Jayhawks Set for In-State Showdown at KU-KSU-WSU Triangular
LAWRENCE, Kan. – The Kansas Jayhawks kick off their 2020 indoor campaign at the KU-KSU-WSU Triangular at the Heskett Center in Wichita, Kansas on Saturday, marking the sixth in-state showdown between Kansas, Kansas State and Wichita State.
The KU-KSU-WSU Triangular begins at 10:30 a.m., on Saturday with the start of the field events, followed by the start of the running events at 2 p.m. The meet will stream live on Youtube starting at 1:30 p.m., available here.
Saturday’s edition of the Triangular is the sixth between Kansas, Kansas State and Wichita State, while the original triangular between Kansas, Kansas State and Missouri ran between 1990-2006. Since the reboot of the Triangular in 2015, Kansas owns the series record with three victories in 2016, 2017 and 2019.
The KU-KSU-WSU Triangular is a combined team scored meet, with the men’s and women’s team points combined to determine an overall team winner. In 2018, the meet introduced a 4×400 meter mixed relay, which features two male competitors and two female competitors. The Kansas 4×400 meter mixed relay has claimed both races in its history, including a meet record 3:27.41 in 2018.
The showdown features the No. 14 ranked Kansas men and the No. 44 ranked Kansas women. The Kansas State men are ranked No. 27 and the Wildcat women are ranked No. 55, while the Wichita State women rank No. 90.
The in-state showdown between Kansas, Kansas State and Wichita State rekindles some old high school matchups, with a total of 118 athletes hailing Kansas, according to each team’s roster. 37 student-athletes for the Jayhawks hail from the Sunflower state, while the Wildcats have 29 and the Shockers have 52, according to each team’s roster.
Of the Kansas natives, four current Jayhawks hold KSHSAA state records in their respective division, including Kyler True (3,200 meters, 4×800, 1,600 meters), McKenzie Wilks (1,600 meters), Dylan Hodgson (3,200 meters) and Samantha Van Hoecke (Pole Vault). In addition, Kansas assistant coach Tom Hays holds the 2a state pole vault record set in 1981.
Saturday’s Triangular marks the second meet of the season for the Jayhawks, after KU kicked off the season at the Bob Timmons Challenge on December 6, 2019. At the Bob Timmons Challenge, the Jayhawks opened the season with eight victories and a solid start to the 2019-20 campaign.
“I am excited about where we are. I thought that we had some good efforts and some great performances,” Head Coach Stanley Redwine said following the Jayhawks’ season-opener at the Bob Timmons Challenge. “It gives me the opportunity to look at what went well and what we need to improve on so we can perform at our best by the end of the season.”
Following the KU-KSU-WSU Triangular, the Jayhawks will return home to host the Jayhawk Classic at Anschutz Pavilion in Lawrence, Kansas on January 23-24, marking the third meet of the season, including their second and final home meet of the indoor season. At last year’s Jayhawk Classic, Kansas pole vaulters Hussain Al Hizam and Zach Bradford each broke the Anschutz Sports Pavilion facility record.
