👟 Nine Jayhawks Make the Podium on Day Two of the Big 12 Outdoor Championship
LUBBOCK, Texas – The Kansas men’s and women’s track and field teams placed nine individuals on the podium on day two of the Big 12 Outdoor Championship in Lubbock, Texas on Saturday, highlighted by a pair of runner-up performance from Alexander Jung (decathlon) and Lona Latema (3,000 meter-steeplechase).
Jung, a freshman from Saarlouis, Germany, battled throughout the two-day decathlon, scoring 7,606 points to place him second overall. Jung’s performance was also the third best in KU school history in the event, while his score ranks him 18th in the NCAA this season.
Jung’s second place finish in the decathlon is the best finish by a Jayhawk since 2000, when Kansas’ Andy Morris won the event with 7,315 points.
Later on in the event, sophomore Lona Latema raced to a second-place finish in the women’s 3,000-meter steeplechase, finishing in 10:20.75. Latema’s runner-up finish is the best finish by a Jayhawk in the women’s 3,000-meter steeplechase since Rebekah Stowe won the event in 2012.
Senior Alexandra Emilianov had an outstanding day in the women’s shot put, where she threw the second-best mark in school history of 17.18m (55-4.5 ft.) on her fifth attempt. Emilianov went on to place fourth overall, while her throw was only behind her own school record of 17.25m (56-7.25 ft.) set at the 2021 Big 12 Championship.
On the men’s side of the shot put, junior Patrick Larrison also made a podium finish by throwing 18.56m (60-10.75 ft.) on his sixth and final attempt, moving him from fifth into fourth place. Larrison’s throw was a personal best and is his second time placing in the shot put outdoors.
Freshman Devin Loudermilk made his Big 12 Outdoor debut in the men’s high jump, where he cleared 2.11m (6-11 ft.), placing him seventh overall.
In the women’s pole vault, senior Khristen Bryant had an outstanding day by clearing a personal best 4.15m (13-7.25 ft.), which placed her sixth overall. Her teammate, Samantha Van Hoecke also cleared 4.15m (13-7.25 ft.), which marked a season best and placed her eighth in the event.
Kansas also benefitted from a pair of Jayhawks placing in the men’s 3,000-meter steeplechase, as sophomore Teddy Buckley ran a 9:15.22 to place sixth overall, followed by his teammate, senior Eric Gawlick who came through in eighth in 9:24.97.
In addition to the event finals, Kansas secured three spots in Sundays finals with preliminaries on Saturday, including freshman George Jackson (110-meter hurdles), sophomore Michael Joseph (400 meters) and senior Honour Finley (800 meters).
Kansas will be back in action for the third and final day of the Big 12 Outdoor Championship, which begins at 7 a.m. on Sunday morning.
