đź‘ź Kansas Reclaims KU-KSU-WSU Triangular Title with Dominating Performance Friday
LAWRENCE, Kan. – Kansas track & field kicked off its 2023 schedule with a dominating performance at the KU-KSU-WSU Triangular in Topeka, Kansas on Friday, where the Jayhawks scored 268 points to reclaim the KU-KSU-WSU Triangular title.
“Everyone wanted to come and do well here and they did a really good job, it was a total team effort,” Head coach Stanley Redwine said. “Where we are right now, I don’t get too excited because it’s the beginning of the year, but it’s a good place to start.”
Kansas’ 268 points were the most points scored in the meet since the reboot of the Triangular in 2015, while it was Kansas’ first time winning the title since 2018. Kansas has now claimed the Triangular title four times (2016, 2017, 2018, 2023), ending Kansas State’s three-straight wins.
Kansas’ TJ Robinson and Lona Latema were named High Point Award winners after Robinson scored 12 points and Latema scored 14 points in their respective events. Kansas claimed victories in 16 events, including five Washburn Indoor Athletic Facility records and a KU-KSU-WSU Triangular meet record.
Senior Rylee Anderson continued her strong start to the season in the women’s high jump by clearing a new facility record of 1.84m (6-0.5 ft.), winning the event. Anderson entered as the nation’s leader in the event after setting the school record of 1.88m (6-2 ft.) at the Bob Timmons Challenge.
On the track, junior Michael Joseph ran to a new meet and facility record in the men’s 400 meters, finishing his two laps in 46.93, breaking the previous meet record of 47.42 set by Kansas State’s Kyle Gale in 2021.
In the men’s 800 meters, junior AJ Green III ran to another facility record in the men’s 800 meters, clocking a 1:50.91 to win the event. Green and teammate TJ Robinson took the top-two spots in the event, with Robinson finishing just behind Green in 1:50.93.
Kansas claimed two more victories in the men’s and women’s 1,000 meters, as Justice Dick and Addie Coppinger ran to a pair of facility records. Coppinger ran away with the women’s 1,000 meters in 2:50.70, followed by teammate Aaliyah Moore in 2:53.24 in second place. In the men’s 1,000 meters, Dick crossed the line in 2:26.64, while sophomore Quenton Walion finished in second in 2:27.03.
Kansas’ success came across the board, as the Jayhawks took the first and second positions in 10 different events, including the women’s pole vault, men’s long jump, men’s pole vault, women’s mile, men’s mile, women’s 800 meters, men’s 800 meters, women’s 1,000 meters, men’s 1,000 meters and the women’s 3,000 meters.
The Jayhawks will return to action on January 27, when Kansas hosts the Jayhawk Invitational to Anschutz Pavilion. The Jayhawk Invitational will be the final home meet of the 2022-23 indoor season, before Kansas hosts the 100th Anniversary of the Kansas Relays on April 13-15, 2023 at Rock Chalk Park.
