-consecutive day as he clocked in at 45.98 to finish fourth in the second of three heats. Clemons advanced on time as the top three finishers in each heat and the next three best times moved on to Eugene.
“I have been working the last couple of weeks on getting out hard and not focusing on my competition, but just running my race and basically that is what I did today,” said Clemons, whose time of 45.98 is the fourth best 400 meters time in KU history. “I set myself up for a good back stretch off the turn and that is where the race began. I think my strength in this race is my finish and it showed today.”
Clemons was solid out of the starting blocks and stayed right with the leaders through much of the first 200 meters. After rounding the final curve, he kicked it into a higher gear, narrowly missing out on a third place finish and crossing the line just .06 seconds behind Marcus Boyd of Baylor. Clemons trimmed another .31 seconds off his previous personal best time of 46.29, which he set in Thursday’s preliminaries.
“It feels good to be peaking at the right time,” said Clemons, a Rowlette, Texas native. “I want to go to Eugene and keep cutting down my time and improving with each race.”
Geubelle exploded in the long jump, setting a new personal best with her mark of 6.37 meters (20-10.75 ft.) on her final jump in the prelims. Geubelle opened with a 6.06 meters leap, but that mark was not going to be good enough for her to advance to the finals.
“At first I was really nervous,” said Geubelle, a native of University Place, Wash. “My first jump was just getting the nerves off my back. It was not a great jump, but it was a good start.
“After my second jump, Coach Pate came down and told me I was sitting in fourth at the time and that I needed to be leading the competition after my flight in order to advance to finals (with still 24 competitors left in the prelims). On my last jump I came hard down the runway and gave it my all because I knew if I jumped far enough I could pass on most of my jumps in the finals and get some rest before the triple jump tomorrow.”
With her third jump, Geubelle did just that. She smashed her previous career best distance of 6.21 meters with her mark of 6.37 meters and moved into first place following her flight. Her leap of 6.37 meters moved her into fourth place on the KU all-time long jump chart for women.
Geubelle entered the finals in seventh place, which allowed her to pass on all three of her jumps. She was eventually passed by two other competitors, leaving her in ninth place which was good enough for a trip to Eugene.
“I tried to stay warmed up,” Geubelle said of her time during the finals. “Once a couple of people passed me my nerves got a little high, but Coach Pate came down and helped me stay calm and now I can focus on the triple jump tomorrow and then nationals.”
Stowe was the fourth and final Jayhawk to book a trip to Oregon as she finished fourth in her heat and 12th overall in the 3,000-meter steeplechase with her time of 10:23.40. Competing in the final race of the day, Stowe stayed with the leaders the entire race, however she stumbled over a hurdle on the second to last lap and had to make up some ground as she took her final trip around the track. After recomposing herself, Stowe managed to move back into fourth place and cross the line in time to snag the 12th and final spot for the field in Eugene.
Sophomore hurdler Lawson Montgomery moved on to Saturday’s 110-meter hurdles race with his time of 14.20 in Friday’s preliminaries. Montgomery tied his personal best time and finished with the 21st best time in the qualifying round. He will run at 7:20 p.m., Saturday evening with a ticket to Eugene on the line.
“I got out really well and half way through the race I was right in it,” said Montgomery, a native of Bennington, Kan. “I kind of fell a part at the end, but I was still able to tie my personal best, so that is a good sign. It was a good race for me to set up tomorrow.”
Scott, Clemons, Geubelle and Stowe join freshman thrower Mason Finley (shot put) and senior jumper Eric Fattig (long jump) as KU qualifiers for the 2010 NCAA Championships. Geubelle, who hails from nearby Washington state is looking forward to a return trip to the northwest corner of the United States.
“I have a lot of friends and family who have already booked their trips so it should be a really exciting time,” said Geubelle. “The weather is going to be my kind of weather. I will have so many people there watching I am really looking forward to it. It is going to be a lot of fun.”
Kansas will return to the Mike A. Myers Track Stadium on Saturday afternoon for more qualifying action beginning at Noon with Finley attempting to gain a top 12 finish in the discus. Also competing for Kansas Saturday will be senior Brian Bishop (men’s discus), Geubelle (women’s triple jump), freshman Alena Krechyk (women’s hammer throw), senior Lauren Bonds (women’s 1,500 meters), Montgomery (men’s 110-meter hurdles), Amanda Miller (women’s 5,000 meters), and both the men’s and women’s 4×400-meter relay teams.
Day 2 Agate — Friday, May 28, 2010
Division I Outdoor Track & Field ChampionshipsWest Preliminary Round
Mike A. Myers Track And Soccer Stadium – Austin, Texas – May 27-29, 2010
KANSAS RESULTS ONLY
Men’s Pole Vault
T4. Jordan Scott, 5.30m (17-04.50 ft.)
32. Ryan Hays, 4.95m (16-02.75 ft.)
Men’s 110m Hurdles
21. Lawson Montgomery, 14.20 (Advance to Saturday)
35. Keyen Porter, 14.71
Keith Hayes, Did Not Finish
Men’s 400m Dash
12. Kyle Clemons, 45.98
Women’s 400m Dash
17. Taylor Washington, 54.24
Women’s Long Jump
9. Andrea Geubelle, 6.37m (20-10.75 ft.)
Women’s 3,000m Steeplechase
12. Rebeka Stowe, 10:23.40
