Kansas picks up 3 wins on day 1 of Texas Tech Open

LUBBOCK, Texas – Three Jayhawks picked up wins at the Texas Tech Open on Friday as the Kansas men’s and women’s track & field squad split up for two meets on the weekend. Andrea Willis, Honour Finley and Gleb Dudarev each earned first-place finishes in Lubbock, Texas, while one Jayhawk, Chris Melgares, competed at the Power Five Invitational in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
 
Willis, a junior from Colorado Springs, Colorado, moved into a tie for No. 6 in the NCAA this season in the women’s pole vault with a personal-best clearance of 4.37 meters (14-4 ft.). Her winning height was the No. 5 performance in KU women’s history and made her the No. 3 performer on the Kansas all-time charts.
 
Finley’s win came in the 400-meter dash, in which a total of 70 athletes competed. Running in the first of 17 heats, Finley clocked in at 53.82 seconds for the victory and became the No. 5 performer in KU history in the event with the time. Her altitude-adjusted time of 53.93 seconds currently ranks her No. 22 in NCAA Division I this season.
 
In his season opener and his first indoor action since the 2017 season, Dudarev showed no signs of rust as he recorded a mark of 23.08 meters (75-8.75 ft.) on his first throw, which would hold up as his best and the event’s top mark. Dudarev’s next-closest competitor notched a mark of 19.73 meters (64-8.75 ft.), 11 feet shy of the junior’s winning throw. The winning mark from the Vitebsk, Belarus native is the No. 4 mark in KU men’s program history, but is shy of his personal-best toss of 23.44 meters (76-11 ft.), which ranks him No. 2 on the KU all-time list behind Egor Agofonov.
 
STANLEY SAID IT…
Quotes from Kansas head coach Stanley Redwine
 
On Dudarev’s debut…
“I’m Really excited to see Gleb back in competition. Coach (Andy) Kokhanovsky is doing a great with him. As Gleb competes more it will really help our team.”
 
On Finley and Mariah Kuykendoll’s race in the 400 meters…
“Honour ran an aggressive race. It was great to see she and Mariah Kuykendoll take control of the race. Being the number five all-time KU performer is a sign of her hard work. I’m proud of them both.”
 
On Willis’ career day…
“Andrea continues to be a special competitor. Coach (Tom) Hays is doing an awesome job with her. She just keeps getting better and better.”
 
NOTABLES

  • Freshman Cordell Tinch finished second in the men’s long jump, hitting a mark of 7.28 meters (23-10.75 ft.).
  • George Evans placed fifth in the men’s weight throw with a personal-best mark of 18.11 meters (59-5 ft.), moving him up to No. 8 on the KU all-time performers list.
  • Jedah Caldwell moved into a tie for seventh on the KU all-time performers list in the 60-meter dash, clocking in at 7.47 seconds in the semifinals of the event. Caldwell went on to finished third overall.
  • Mariah Kuykendoll finished second in the 400-meter dash, running in the same heat at Finley. Kuykendoll hit the finish line at 54.72 seconds.
  • Gabbi Dabney finished fifth in the women’s 60-meter hurdles finals. Dabney ran an 8.69 in both the prelims and finals.
  • Alexis Romero placed second in the women’s pole vault with a clearance of 4.07 meters (13-4.25 ft.).
  • Melgares finished sixth in the 5,000-meter run at the Power Five Invitational, clocking in at 15:03.38. 

UP NEXT
The Jayhawks will conclude the Texas Tech Open and Power Five Invitational on Saturday, February 2. Action in Lubbock is slated to begin at 11 a.m. and the women’s one-mile will kick off the Kansas action in Ann Arbor at 11:30 a.m. CST.
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