Agafonov and Scott Win Regional Titles
June 1, 2008
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<?xml:namespace prefix=”st1″ ns=”urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags”?>LINCOLN, Neb. – Senior Egor Agafonov set a Midwest Regional meet record in winning the men’s hammer throw for the third consecutive year and sophomore Jordan Scott won the men’s pole vault in Lincoln, Neb., on Saturday. Four other Jayhawks automatically qualified for the NCAA Championships as the University of Kansas women’s track and field team placed fourth while the men were 11th at the NCAA Midwest Regional Championships.
Agafonov set the meet record on two occasions. Immediately after breaking the mark in which he set last year at 67.97 meters (223 feet), Agafonov’s second throw of the finals landed at 69.95 meters (229-06 ft.). It was a new season-best, ranks him third in the nation and nearly broke his own Ed Weir Stadium record.
“This (third straight Regional championship) means we are working the right way,” the
Togliatti, Russia, native said. “Coach (Andy Kokhanovsky) and I are doing a good job.
This competition shows all of our hard work from the whole year.”
Agafonov led throughout the hammer throw in winning for the sixth time in six tries this year and, including his indoor weight throw season, has won all 11 meets in which he has competed.
Scott won the men’s pole vault at 5.51 meters (18-01 ft.).
“Coming in, the main expectation was to make it to nationals because you know pole vaulters can have a bad day any day,” Scott said of his season-best performance. “But after that, I wanted to come in and win it and with the wind, weather and competition, it was a big help toward that.”
Seniors Julius Jiles and Ashley Brown and juniors Sha’Ray Butler and Nickesha Anderson each qualified for the NCAA Championships by finishing in the top-five of their events.
Brown and Butler finished the 400-meter hurdles within five-hundredths of a second of one another. Brown finished at 58.93 while Butler had a personal-best of 58.98 and is now third all-time at Kansas in the event. Brown holds the school-record at 57.15 from the 2007 NCAA Championships.
An Overton, Neb., native, Brown just missed an automatically qualifying mark in the 100-meter hurdles. After finishing sixth in the preliminaries of the event, she finished in the same spot in the finals with a time of 13.73.
“It’s really good,” Brown said of competing so close to home. “I’ve always done well at Nebraska because all of my family is here. They are a good support team for me. My grandparents, my fiancé and my parents are here, so that made it really nice.”
Jiles was second in the men’s 110-meter hurdles, finishing in 13.75 while Anderson was third in the 100 meters at 11.41 and second in the 200 meters at 22.68.
Junior Stephanie Horton placed fourth in the women’s shot put. On her final throw she surpassed two competitors with her toss of 15.86 meters (52-00 1/2 ft.).
Senior Crystal Manning scored for the women in the triple jump while senior Maresia Pencil scored in the 800 meters. Manning’s initial leap of 13.07 meters (42-10 3/4 ft.) placed her eighth as Pencil crossed the finish line in 2:10.95 to finish seventh.
In the final women’s race of the meet, the 1,600-meter relay team was ninth with a time of 3:40.20.
Senior Lauren Bonds was 17th in the women’s steeplechase at 10:49.65 and sophomore Kelsey Erb was unable to set a new personal best after finishing ninth in the high jump at 1.71 meters (5-07 1/4 ft.).
For the nine Jayhawks who automatically qualified for the 2008 NCAA Outdoor Championships, they will travel to Des Moines, Iowa, June 11-14. The rest of the Jayhawks will wait to see if their season-best performance will earn them an at-large berth into the meet. Those accepted into the championship meet will be posted on Wed., June 4.
KU Results – 2008 NCAA Midwest Regional Championships:
Men:
110-meter Hurdles: 2-Jiles (13.74p, 13.75f)
400-Meter Hurdles: 11-Jiles (52.19)
800 Meters: 15-Baysinger (1:53.06)
5,000 Meters: 19-Hefferon (14:32.77)
Hammer Throw: 1-Agafonov (69.95m)
Javelin: 14-Murphy (61.66m)
Pole Vault: 1-Scott (5.51m), 14-Cooper (4.91m)
Women:
100 Meters: 3-Anderson (11.40p, 11.41f)
100-meter Hurdles: 6-Brown (13.65p, 13.73f)
200 Meters: 2-Anderson (22.81p, 22.68f)
400-Meter Hurdles: 3-Brown (1:00.14p, 58.93f), 4-Butler (1:01.03p, 58.98f)
800 Meters: 7-Pencil (2:09.68p, 2:10.95f)
3,000-Meter Steeplechase: 17-Bonds (10:49.65)
Hammer Throw: 7-Tarasova (59.17m)
Long Jump: 4-Manning (6.26m)
Pole Vault: 3-Sultanova (4.16m), 13-Harmon (3.66m), 15-Cummings (3.66m)
Shot Put: 4-Horton (15.86m)
Triple Jump: 8-Manning (13.07m)
1,600-Meter Relay: 9-KU (3:40.20)
Women – Team Rankings – 19 Events Scored
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1) Texas A&M 116 2) Texas Tech 66.50
3) Minnesota 53.50 4) Kansas 49
5) Oklahoma 46 6) Texas-El Paso 43
7) Baylor 40 8) Nebraska 37.50
9) Rice 31 10) Texas 30
10) KansasState 30 12) TCU 24
13) Southern Methodist 21 14) Northern Iowa 19
15) New Mexico 16 16) Houston 14
17) OklahomaState 13 18) SamHoustonState 12
18) Iowa 12 20) Wichita State 11
20) North Texas 11 22) Colorado 10
22) Oral Roberts 10 24) Wyoming 9
24) ColoradoState 9 26) Iowa State 5.50
27) Montana 1 27) Tulsa 1
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Men – Team Rankings – 19 Events Scored
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1) Texas A&M 87 2) Nebraska 68.50
3) Colorado 55 4) Texas 54
5) Texas Tech 53.50 6) Baylor 52
7) Texas-El Paso 48 8) Oklahoma 39
9) TCU 32 10) Northern Iowa 30.50
11) Kansas 28 12) Iowa 25
13) ColoradoState 23 14) Houston 18
15) Texas-San Antonio 14.50 16) Texas A&M-CC 14
16) WichitaState 14 18) Minnesota 11.50
19) Oral Roberts 10 19) Kansas State 10
21) IowaState 9 21) Air Force 9
23) Rice 8 24) SamHoustonState 5
25) North Texas 4.50 26) Tulsa 4
27) OklahomaState 3 28) Texas-Arlington 2
28) Wyoming 2 28) Stephen F. Austin 2
28) New Mexico 2 28) Prairie View A&M 2
