Kansas men jump three spots to No. 16, women break top-25 for first time this season
LAWRENCE, Kan. – The Kansas men’s track & field team rose three spots from last week’s U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association weekly ratings to rank No. 16 on the week three charts. The Kansas women also moved up the rankings list, jumping nine spots to No. 22, breaking into the top-25 for the first time this indoor season.
The Kansas men’s rise comes after a weekend in which four Jayhawks recorded NCAA top-15 marks in their respective events.
Redshirt sophomore Gleb Dudarev made his season debut at the Texas Tech Open, where he recorded the No. 3 mark in NCAA Division I this season in the weight throw, winning the event with a mark of 23.08 meters (75-8.75 ft.). The mark ranks as the No. 4 performance in Kansas men’s history.
Pole vaulters Hussain Al Hizam and Zach Bradford each cleared 5.61 meters (18-4.75 ft.) to finish first and second, respectively, at the Texas Tech Open. The clearances have the Kansas duo in a tie for fifth in the NCAA this season.
Junior Bryce Hoppel recorded the No. 11 time in the nation this season in the 800-meter run at the Texas Tech Open, clocking in at 1:48.44, which converts to 1:48.13 when accounting for altitude.
The Kansas women’s jump into the top-25 also comes after a successful weekend in Lubbock, Texas, where pole vaulter Andrea Willis recorded the No. 8 mark in the NCAA this season with a clearance of 4.37 meters (14-4 ft.). The height is No. 5 in KU women’s history and makes Willis the No. 3 performer in the program annals. Marleena Eubanks also recorded an NCAA top-25 mark on the weekend, winning the women’s 800-meter run with a time of 2:07.94. Her altitude-adjusted time of 2:07.61 currently ranks No. 24 in the nation.
Other Kansas women that hold top-25 marks in the NCAA this season include Sharon Lokedi, who ranks No. 3 in the 5,000 meters, and Rylee Anderson, who ranks No. 16 in the high jump.
The Kansas men’s and women’s track & field teams are back in action this weekend, with the squads splitting up to head in different directions. A portion of the KU student-athletes will travel to Fayetteville, Arkansas for the Tyson Invitational, while others will head north the Ames, Iowa for the ISU Classic. Both meets are scheduled for February 8-9.
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