👟 Kansas Wraps Up Home Slate at Rock Chalk Classic

LAWRENCE, Kan. – The Kansas Track and Field team competed in the Rock Chalk Classic for one final home meet of the season on Saturday, April 27.

Things kicked off with the women’s javelin, where Alyse Moore was the first Jayhawk to earn some hardware as she placed second with a throw of 42.04m.

In the women’s long jump, Brenna Schwada nabbed second place with a mark of 5.63m, while Creed Puyear finished third on the men’s side at 7.28m. Triple jumpers Aaliyah Lindsay and Taylor Mayo went third and fourth on the women’s side, while Jaden Patterson took fourth on the men’s.

The men’s pole vault crew snagged four of the top five places, with Clayton Simms leading the way with a season-best height of 5.52m, which places him at No. 8 in the NCAA. Ashton Barkdull finished second (5.22m), Luke Knipe in fourth (5.07m) and Andrew Saloga ended fifth (5.07m). 

Mason Meinershagen had a breakout performance in the women’s pole vault, battling it out with one of the Big 12’s best, Olivia Lueking of Oklahoma, and jumping a new season-best of 4.30m for third place overall and the No. 13 spot in the NCAA. Erica Ellis was right behind her teammate with a best bar of 4.20m on the day.

Dimitrios Pavlidis had himself a day in the men’s discus, taking second overall with a new season-best of 63.72, which bumps him up to No. 3 in the NCAA. This mark was just shy of his PR and school record from last season of 64.49, which is also a Greek National Record.

Running events saw many Jayhawk victories, led by Yoveinny Mota, who took first in a field of 26 after posting a time of 23.32 in the women’s 200-meter dash. 

In the women’s 1500m, Kansas’s Dorcas Kiptanui placed first overall with a time of 4:29.25. Caroline Horning, Olivia Krueger, and Makenna Anderson all finished Top 10 as well for the Jayhawks. 

The mid distance races kicked off by bringing in a trio of top finishers in women’s 400-meter dash as Deshana Skeete ran a 53.81 for gold, while Aaliyah Moore and Claire Farrell narrowly trailed second and fourth.

Both Grant Lockwood and Ryo Higuchi earned silver in their respective men’s races as Lockwood posted a time of 46.69 in the 400-meter dash and Higuchi ran a 1:53.26 in the 800m.

In the hurdle races, Lauren Heck placed fourth in the women’s 100-meter hurdles as Addison Brooks came in second and Madison Campbell ended fifth in the women’s 400-meter hurdles. Jameir Colbert and Donovan LaJeunesse rounded out the last hurdle events of the day placing second and fifth respectively in the men’s 400-meter hurdles. 

Up next, a small group of Jayhawks will run at the Arkansas Twilight on May 3, while the rest get ready for the 2024 Outdoor Big 12 Championships. These will take place May 9-11 in Waco, Texas.