Heptathletes Get Jayhawk Classic Underway
Results: Day 1
LAWRENCE, Kan. – Two members at the Kansas men’s track & field squad kicked off the Jayhawk Classic Thursday afternoon, competing in the first four events of the men’s heptathlon inside Anschutz Pavilion. Sophomore Eric Harken currently sits in fourth place with 2,567 points, 354 points behind the leader, UMKC’s Christopher Bryan. Not far behind is junior Lucas Shaw who amassed a first-day total of 2,196 and sits in 13th place.
Each of the Crimson and Blue-clad athletes are taking part in their first heptathlon of the season. The seven-event competition was also being held for the third time in Anschutz Pavilion’s 31-year history.
Junior Lucas ShawThe Jayhawk duo began the day in the 60-meter dash. Harken was the fifth in the 15-man competition, clocking in with a new career best of 7.30. Shaw added a a ninth-place finish, crossing the finish in 7.56.
With the first-event jitters out of the way, Harken posted a career best mark in the day’s second event, the long jump. With a leap of 6.36 meters (20-10½), Harken finished fourth, while Shaw leaped to a distance of 5.51 meters (18-1) to claim 13th.
In the shot put, Shaw was the top Jayhawk after he posted the competition’s fifth-farthest throw and his toss of 10.48 meters (34-4¾”). Harken’s best throw was not for behind with mark that measured 9.37 meters (31’11”), which earned him 483 points.
The final event of the day saw Harken leap to an enormous personal best and post a fourth-place finish in the high jump. Harken cleared a top bar of 1.83 meters (6-0) to pick up 653 points and secure fourth-place in the overnight standings. Shaw leaped over a height of 1.65 meters (5-5) to tally 504 points in his final outing of the day.
Harken will enter the second day of competition 354 points behind Adams. Shaw collected 2,196 points over his first four events, enough to place him in 13th with three events remaining.
The Jayhawk Classic will turn into full gear Friday with dozens of events to be held throughout the day inside Anschutz Pavilion. The heptathlon will begin its final day of competition at 9:20 a.m., with the 60-meter hurdles. Follow along throughout the day by following on Twitter and Instagram at @KUTrack.
KUAthletics.com: The official online source for Kansas Athletics, Williams Education Fund contributions, tickets, merchandise, multimedia, photos and much, much more.
###
