April 26, 2017

RCW: Inside Track & Field 3.33

Get a quick look inside your favorite Kansas Jayhawk programs each week with Rock Chalk Weekly’s Inside Sports pages. Notable statistics, quick hits and the top social media posts get every Jayhawk fan up-to-speed and ready for another week of thrilling competition.
Track By the Number Number BY THE NUMBERS

The Jayhawk men’s team checked in at No. 11 in this week’s NCAA track & field team rankings following a dominant performance at the Kansas Relays last weekend. The ranking marked the program’s highest ever attained during the outdoor season.

Schedule UPCOMING HOME MEETS
Tickets Rock Chalk Classic (April 29)
Tickets Big 12 Championship (May 12-14)

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Notes QUICK HITS

The Jayhawks wrapped up another successful year at the 90^th Kansas Relays with KU claiming victories in 20 events (12 men’s, eight women’s) over the course of the four-day meet hosted at Rock Chalk Park.
The KU men claimed the scored quadrangular victory in dominant fashion, amassing 231 points to top runner-up Southern Illinois by 74 points. The Jayhawk women finished second with 181.5 points, coming short of Minnesota by 14 points.
For the second-straight year, senior Mitch Cooper shined in the discus, defending his Kansas Relays crown with one of the top throws in school history. He posted a winning toss of 61.77 meters (202-8), the No. 3 mark in the NCAA DI ranks this year and the third-farthest throw in school history.
Freshman Gleb Dudarev claimed his second hammer throw title in as many collegiate outings Friday, coming just shy of his own school record. Dudarev unwound for a winning mark of 72.65 meters (238-4), a throw only two inches short of his KU record and NCAA-leading toss from two weeks ago. He now owns nine of the top-10 hammer throw marks in KU history after only two collegiate competitions.
Junior Laura Taylor moved her name up the all-time KU women’s pole vault list with a win in the event Saturday. Taylor cleared a personal-best bar of 4.22 meters (13-10) to outduel teammate Alexis Romero. The performance moved Taylor to fourth on Kansas’ all-time pole vault list and to No. 16 on the latest NCAA rankings.
Freshman Quentin Dancer became the first male in 27 years to snare victories in both the 100 meter and 200 meter races at the Kansas Relays. Dancer out-leaned the competition with times of 10.47 and 21.39, respectively, and added more points to the KU cause running a leg for the Jayhawks’ runner-up 4×100-meter relay. His 19.75 points were a team high.
Senior Whitney Adams successfully defended her Kansas Relays 800-meter championship with an easy win Saturday night. Adams finished her half-mile in 2:08.72, more than three seconds ahead of the field.
The KU men’s and women’s 4×400-meter relays swept the meet’s final event. The Jayhawk women’s squad of Mariah Kuykendoll, Adams, Adriana Newell and Nicole Montgomery passed the baton around in 3.39.66 for the win, just over a second short of its season best. The KU men won in runaway fashion with Ivan Henry, Strymar Livingston, Tre Daniels and Isaiah Cole finishing in 3:08.72, nearly seven seconds ahead of runner-up California.
The Jayhawks stay on their home track this weekend when they host the Rock Chalk Classic on Saturday, April 29. Field events are scheduled to begin at 11 a.m., with races on the track kicking off at 4 p.m.