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| Olympic gold medalist Ryan Crouser claimed the downtown shot put title
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RESULTS | NOTES | GALLERY
LAWRENCE, Kan. –Meet records fell on the track and in the field as the 90th Kansas Relays hit full stride Friday at Rock Chalk Park. Twenty-sixteen Olympian Mason Finley returned to defend his discus title in record fashion while a host of high schoolers posted some of the top marks in the nation this year.
Just one year after making his triumphant return to Lawrence by breaking a 40-year-old meet record, Finley managed to top that performance with another world-class effort Friday morning at the Rock Chalk Park throws field. The 2016 American champion needed just two attempts to once again make meet history, heaving the saucer out to a mark of 64.67 meters (212-2). The throw bettered his previous meet record toss by two feet and was more than enough to give him his fourth Kansas Relays discus title. Finley’s performance also marked one of the best in the world thus far in 2017, ranking him sixth on the international charts and second among Americans.
Finley’s discus prowess must have been strong Friday as the boy’s high school meet mark also was rewritten. Onalaska’s Austin Glynn took down the nine-year-old KU Relays record with his first throw of the day. Glynn posted an opening-round mark of 61.71 meters (202-5) to rewrite John Talbert’s previous record of 61.15m (200-7). Glynn’s throw bettered the rest of the field by nearly 20 feet and made him the first high schooler from outside the states of Kansas, Missouri or Nebraska to take home KU Relays discus gold. His performance also has him among the top-10 of the national high school discus rankings.
Friday night also marked the seventh edition of the Elite Shot Put held in downtown Lawrence. This year’s event featured 2016 Olympic champion Ryan Crouser, who didn’t fail to dazzle the throngs of fans who turned out to witness one of the most unique track & field events held on American soil. Crouser claimed the title with a throw of 22.11 meters (72-11½) on his final attempt of the night. That toss is just an inch shy of his world-leading throw for 2017 and gives him the top-four throws in the world this year.
A meet and state record was smashed on the track as Girard’s Cailie Logue ran to victory in the 3,200 meters. The senior came from behind over the final 100 meters to topple Molly Born’s hopes of a repeat victory at the KU Relays. Logue finished her two miles in 10:09.97, shattering the previous meet record, set by Emily Sisson in 2008, by more than 15 seconds and moving her name to the top of the all-time state chart.
Logue’s time highlighted the race that saw three of the eight fastest 3,200-meter times in the U.S., this year, with Logue’s mark ranking fifth among American high schoolers.
Finley wasn’t the only former Jayhawk to make a victorious return to Lawrence Friday as All-American long and triple jumper Andrea Geubelle claimed gold in the triple jump. The three-time NCAA Champion became the first female in 15 years to surpass the 45-foot barrier at the KU Relays when she hopped, skipped and jumped 13.73 meters (45-0½) on her fifth attempt. Geubelle’s mark, which would have broken the Rock Chalk Park facility record by over a foot had it not been for wind above the allowable limit, cemented her first Kansas Relays triple jump title and moved her name into the top-10 on the world list.
Another favorite of the hometown crowd returned as Michael Stigler began his drive for his fourth KU Relays 400-meter hurdle title with an easy win in the event preliminary heats. The 2015 NCAA Champion in the event sprinted to the top qualifying time in 50.98, outdueling current Jayhawk Alex Wilson by more than two seconds. He will look to become the first male in the 90-year history of the meet to win the 400-meter hurdles in four different years when he settles into the blocks at 3:16 p.m., tomorrow.
One final day of competition awaits at the 90th Kansas Relays. High school events get underway at 10:08 a.m., Saturday with the first quadrangular collegiate events on the track at 6:35 p.m. Log on to KansasRelays.com for updates and follow on Twitter at @KU_Relays.
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