RCW: Faces in the Crowd 3.19
Each week in Rock Chalk Weekly, the top Kansas Jayhawk performances are recognized as Faces in the Crowd. Get to know last week’s stars, including information on their latest accomplishments and a link to their full bio.
JESSICA WASHINGTON
W. Basketball | Junior-RS | Tulsa, Oklahoma
Bio Full Bio
Washington averaged 23 points last week behind a 14-of-24 (.583) effort from the field, including a 10-of-14 (.714) mark from the 3-point line. She led KU in scoring in both outings, while coming off the bench in each game to record 3.5 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game. At Kansas State, the guard led all scorers with a career-high 31 points. Washington made 10-of-14 (.714) attempts from the field and connected on 7-of-10 (.700) tries from long range. Her seven triples were one shy of KU’s single-game record of eight set in 1996. It also marked the most made 3-pointers in a single game since March of 2009.
LAURA TAYLOR
Track & Field | Junior | Tualatin, Oregon
Bio Full Bio
Taylor claimed the top-collegiate finish with a season-best outing at the Martin Luther King Jr., Invitational. The junior posted five-straight first-attempt clearances, including her final bar that measured in at 4.02 meters (13-2¼). The faultless run through the different heights proved to be the difference for Taylor as she outdueled teammate Andrea Willis. Taylor and Willis now sit 20th in the NCAA and are two of the top-four vaulters in the Big 12 so far in 2017.
FRANK MASON III
Basketball | Senior | Petersburg, Virginia
Bio Full Bio
Mason paced the Jayhawk scoring efforts once again, including a 28-point outburst at Oklahoma. On the week, Mason averaged 25 points while shooting 60 percent from three (6-for-10). He also averaged 4.0 rebounds and 4.5 assists. At OU, down nine points at half, Mason scored 12 of his 19 second-half points in the first six minutes of play to power the Kansas comeback. Against Oklahoma State, he kept the Cowboys at bay with a 12-for-19 effort from the foul line. That performance earned the respect of OSU head coach Brad Underwood who told reporters, “If it ended today he’d be the national player of the year. He refuses to let them lose. It’s (on) both ends of the court.”
JAKE ALBRIGHT
Men’s Track & Field | Senior | Bucyrus, Kansas
Bio Full Bio
Albright topped the 18-foot milestone for the second time in his Kansas career at the Martin Luther King Jr., Invitational. Albright posted the nation’s second-best clearance of the 2017 season en route to the event victory. The Big 12’s reigning outdoor pole vault champion had a stellar day inside the Albuquerque Convention Center with a near-perfect outing in his third pole vault competition of the year. He cleared the bar on his first attempt at each of his first five heights of the day, which included a first-attempt clearance over 5.50 meters (18-0½). The vault was the best of his career indoors and moved him to No. 5 on the Jayhawks’ all-time indoor list. Albright now sits at No. 2 on the latest NCAA pole vault rankings as the second Division I collegian to surpass 18 feet this season.
