RCW: Sport Spotlight 4.33 (Track & Field)

?? SCHOOL RECORD ALERT ??

Alexandra Emilianov hits a mark of 16.64m (54-7.25 ft.) in the shot put to break the #KUtrack school record! She finishes third in the event and currently ranks No. 15 in the NCAA. pic.twitter.com/HAujt7ywFB

— Kansas Track & Field (@KUTrack) April 28, 2018

Eight wins and 15 PRs. The Ward Haylett Invite was a success. #KUtrack

A post shared by Kansas Track & Field (@kutrack) on May 5, 2018 at 4:13pm PDT

Kansas track & field is entering the final stages of the outdoor campaign, with the three biggest meets of the season coming up quickly.
 
The Jayhawks travel to Waco, Texas, for the 2018 Big 12 Outdoor Track & Field Championship, May 11-13. Kansas hopes to carry momentum from a highly successful outdoor season that has seen school records be broken seven times thus far. The Kansas men are ranked No. 17 in the NCAA heading into the conference meet, with the women ranked No. 30 nationally.
 
Last year at the Big 12 Outdoor Championship at Rock Chalk Park, the KU men finished second to Texas by 11.5 points. The Jayhawk women scored 84 points to place fifth last spring, but posted a second-place finish at this year’s Big 12 Indoor Championship.
 
Following the Big 12 meet, any KU athletes who rank in the top-48 of the West region in their respective events will qualify for the NCAA West Preliminary Round at Hornet Stadium in Sacramento, California, May 24-26.
 
Kansas secured 38 spots at last season’s NCAA West Preliminary Round. If the qualifying period ended today, prior to the Big 12 Championship, the Jayhawks would have 39 entries in this year’s prelims.
 
Those Kansas athletes who finish in the top-12 spots of their events at the West Prelims will then qualify for the 2018 NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships at Historic Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon.
 
Last season, the KU women finished 18th at the NCAA Outdoor Championships and the men posted an 11th-place finish.