Jayhawks See Solid Tune Up at Alex Wilson Invite
SOUTH BEND, Ind. – The Kansas women’s distance medley relay team posted one of the fastest times in school history at the Alex Wilson Invitational Saturday as the Jayhawks got their final tune up before the Big 12 Conference meet next weekend.
Freshman Whitney Adams, sophomores Hannah Richardson and Rhavean King as well as senior Natalie Becker combined to run the third-fastest distance medley relay in school history. The lead-off leg, Richardson, kicked off the race by running a 3:27.0 1,200 meters before handing off to Adams, who posted completed her 400 meters in 55.6. King then took over for her 800-meter leg and turned in a speedy 2:08.9 split as she left the baton with the anchor, Becker. The senior finished off the race with a 4:42.2 mile and crossed the finish with an overall time of 11:14.63. The mark was the fastest by a Jayhawk squad in four years and has the group among the top-20 in the nation this season.
The team will have one more chance to move into the all-important top-12 of the NCAA rankings next week at the Big 12 meet in order to earn a qualifying bid to the National Championships in three weeks.
The DMR wasn’t the only group of Jayhawks in action Saturday. Several KU athletes competed in individual events that saw them move up the NCAA charts. Junior Michael Stigler tallied the fastest indoor 400-meter race of his career after completing the quarter-mile race in 47.63 to finish seventh. On the women’s side, freshman Adrianna Newell also saw a career-best 400 meters, clocking in at 56.55 and placing 9th overall.
The men’s distance medley relay team also took the track Saturday in hopes of climbing up among the best relay groups in the nation. Seniors Brendan Soucie, Dalen Fink and juniors Reid Buchanan and Kenneth McCuin turned in a season-best of 9:55.77, good enough to earn them a 14th-place finish.
Next week the Jayhawks will head to Ames, Iowa to compete in the Big 12 Indoor Championships, Feb. 29-March 1. The Kansas women will look to defend their indoor conference crown from a year ago, while the men will look to improve upon their sixth-place finish in 2013. For live updates and results visit the meet central page at KUAthletics.com and follow on Twitter at @KUTrack.
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