Jayhawks Sending 10 to NCAA Outdoor Championships
June 4, 2008
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LAWRENCE, <?xml:namespace prefix=”st1″ ns=”urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags”?>Kan. — In addition to the nine Jayhawks that automatically qualified for the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships, junior Zlata Tarasova was an at-large selection to the championships on Wednesday. Senior Crystal Manning, already competing in the long jump, earned an at-large berth in the triple jump when the NCAA announced the postings.
Tarasova was forced to wait for the at-large announcements after finishing seventh in the hammer throw at the NCAA Midwest Regional Championships. The top-five finishers in each event automatically qualified for the NCAA Championships. Tarasova’s throw of 59.17 meters (194 feet, 1 inch), was one foot from the fifth-place mark. The Togliatti, Russia, native earned her way into the championship meet with her toss of 59.98 meters (196-09 ft.) in a third-place finish at the Big 12 Championships on May 16. It ranks as the eighth-best distance among the at-large selections.
Manning’s leap of 13.66 meters (44-09.75 ft.) at the Big 12 Championships stands as her best triple jump this year and is fourth-best in the NCAA. A 2007 outdoor All-American in the triple jump, Manning automatically qualified for the long jump with a fourth-place finish at the Midwest Regional Championships. She and junior Nickesha Anderson are the only Jayhawks competing in more than one event. Anderson will run in the 100 and 200 meters in Des Moines, Iowa.
Also qualifying were regional champions and Midwest Regional record-holders Egor Agafonov (hammer throw) and Jordan Scott (pole vault). Senior Julius Jiles will also compete for the Kansas men in the 110-meter hurdles. Seniors Ashley Brown (400-meter hurdles) and Kate Sultanova (pole vault) and juniors Sha’Ray Butler (400-meter hurdles) and Stephanie Horton (shot put) are competing for the Jayhawks on the women’s side.
The 2008 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships are being held on the campus of DrakeUniversity at Drake Stadium in Des Moines. The four-day meet will run from June 11-14.
Kansas NCAA Qualifiers
Egor Agafonov – hammer throw
Nickesha Anderson – 100 meters and 200 meters
Ashley Brown – 400 hurdles
Sha’Ray Butler – 400 hurdles
Stephanie Horton – shot put
Julius Jiles – 110 hurdles
Crystal Manning – long jump and triple jump
Jordan Scott – pole vault
Kate Sultanova – pole vault
Zlata Tarasova – hammer throw
