👟 Jayhawks Primed for Big 12 Outdoor Championship in Manhattan
LAWRENCE, Kan. – The Kansas men’s and women’s track and field teams compete in the Big 12 Outdoor Championship at R.V. Christian Track in Manhattan, Kansas this weekend as the Jayhawks compete amongst the best in the conference.
The three day meet kicks off on Friday with the start of the combined events at 11 a.m., before continuing at 10 a.m., on Saturday. Sunday’s finals action begins at 1 p.m., with a full schedule of competition available here.
Fans looking to attend the Big 12 Outdoor Championship can purchase tickets here. For those unable to attend in person, select events will stream live on Big 12 Now on ESPN+, while live results will be available throughout the entirety of the meet here.
This weekend’s Big 12 Outdoor Championship is the first in over two years, with the last being held in Norman, Oklahoma on May 10-12, 2019. The men’s and women’s teams each placed fifth, while Bryce Hoppel (800 meters), Gleb Dudarev (hammer throw), Cordell Tinch (110-meter hurdles) and Alexandra Emilianov (discus) all claimed individual crowns.
The Kansas men enter this weekend’s championship ranked No. 15 in the country and third amongst Big 12 foes according to the week seven USTFCCCA ratings index. The Kansas women come in at No. 36 nationally and sixth in the conference.
Four Jayhawks enter this weekend’s Big 12 outdoor Championship having already claimed a Big 12 outdoor title in their careers. Among them are Gleb Dudarev (hammer throw), Hussain Al-Hizam (pole vault), Ivan Henry (4×400 meter relay) and Alexandra Emilianov (discus).
Dudarev is seeking his fourth career Big 12 outdoor title, which would tie for the most in the event in Big 12 outdoor history (Nick Miller, Oklahoma State).
Entering the weekend, the Kansas men’s pole vault unit has accomplished a feat that no other school in NCAA history has done, as four Jayhawks have cleared the 18-feet mark in the pole vault this season.
Among them are Zach Bradford, Al-Hizam, Kyle Rogers and Christian Champen, who all rank in the top-11 nationally and take up the top-four spots in the Big 12 for those scheduled to compete this weekend. At the Rock Chalk Classic from April 30-May 1, all four Jayhawks cleared 18-feet in the same meet, also the first to accomplish such a feat.
Following the Big 12 Outdoor Championship, select qualifiers will move on to the NCAA West Preliminary in College Station, Texas May 27-29. For more information on qualification criteria, click here.
