👟 Jayhawks Compete on Day 1 of Kansas Relays

LAWRENCE, Kan. – The Kansas track and field team competed in the first day of the Kansas Relays on Thursday, April 13th at Rock Chalk Park.

The Jayhawks had two athletes record personal best and three first place finishes. 

To kick things off, junior Oleg Klykov placed first in the men’s hammer throw with a personal best score of 67.6m. This is the second week in a row that Klykov has recorded a new personal record, with his previous mark being 66.13m. 

In the men’s unseeded pole vault, sophomore Alexander Jung took the victory by clearing a height of 4.92m on his first attempt. Freshman Tayton Klein also competed in the unseeded pole vault and placed 10th with a personal best score of 4.32m. 

Justice Dick was the lone Kansas representative in the unseeded men’s 1500m, coming in fourth place with a 3:59.92.

The women’s unseeded 800m saw Elle Williams place seventh with a time of 2:21.32. This was Willams’ fourth time running the 800m race so far in her freshman campaign. 

In the women’s 5k, the Jayhawks were well-represented, led by Makenna Anderson who placed fifth overall with a 17.59.92. Tori Wingrove was right behind her, coming in sixth, while Kenadi Krueger placed eighth in the event. 

The men’s distance crew had a strong presence in the 5k as well, with Peter Walsdorf responding well to Chandler Gibbens’ pacing and ending the race with a 14:37.42 to secure second place. Tanner Newkirk took fourth place with his 14:50.68 time.

Up next, the Jayhawks will continue the 100th Kansas Relays at Rock Chalk Park on Friday, April 14th. The first race of the day will be the High School Girls 4x1600m, which will start at 9:00 a.m.