Jayhawks enjoy stellar Saturday at Rod McCravy Memorial
Overall Results | Kansas Results
Record Book: Men (Top-10) | Women (Top-10)
LEXINGTON, Ky. –A school record, six NCAA top-10 performances and a collection of some of the top marks in program history comprised just some of the myriad of highlights from the Kansas track & field teams Saturday at the Rod McCravy Memorial. Senior Hannah Richardson took down the school’s 3,000-meter record, while senior pole vaulter Jake Albright posted an 18-foot clearance for the second-straight week and moved his name to No. 1 on the national charts.
PERFORMANCES OF THE DAY
* Seeing her first competitive track event in over 19 months, senior Hannah Richardson rewrote the school record books in the 3,000 meters and one of the fastest times in the NCAA this season. The Kirkwood, Missouri native had not competed in a 3,000-meter event in nearly two years but showed no signs of rust, hanging with the lead pack for the majority of the race. UCF senior Anne-Marie Blaney managed to outkick Richardson on the homestretch, however the Jayhawk was able to hold on for the runner-up finish and secure the fastest 3,000-meter time ever posted by a Kansas female.
Senior Hannah RichardsonThe scoreboard flashed up 9:20.22 next to Richardson’s name moments later, signaling a 30-second personal best for the KU veteran and her new position atop KU’s all-time indoor 3K list. Her clocking narrowly upended Natalie Becker’s former record of 9:20.84, posted at the 2014 Big 12 Indoor Championship.
Richardson’s performance ranks as the sixth-fastest in the NCAA DI ranks so far this season and is No. 1 among Big 12 runners.
* For the second-straight week, pole vaulter Jake Albright ended his day on the winner’s podium and for the second-straight week he posted a career-best that moved him up the school’s all-time chart in the event. The senior surpassed the 18-foot milestone for the second time in seven days as well en route to moving into the national lead. Albright needed seven tries to get over his first four bars of the competition before needing all three attempts to push past a new career best of 5.54 meters (18-2). The vault not only moved him to No. 1 on the latest national pole vault rankings, but also inserted his name to fourth among the rich history of Kansas pole vaulters.
Albright led another impressive contingent of Jayhawk vaulters that claimed places 1-6 in the final results, which included a runner-up finish from senior Nick Meyer, who tallied an indoor personal best vault of 5.44 meters (17-10¼). Kansas now features four pole vaulters who sit inside the top-12 of the most recent NCAA standings.
* It had been 27 years since a Jayhawk broke the 16-meter barrier in the indoor triple jump but junior Barden Adams ended that streak Saturday as he continued his torrid start to his 2017 campaign. On his fourth trip down the runway, the West Orange, New Jersey product hit a mark of 16.00 meters (52-6), a leap that moved him from third to first on the leaderboard. Adams came close on his final three jumps but couldn’t improve upon his 16-meter leap, and neither could the rest of the field. Adams claimed his fourth triple jump title in as many outings this season and moved to No. 5 in the national standings. The performance also moved Adams up the school’s all-time indoor list, with only three Jayhawks having posted a better mark in the event.
* Senior Strymar Livingston made a statement in his first 800-meter outing of the season. In what eventually proved to be one of the fastest half-mile races to this point of the indoor season. Already a national champion in the event at the NJCAA level, Livingston proved he has his sights set on the NCAA crown with an impressive clocking on the Nutter Field Track. The Brooklyn, New York native had to fight to make up ground over the final 300 meters but came up just short of the event victory, but still came away with the quickest 800-meter time of his career.
Livingston crossed the finish in 1:47.95 to claim second in the race that produced five of the eight fastest 800-meter clockings of 2017. Livingston’s run ranks fifth in the nation and third on Kansas’ all-time 800-meter list with only Jeremy Mims and Jim Ryun ahead of him.
STANLEY SAID IT
“I was really excited about the results of this meet. One of the things I wanted us to accomplish in coming here was to see where we stood against some other great teams. Although we had some people do really well in some events, we also had some that were pretty humbled. When you can run a personal record, do the best you’ve ever done, but not finish among the top-three, that shows that there’s still room for improvement and things to work on. Our goal is to do well at the NCAA meet and I think this weekend did a good job of showing where we stand against that level of competition.”
– Head coach Stanley Redwine on his teams’ performances this weekend
“It was just really good to see her back on the track. She’s really been looking forward to the indoor and outdoor track seasons and (her run) today proved that. She’s just a competitor. First time on the track and she breaks a school record. We can’t wait to see what happens from here.”
– Redwine on Hannah Richardson’s school record run in the 3,000 meters
“The vaulters did extremely well today but Jake was unbelievable. It just seemed like he could do no wrong and I’m excited to see what he’s going to do the rest of this year because he’s only going to continue to get better.”
– Redwine on senior pole vaulter Jake Albright
“It’s a good start for him. He’s excited because he knows he can run a better race than what he ran today and there are areas where he can get better. If he can do those things he’ll have a great shot to make the national meet in March.”
– Redwine on Strymar Livingston’s first 800-meter performance of the season
“He had a great meet. I know coach (Wayne) Pate is really excited. His strength level has increased to the point that it’s allowing him to do some really good things. It’s just a combination of good coaching in the weight room from coach (John) Baumann and good technical work on the runway and its starting to show in competition.”
– Redwine on Barden Adams’ day in the triple jump
“It was just really good to see her back on the track. She’s really been looking forward to the indoor and outdoor track seasons and (her run) today proved that. She’s just a competitor. First time on the track and she breaks a school record. We can’t wait to see what happens from here.”
– Redwine on Hannah Richardson’s school record run in the 3,000 meters
NOTES
* The KU men’s 4×400-meter relay team closed the meet out on a high note with one of the best time in the history of the program. The squad of Ivan Henry, Isaiah Cole, Strymar Livingston and Jaron Hartley passed the baton around in 3:09.29, good for a fifth-place finish. The quartet’s mile relay marked the third-fastest ever on an indoor track and sits the Jayhawks eighth in the NCAA.
* Prior to his strong leg in the 4×400-meter relay, Ivan Henry turned in the fastest open 400-meter time of his career. The Spanish Town, Jamaica native completed the quarter mile in 47.66 to notch a fourth-place finish. Henry now sits inside the NCAA’s top-25 in the event.
* Sophomore Riley Cooney added a runner-up finish after she completed the fastest mile of her young Jayhawk career. Cooney crossed the finish in 4:49.60, the No. 3 time among Big 12 runners this season.
* Senior Whitney Adams tallied a season-best in the 800 meters en route to a sixth-place finish in the event. The St. Charles, Missouri native finished her half-mile run in 2:09.64, a time that moved her to 22nd on this season’s national rankings and fourth on the Big 12 performance list.
UP NEXT
Kansas will return to Lawrence for its final home meet of the indoor season when KU plays host at the Jayhawk Classic Thursday-Friday, Jan. 26-27. The event is slated to begin with the first four events of the men’s heptathlon on Jan. 26 at 2 p.m., with the first events on Jan. 27 kicking off with the women’s weight throw at 9 a.m., and concluding at 8:05 p.m., with the men’s 4×400-meter relay. Get live updates and results from the Jayhawks’ performances by following on Twitter and Instagram at @KUTrack and by logging on to KUAthletics.com.
KUAthletics.com: The official online source for Kansas Athletics, Williams Education Fund contributions, tickets, merchandise, multimedia, photos and much, much more.
