Jayhawks Enjoy Successful Saturday at Emporia State Relays

EMPORIA, Kan. – Eleven Jayhawks picked up top-three finishes as a large Kansas contingent took part in the Emporia State Relays Saturday inside Fran Welch Stadium. Junior Mitch Cooper collected a victory in the discus by way of a career-best toss, while sophomore Carson Vickroy also added a win in the 5,000 meters.
 
The Kansas throwers dominated as five Jayhawks came away with top-three finishes in the throwing events. Cooper was impressive in his outdoor debut in the discus. The second team All-American posted a career-best throw of 59.34 meters (194’8″) to claim the victory. The mark, which ranks among the top-10 of the latest NCAA discus rankings, gave Cooper the win by more than five feet over teammate Nicolai Ceban, who claimed the runner-up finish.
 
Cooper’s mark has only been topped by four other Jayhawks in the program’s history and is the best toss by a KU discus throwers since 2012.
 
On the women’s side, Dasha Tsema impressed and nabbed a runner-up finish in the discus. The senior hit a mark of 51.22 meters (168’0″) and topped teammate Daina Levy, whose throw of 50.57 meters (165’11”) earned her a third-place finish.
 
Senior Anastasiya Muchkayev rounded out the solid day for the KU throwers after she posted a third-place finish in the shot put. Her best mark measured out to 14.28 meters (46’10½”).
 
On the track, Vickroy ran to his first-career win as a Jayhawk after he was first to break the tape in the 5,000 meters. The sophomore completed the 3.1-mile race in 15:05.13, more than seven seconds ahead of the rest of the field.

Sophomore Laura Taylor also picked up a runner-up finish in the pole vault after she cleared a top bar of 3.95 meters (12’11½”). The clearance moved her into the top-10 of the Big 12 vaulting ranks.
 
Kansas will again hit the road next weekend when the Jayhawks journey to Tempe, Arizona for a pair of meets April 8-9. KU will first take part in the Mesa Classic on Friday, April 8, before taking on a stellar field for the Sun Angel Classic on Saturday, April 9. For complete results and recaps of the Jayhawk performances, log on to KUAthletics.com and follow on Twitter at @KUTrack.
 
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