Record breakers highlight day three at 91st Kansas Relays presented by RCB Bank

LAWRENCE, Kan. – A trio of meet records fell on the track and in the field as the 91st Kansas Relays presented by RCB Bank hit full stride Friday at Rock Chalk Park. The hometown favorite, Kansas’ Gleb Dudarev, turned in a historic performance en route to shattering the 35-year-old meet hammer throw record, while a pair of high school meet records went down, in the girls’ discus throw and one in the girls’ distance medley relay.
 
In what will go down as one of the top performances in collegiate history, Dudarev was nothing short of incredible in his second performance at the Kansas Relays. The KU sophomore, looking to claim his second-straight hammer throw title in as many tries at the Jayhawks’ home meet, ended his competition posting four marks that would have been good enough to break Yuri Tamm’s previous KU Relays record, set in 1983.
 
It was Dudarev’s fifth toss that stood out above the rest though, as the Belarus native unwound for a throw that flew 78.04 meters (256-0 ft.). That throw not only bettered his previous personal best by over 12 feet but rewrote a host of records. His throw took down his own Kansas school record as well as the Rock Chalk Park facility record, both less than two years old. It also moved him to No. 5 on the NCAA’s all-time collegiate hammer throw list, with only four collegians ever able to post better marks during the NCAA season.
 
Dudarev now ranks atop the 2018 NCAA DI list and is fifth on this year’s world charts.
 
Lee’s Summit West’s Makayla Kelby also made Kansas Relays history Friday, but in the discus ring on the Rock Chalk Park infield. The senior, who entered the day as the two-time defending champion in the event, left little doubt that a third-straight title would be coming her way. On her fifth throw of the competition, Kelby launched the discus to a distance of 52.04 meters (170-9 ft.), immediately rewriting the 14-year-old meet record by nearly 14 feet. Eventual runner-up Kalynn Meyer also toppled the previous record, but came up six feet short of Kelby’s winning heave, which ranks No. 2 in the U.S., this year and broke her own Missouri Class 5 state record.
 
The solid day for Lee’s Summit West continued later in the afternoon, this time on the track, as the Titans saw their girls’ distance medley relay team post the fastest time in the meet’s history. The quartet of Jana Shawver, McKenna Butler, Audrey Parson and Madison Hulsey completed the 4,000-meter trek in 12:19.65, a time that topped the previous record, previously established by Jenks High School during the 2002 Relays, by nearly four seconds. The foursome’s victory also marked the seventh time in the last 11 years that a Lee’s Summit West DMR squad snared the KU Relays title.
 
Earlier in the day it was a high school senior thrower who made headlines. Patrick Larrison out of Moore High School turned in another impressive outing in the boys’ discus. Already committed to throw at Kansas next year, Larrison entered the day as the U.S.’s second-ranked high schooler in the event and proved his prowess after only three trips into the ring. Larrison flung the discus to a mark of 60.19 meters (197-5 ft.) on his third attempt, adding eight inches to his personal best and all but sealing his victory in the event. He went on to top the rest of the field by 11 feet.
 
One final day of competition awaits at the 91st Kansas Relays presented by RCB Bank. High school events get underway at 9 a.m., Saturday with the first quadrangular collegiate events on the track at 3:05 p.m. Log on to KansasRelays.com for updates and follow on Twitter at @KU_Relays.