Jayhawks kick off 2016-17 with 18 victories, facility record at Bob Timmons

RESULTS: Overall | Kansas
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LAWRENCE, Kan. – Jayhawks claimed victories in 18 events as the Kansas track & field teams enjoyed a successful season-opening meet at the Bob Timmons Challenge Friday inside Anschutz Pavilion. Sydney Conley started her senior campaign with a career-best performance in the 60-meter dash, while the women’s 4×400-meter squad topped the five-year-old Anschutz facility record in route to a victory in the event.
 
PERFORMANCES OF THE DAY
*Less than a year after suffering a shoulder injury that sidelined her for the 2016 season, senior Sydney Conley returned to the track and once again showed her mettle as one of the top track athletes in the nation.
 
The Fayetteville, Arkansas product hit the starting blocks for the 60-meter dash and cruised to victory in a new personal-record time of 7.42, saving .03 seconds off her previous best. The mark edged Missouri State’s Marissa Kurtimah by .08 seconds and moved Conley to sixth on the Jayhawks’ all-time 60-meter list.
 
Though the indoor season is still in its infancy, Conley’s time moved her to the top of the NCAA rankings in and makes her the first collegiate to break the 7.50-barrier in the event in 2016-17.
 
*The women’s 4×400-meter team of Adriana Newell, Mariah Kuykendoll, Whitney Adams and Nicole Montgomery posted the fastest time in the 30-year history of Anschutz Pavilion en route to a win in the event. The team, comprised of two seniors, a sophomore and a freshman, passed the baton around in 3:42.89, surpassing the Jayhawk squad that clocked in at 3:43.61 at the 2011 Jayhawk Classic.
 
The record time earned the Jayhawks the event win by nearly five seconds and marked the five time in the last six years the Kansas women took the Bob Timmons 4×400-meter relay title.
 
STANLEY SAID IT
“I just think it was great to see four people running fast together. I don’t put limitations on them and I hope they don’t put limitations on themselves. We’ll need to look at the film and see where the areas are that we can get better and some even faster times will hopefully come. Tonight was definitely fun to watch though.”

  • Head coach Stanley Redwine on the expectations for the women’s 4×400-meter relay this season.

 
NOTES
*Senior Mitch Cooper kicked off the day with a win in the weight throw. His third-career win in the event came with the help of his final attempt, a personal-record toss of 17.53 meters (57-5¾). That mark moved Cooper to No. 8 on KU’s all-time weight thrower list.
 
*Junior Brandon Lombardino was the runner-up to Cooper in the weight throw with a fourth-attempt sling of 17.25 meters (56-7¼). His best mark, just 10 inches behind Cooper’s winning toss, was also a personal record. Lombardino also earned the victory in the shot put, using a throw of 15.90 meters (52-5) to outduel teammate Kenny Boyer by an inch-and-half.

*Senior Strymar Livingston made his way onto the winner’s podium after a strong outing in the 400 meters. The Brooklyn, New York native completed the quarter-mile loop in 48.64, coming from behind in the final 50 meters to overtake Oral Roberts’ Reihard Ndlovu and the victory.
 
*Junior Adel Yoonis won the men’s 3,000 meters in a time of 8:45.52. He was the first of six Jayhawks in the event that swept the top-six spots.
 
*Senior Jake Albright held off teammate Nick Meyer to win the men’s pole vault and continue the KU men’s dominance in the season opening event. Both Albright and Meyer managed to clear 5.21 meters (17’1″), however Albright secured the win by way of fewer misses at lower heights. The win marked the fourth-straight year a Jayhawk has won the men’s pole vault at the Bob Timmons Challenge.
 
*In her first meet as a Jayhawk, freshman Andrea Willis was the top collegiate finisher in the women’s pole vault, clearing a bar of 3.96 meters (12-11¾). The vault was topped only by former Kansas All-American Natalia Price, who won the event with a clearance of 4.06 meters (13-3¾).
 
*Freshman Quentin Dancer began his collegiate sprinting career strong, moving onto the school’s all-time 60-meter dash chart after just one race. The West, Texas product claimed seventh in the event in a time of 6.95. The time ranks Dancer eighth on KU’s all-time list.
 Kai Shean won the men’s high jump.*Junior Kai Shean claimed the Bob Timmons Challenge high jump title for the second-straight year. He got over a personal-record height of 2.13 meters (6-11¾).
 
*LaTyria Jefferson outdueled senior teammate Grace Pickell to claim her second-career win in the high jump. Both Jefferson and Pickell got over 1.70 meters (5-7), but Jefferson brought home the event crown by way of fewer misses in the earlier heights.
 
NUMBER OF THE DAY
15 – The number of Jayhawk underclassmen that claimed victories on Friday, either individually or as a member of a relay. That number includes seven true freshmen that left their first collegiate track meet as event champions.
 
UP NEXT
The Jayhawks will be back in action on Friday, Jan. 6, 2017, when they host the Bill Easton Classic in Anschutz Pavilion. KU will then journey to Wichita on Jan. 12 for the Kansas State-Kansas-Wichita State Triangular.
 
 
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