Dudarev, Bradford earn First Team All-America honors to open Kansas action at NCAA Championships

OVERALL RESULTS (PDF)

KANSAS RESULTS (PDF)

AUSTIN, Texas – The Kansas men’s track & field team earned two First Team All-America honors on the first day of the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships in Austin, Texas. Junior Gleb Dudarevearned a silver medal in the hammer throw for First Team honors and freshman Zach Bradford placed sixth in the pole vault for the All-America nod.

Dudarev’s best throw of the day came on his third attempt at 73.88 meters (242-5 ft.), which moved him into first place through the first three rounds. Unable to better his mark, Dudarev was passed in the fifth round by Kennesaw State’s Daniel Haugh for the top spot with a throw of 74.63 meters (244-10 ft.).

The First Team All-America honor marks the second in the event for Dudarev after placing third in 2017 at the outdoor championships, and the sixth first team nod in KU men’s history. Bill Penny (1971) and Egor Agofonov (2006-08) are the only other Jayhawks to earn First Team All-America honors in the event.

Bradford, a freshman from Bloomington, Illinois, cleared 5.70 meters (18-8.25 ft.) on his third attempt at the height for the sixth-place finish. The bar was his fourth clearance of the day and came on his seventh jump of the evening.

Gleb Dudarev

Already the school record holder in the event, Bradford’s 5.70-meter clearance tied Pat Manson for the No. 5 performance in KU men’s history.

Also competing on Wednesday for the Jayhawks, junior Bryce Hoppel kept his individual-race winning streak alive, extending his count to 18 with a personal-best time of 1:45.26 in the first heat of the 800-meter run semifinals. Hoppel’s win moved him on to Friday’s final, scheduled for 8:44 p.m., where he will look to sweep the 2019 NCAA 800-meter titles after winning the indoor championship in March.

The PR from Hoppel marked the second-fastest time in Kansas men’s history, giving the Midland, Texas native claim to the No. 2, 3, 5, 6 and 7 times in the program annals.

The Kansas women’s 4×400-meter relay team will be the only Jayhawk action on Thursday, with the race scheduled for 10:18 p.m. Friday’s action at the NCAA Championships will feature Hoppel’s 800-meter final and freshman Treyvon Ferguson in the triple jump at 7:40 p.m. Saturday will feature sophomore Alexandra Emilianov in the discus at 5:05 p.m. and the women’s 4×400 relay at 7:51 p.m., pending qualification to the final.

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