Jayhawks set to host 91st Kansas Relays Presented by RCB Bank

91st Kansas Relays
  April 18-21
  Lawrence, Kan.
  Rock Chalk Park
  Meet Central
  Meet Schedule
  FloTrack Live Stream (Thurs.-Sat.) ($)
  JTV (Sat., 3 p.m.)
  ESPN3 Live Stream (Sat., 3 p.m.)
  Live Results

LAWRENCE, Kan. – Kansas track & field is set to host the 91st Kansas Relays Presented by RCB Bank, April 18-21. The Jayhawks will welcome some of the best high school, collegiate and professional athletes in the nation for the four-day meet at Rock Chalk Park in Lawrence, Kansas.
 
The meet will feature a high school division, an open collegiate division and a collegiate quadrangular which will pit the Jayhawks against some of the best teams in the country. The quadrangular will feature Nebraska, Kansas State and Harvard as well as the host Jayhawks. On the men’s side, Kansas ranks No. 13 and Nebraska is ranked No. 17, while on the women’s front KU ranks No. 30, with K-State ranked No. 11, Nebraska holding a No. 26 ranking and Harvard sitting inside the top-50 at No. 43.
 
FOLLOW
There are a number of ways to follow all of the action of the 91st Kansas Relays Presented by RCB Bank. Those unable to make it out to Rock Chalk Park can follow live results from the meet at PTTiming.com. Fans can watch the meet online at FloTrack with a paid subscription from Thursday through Saturday online at FloTrack.com. Beginning at 3 p.m. on Saturday, Spectrum Sports will broadcast the quadrangular action on the Jayhawk Television Network, with ESPN3 simulcasting the action via WatchESPN.com.
 
QUADRANGULAR HISTORY
For the fourth-straight year, the Kansas Relays will feature a scored team competition with four teams squaring off on both the men’s and women’s side. This year’s quadrangular will feature the Jayhawks going up against in-state rival Kansas State, Big Ten powerhouse Nebraska and one of the best Ivy League programs in Harvard.
 
In the three previous years of quadrangular action, the Kansas men have finished first twice, including last year’s 231-point performance that put them ahead of second-place Southern Illinois by 74 points. The Jayhawk women won the quadrangular in 2015 and finished second in both 2016 and 2017.
 
SUNFLOWER STATE PRODUCTS
The Kansas track & field rosters boast 36 student-athletes from the state of Kansas. Among those Sunflower State natives, four hail from Lawrence and will be competing in front of family and friends this weekend at Rock Chalk Park.
 
POWDER BLUE & PINK
The Kansas track & field squad will be wearing powder blue and pink uniforms that were designed to look like the KU track uniforms that were worn from 1952-1999. Kansas began wearing the color scheme when legendary coach Bill Easton decided to swap the Crimon & Blue for their more vibrant alternates to make sure the Jayhawks stood out at the finish line. The Jayhawks have worn pink and blue uniforms in recent years at the Kansas Relays, but this year’s design is a direct replica of the historical uniforms.
 
JAYHAWK LEGENDS TO BE INDUCTED INTO KANSAS ATHLETICS HALL OF FAME
Four Kansas track & field legends will be inducted into the Kansas Athletics Hall of Fame on Saturday, April 21, following the conclusion of the 91st Kansas Relays Presented by RCB Bank.
 
Natalia Bartnovskaya, Kyle Clemons, Diamond Dixon and Andrea Geubelle will forever be enshrined in the Kansas Athletics Hall of Fame, with a ceremony to take place at approximately 7:45 p.m. on Saturday evening. The quartet will be recognized at approximately 3 p.m. Saturday at Rock Chalk Park during the Relays.
 
Bartnovskaya won the 2013 NCAA Indoor pole vault national championship and was a three-time All-American in her two seasons at Kansas and was a member of the 2013 Big 12 and NCAA Outdoor national championship team. She is the school record holder in both the indoor and outdoor pole vault.
 
Clemons earned a gold medal at the 2016 Summer Olympics as a member of the USA 4×400-meter relay team and was a member of the world-record breaking indoor 4×400 relay at the IAAF World Championships in 2014. While at Kansas, Clemons was a six-time Second Team All-American, two-time Big 12 Champion and broke three school records.
 
Dixon earned a gold medal at the 2012 Summer Olympics as part of the USA 4×400-meter relay, then returned to Kansas to help the Jayhawks to an outdoor national championship in 2013. While at KU, Dixon earned 14 All-America honors and was the 2012 NCAA Indoor 400-meter dash national champion.
 
Geubelle was a three-time national champion at Kansas and 13-time All-American. She won four Big 12 individual titles in her time at KU and was a member of the 2013 national championship squad. After her career at Kansas concluded, Geubelle went on to compete at the 2016 Summer Olympics in the triple jump where she finished 21st overall. She is the KU school record holder in the indoor and outdoor triple jump as well as the indoor long jump.
 
KANSAS MEN NO. 13 IN USTFCCCA WEEK THREE POLL
The Kansas men’s team came in at No. 13 in the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association week three poll, released on Monday, April 16. The Kansas women ranked No. 30 in the same poll. Both teams slipped one spot from the previous week’s rankings, likely because the Jayhawks had a competition-free weekend leading into the Kansas Relays.
 
The Jayhawk men were ranked No. 10 in the USTFCCCA preseason poll, while the Jayhawk women were ranked No. 40.
 
WHO TO WATCH FOR
Eighty-two Kansas athletes are slated to compete at the 91st Kansas Relays, many of which are among the best in the nation in their respective events.
 
Kansas sophomore Gleb Dudarev is the No. 2-ranked men’s hammer throw athlete in the NCAA this season, with his school record-breaking throw of 74.35 meters (243-11 ft.) at the Sun Angel Classic on April 6. Dudarev will look to improve on his No. 2 ranking at 4:30 p.m. on Friday.
 
Senior Sharon Lokedi ranks No. 3 in the NCAA in the 10,000-meter run after breaking the school record in the event at the Stanford Invitational on March 30 with a time of 32:21.19. The Eldoret, Kenya native is entered in the collegiate open section of the 5,000-meter run and the quadrangular 1,500 meters this weekend. Lokedi owns the school record in the 5,000 meters with a time of 15:44.51, set last year at the Stumptown Twilight.
 
Barden Adams is ranked No. 3 in the NCAA this season in the triple jump with a season-best mark of 16.26 meters (53-4.25 ft.), set at the Sun Angel Classic on April 7. He is entered in both the quadrangular triple jump and long jump at the Relays.
 
The Kansas pole vault squad is exceptionally deep this season, as is the case for most years. The Jayhawk men are the No. 1-ranked pole vault event squad in the NCAA, averaging 5.36 meters (17-7 ft.) this season, while the women’s vaulters are the No. 4 ranked squad in the nation. For the KU men, Hussain Al Hizam ranks No. 4 in the NCAA individually and Nick Meyer ranks No. 18, while Laura Taylor and Andrea Willis rank No. 5 and No. 10, respectively, for the women.
 
Senior Courtney Coppinger and junior Dylan Hodgson both rank in the top-10 in the NCAA in the 3,000-meter steeplechase, with Coppinger ranking No. 8 on the women’s side and Hodgson holding the No. 10-spot for the men. Neither are entered in the steeple this weekend, but both are slated to make appearances on the track at Rock Chalk Park. Coppinger is entered in the 1,500 in both the open and quadrangular sections as well as the open 5,000 meters. Hodgson is entered in the 5,000 meters in both the open and quad sections, as well as the quad 1,500 meters.
 
Freshman Alexandra Emilianov became the No. 2 performer in KU history in the discus in her career debut of the event at the Sun Angel Classic. Emilianov threw for a mark of 55.58 meters (182-4 ft.), which currently ranks her No. 14 in the NCAA. She is entered in both the open and quadrangular sections of the discus, as well as the quad shot put.
 
Senior Nicolai Ceban ranks in the top-25 in the NCAA in two events this season, coming into the Kansas Relays at No. 15 in the discus and No. 25 in the shot put. Ceban is scheduled to compete in both events this weekend.
 
LaTyria Jefferson also holds two top-25 NCAA marks this season, ranking No. 19 in the high jump and No. 21 in the long jump, and is slated to jump in both events at the Relays.
 
Sophomore Bryce Hoppel is ranked No. 21 in the NCAA in the 800-meter run, posting a time of 1:48.69 at the Texas Relays earlier this season. Hoppel is scheduled to run the 800 meters in the quadrangular on Saturday.
 
UP NEXT
The Jayhawks will travel to Fayetteville, Arkansas for the National Relay Championships hosted by the University of Arkansas, April 27-28 at John McDonnell Field.
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