Jayhawks earn 8 medals, 12 qualifiers on day 2 of Big 12 Championship
NORMAN, Okla. – Kansas track & field earned eight trips to the award stand on Saturday at John Jacobs Track & Field Complex in Norman, Oklahoma on day two of the Big 12 Outdoor Championship. Along with the eight medals, the Jayhawks picked up 12 qualifiers for Sunday’s finals on the track.
Earning the highest finish in a final on Saturday for Kansas was fifth-year senior Alexis Romero, who tied for second in the women’s pole vault. The Reno, Nevada native picked up a personal-best clearance of 4.27 meters (14-0 ft.), becoming just the sixth KU women’s vaulter in program history to clear 14 feet.
Freshman standout Cordell Tinch had a busy but productive day for the Jayhawks. Tinch started off his afternoon by earning a trip to the podium in the high jump, finishing third with a clearance of 2.05 meters (6-8.75 ft.) and picking up six points. From there, the Green Bay, Wisconsin product made his way to the track, where he clocked an auto-qualifying time in the 110-meter hurdles prelims at 14.27 seconds. Tinch finished off his day with yet another trip to the podium, this time for a seventh-place finish in the long jump by equaling his personal-best in the event at 7.54 meters (24-9 ft.).
Senior Joel Long joined Tinch on the award stand in the high jump, placing fourth with the same clearance as the freshman at 2.05 meters (6-8.75 ft.)
Sophomore Alexandra Emilianov recorded the No. 7 performance in Kansas women’s history in the shot put to earn a third-place finish and six points for the Jayhawks. The school record holder in the event, Emilianov launched a throw of 16.15 meters (53-0 ft.), giving the Chisinau, Moldova product her sixth top-10 mark ever recorded by a Kansas women’s athlete in the shot put.
Sophomore George Evans earned a point for the Kansas men in the shot put with an eighth-place finish, recording a PR mark of 17.21 meters (56-5.75 ft.).
Senior Teri Huslig and freshman Toni Englund catapulted themselves onto the podium in the heptathlon in the final even of the competition. Sitting on the outside looking in through seven events, Huslig and Englund each recorded personal-best times in the 800-meter run. Huslig clocked in a 2:17.19 for the third-best time overall and Englund placed seventh in the race with a time of 2:26.52. Huslig finished in seventh in the heptathlon with a career-best 4,828 points and Englund placed eighth with 4,819 points.
NOTABLES
- Junior Bryce Hoppel picked up his 14th-straight individual race victory by winning his heat of the 800-meter run and recording the fastest preliminary time of the day. Hoppel clocked in at 1:50.17 to coast to the final.
- Cody Johnson (6th, 14.80Q) and Darius Releford (9th, 14.87q) also earned spots in the 110-meter hurdle finals, giving the Jayhawks three competitors in the event.
- Along with his qualification in the 110-meter hurdles, Cody Johnson also notched a spot in the 400-meter hurdles final with a time qualifier of 51.92 seconds.
- Sophomore Catherine Liggett claimed the final qualifying spot in the 1,500-meter run, clocking in with a personal-best time of 4:24.13.
- Junior Jedah Caldwell qualified for the 200-meter dash final with a time of 23.75 seconds.
- Honour Finley (7th, 54.02q) and Mariah Kuykendoll (9th, 54.57q) will run in the final of the 400-meter dash.
- Seniors Nicole Montgomery and Marleena Eubanks earned spots in the final of the 800-meter run. Montgomery earned an auto-qualifier by finishing second in her heat with a time of 2:08.12 and Eubanks notched a time qualifier at 2:07.83.
- Senior Caraline Slattery earned an auto-qualifier with a second-place finish in heat two of the 400-meter hurdles prelims. Slattery clocked in at 1:00.80 to move on to the final.
UP NEXT
The Jayhawks will conclude action at the 2019 Big 12 Outdoor Track & Field Championship on Sunday, May 12. Events are scheduled to begin at 2:30 p.m. from John Jacobs Track & Field Complex with the women’s high jump.
