Lokedi breaks records on day 2 of 91st Kansas Relays presented by RCB Bank
LAWRENCE, Kan. – In her second race of the 2018 outdoor campaign, Sharon Lokedi broke her second school record of the season. Not only did the Kansas senior break the program record in the 5,000-meter run, but she shattered the meet record and the Rock Chalk Park facility record on Thursday evening at the 91st Kansas Relays Presented by RCB Bank.
The Eldoret, Kenya product edged her own school record that was set last year, clocking in at 15:42.76 to win the event, while taking down a two-year-old facility record set by Oklahoma State’s Aurora Dybedokken (16:08.16) at the NCAA West Preliminary in 2016 and a 32-year-old meet record set by Patty Murray of Western Illinois, who clocked in at 16:02.27 at the Kansas Relays in 1986.
Lokedi’s clocking ranks No. 2 in the NCAA this season, behind only Oregon’s Lilli Burdon, who finished in 15:42.65 at the Stanford Invitational on March 30. The time also ranks in the top-20 of the world this year.
Joining Lokedi as a Kansas Relays victor on Thursday was senior Hannah Dimmick, who won the unseeded section of the 800-meter run, timing in with a personal record of 2:09.18. Teammates Riley Cooney and Catherine Liggett took the second and third place spots in the race right behind Dimmick, with Cooney clocking in at 2:09.44 and Liggett crossing the line at 2:12.15.
Earlier in the day, KU junior Teri Huslig recorded a personal-best performance in the heptathlon with 4,418 points to finish third overall. Coming into day two with 2,592 points after the first four events on Wednesday, Huslig started Thursday with a fourth-place finish in the long jump, notching a personal-best mark of 5.07 meters (16-7.75 ft.). The Lawrence native followed her PR performance in the long jump with a career-best mark in the javelin at 28.47 meters (93-5 ft.).
Sitting in fourth with just the 800-meter run remaining, Huslig posted the top time in the event at 2:21.74 to score 800 points to conclude her action at the Kansas Relays.
Junior Paulo Benavides was the top collegiate finisher in the men’s open pole vault, clearing 5.00 meters (16-4.75 ft.) Benavides finished behind KU alums Jake Albright and Nick Maestretti who were competing unattached.
Freshman John Luder posted a personal-best time of 15:20.67 in the men’s 5,000 meters to finish 14th.
The Jayhawks will pick up action at the Kansas Relays on Friday, with the first Kansas athletes slated to compete at 10:15 a.m.
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