8B
KANSAS RELAYS
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
FRIDAY, APRIL 20, 2007
Jayhawks to watch
Ashley Brown, Junior
Ashley Brown will compete in the
Invitational
invitational sections of the 100-meter and 400-meter hurdles, as well as the 4x100-meter relay and possibly the 4x400-meter
Brown
relay. Brown made great strides during the indoor season, and at the Texas Relays on April 7, she ran a career-best time of 13.55 seconds in the 100-meter hurdles. Brown has had to deal with injuries in the past, and now that she's healthy, there's few limits to her potential.
Julius Jiles. iunior
Jiles is a fun-loving native of Kansas City, Mo.
and has com- peted at the Kansas Relays since his junior year of high school. Hell run in the 110 m.
ter and 400-meter hurdles on Saturday Last week, at the John Jacobs Invitational, Jiles won the 110-meter hurdles with a regional qualifying time of 14.14 seconds. For fear of being intimidated, Jiles never looks at whom he'll be racing with before lining up to start, but now competitors need to worry about him just as much as he does them.
Crystal Manning, junior
At last week's John Jacobs Invitational in Norman, Okla, Manning set a new Kansas record in the triple jump, leaping 43-
Manning
07 feet to win the event. Manning edged former Jayhawk Brooklyn Hann by a quarter of an inch for the record and she will look to build on her momentum in the event today. She also compete in the long jump of Saturday. Manning is extremely athletic and she's performed as well as anybody during the outdoor season. The Terrell, Texas; native will seriously compete for both titles this weekend.
Kate Sultanova, junior
Sultanova has had a tremendous outdoor season, winning the Big 12 pole vault crown and finishing third at nationals.
Sultanova
but it's been tough to get going during the outdoor half because of the weather. Wind and rain kept her sidelined until the John Jacob Invite, where she cleared a regional qualifying height of 13-01 feet. At national, Sultanova tied a Kansas record by clearing 14-01 feet, and she has the ability to approach that height again if she can get the repetitions.
Colby Wissel, junior
Wissel went through a major transition during the indoor season, taking on a more fierce mentality that led him all
Wissel
they way to a sevente place finish at nationals in the 3,000 meters. Wissel was one of several winners at the John lacobi Invite last week, taking the 5,000 meters with a time of 14.12.11, just eleven hundredths of a second away from a regional time. On Saturday, Wissel will run unattached in the invitational 1,500 meters, giving him a chance to face professional competition before attempting to get a regional time in the 5,000 meters next week.
Kansas posts high rankings Thursday
Jayhawks sweep hammer throw; personal bests met
BY RYAN SCHNEIDER
Sophomore Zlata Tarasova's victory in the women's hammer throw made it a clean sweep for the Jayhawks in the event Thursday.
Earlier in the afternoon, her teammate Egor Agafonov won the men's event. In the women's event, Tarasova entered the day seeded second behind Loren Groves of Kansas State, who was competing unattached.
Tarasoula mark of 202-03 was close to her personal best of 204-05.
"I did pretty well," Tarasova said. "We took this as a practice round today."
Although her best mark of the
day came on her last throw, Tarasova had four other throws that would have beaten Groves.
It was Tarasova's second victory in as many weeks.
She won the John Jacobs Invitational last weekend. Her throw of 200-31 feet in the Texas Relays was an NCAA Regional qualifying mark.
Kansas Relays Notes:
Thursday night's distance carnival opened with the women's unseeded 800 meters. Senior Melissa Moody finished in 14th place in a time of 2:18.24. That time is the best of her four-year career at Kansas. Also competing for Kansas was junior Laura Major, who finished 20th in a
time of 2:18.94. It was her best time of the season.
— In the women's 3,000 meters, junior Alicia McGregor recorded a personal record. She ran 18.187 and her previous personal best was 10.36.11.
— Josh Kirk's victory in the steeplechase marked the first time a layhawk had won the two-day event since 2000. The event had not been held the last three years.
Kansan senior sportswriter Ryan Schneider can be contacted at rschneder@kansan.com.
Edited by Mark Vierthaler
Decathlete widens margin of victory during second day
BY TAYLOR BERN
Entering day two of the decathlon, Kansas senior Josh Kirk needed only to maintain his performance from day one to come away with the crown.
Instead he stepped it up a notch and won the pole vault, javelin throw and the overall title with 7,152 total points.
While Kirk's prowess in the pole vault led to a comfortable lead, his three-inch edge in the javelin came as a bit of a surprise.
"I did better in all of my weaknesses, and worse on all of my strengths, so I guess that's good news," Kirk said in a press release. "Whenever all of those are up to par, it will be a pretty good score."
Kirk opened the day at 8:30 a.m. with a time of 16.35 seconds in the 110-meter hurdles, good for fourth place. His off-season strength training then paid dividends in the discus with a second place throw of 119-05 feet.
Kirk's third event, the pole vault, is admittedly his best event of the decathlon, and that showed on Thursday as the Olathe native cleared 15-03, a new personal outdoor record.
After that it was smooth sailing.
Jacob Breth, Wichita freshman, releases a javelin during competition Thursday afternoon at the Kansas relays.
Amanda Sellers/KANSAN
"I knew I had the victory wrapped up after the pole vault. I was just going strictly for points," Kirk said.
His javelin distance of 185-09 edged out Tulsa's Thomas Stoltz by three inches for first place, and then Kirk closed out his day in the 1,500 meters with a third place time of 4:38.63.
Freshman Jacob Breth finished his first Kansas Relays in sixth place with 5,826 points.
hurdles and then took third in the discus, fourth in the 1,500 meters and set a personal record in the javelin'by more than 30 feet.
The camaraderie of the Kansas Relays is something that really appealed to Breth, a Wichita native.
"We've been hanging out with each other for two days. We talked with, cheered and motivated each other," Breth said. "I just had a great time. I can't wait to do it again."
Breth struggled on the 110-meter
Freshman Chelsea Helm finished the heptathlon with 3,812 points for seventh place.
"There are a couple things I need to work on, but, overall, I was pleased," Helm said. "The corrections I know that I need to make are ones that I'm capable of, so it went OK."
With an eye toward nationals, Kirk's point total puts him right on the cusp of last year's cut-off, and while that's on his mind he's still focused on enjoying himself.
"It's fun, especially here at home," Kirk said. "I had never won the relays in any event, so I'm excited."
Kansan sportswriter Taylor Bern can be contacted at tbern@ kansan.com.
Edited by Trevan McGee
Egor Agafanov places first in hammer throw; Sasha Kaun comes out in support of Russian
BY RYAN SCHNEIDER
When Egor Agafonov tossed the winning throw in Thursday's Kansas Relays hammer throw competition, his biggest fan was there to watch.
Men's basketball player - Sasha Kaun sat in the stands, a Russian flag draped over his shoulders. He also held a handmade sign that, roughly translated from Russian, meant, "Go Russia. Egor is champion."
"I love the kid," Kaun said after Agafonov wrapped up the victory. "I'm proud of what he's been doing."
He certainly had reason to be happy for his fellow Russian. Agafonov's winning throw, 227-05 feet, was the fourth farthest toss in the nation this year. It was also the second farthest winning toss in relays history.
"I think it was pretty good," Agafonov said. "It's my PR (personal record) this year."
The winning toss came on his third and final throw of the preliminary competition that advanced him to the finals. Agafonov came close to that mark again in the finals, with a throw of 227-03 feet.
It was Agafonov's third win in
'tree tries this season. He won the hammer at his two previous meets, the Texas Relays and John Jacobs Invitational.
Even with the success, his coach, Andy Kokhanovsky, said there was still much for Agafonov to improve on.
"Nobody's perfect," Kokhanovsky said. "He's got a lot to get better at. It all comes down to mental and physical preparation."
Still, based on his performance Thursday, it was hard to find much to critique. Agafonov won the event by more than 20 feet. His closest competitor was Chris Rohr, who was competing unattached from Missouri, who had a best throw of 207-02 feet.
After his final throw, Aganfonov cracked a smile as Kaun approached him. The two friends, who have known each other for two years, laughed as they posed for a photo with the poster and flag.
"All the guys I wanted to watch me were here," he said.
Kansan senior sportswriter Ryan Schneider can be contacted at rschneider@kansan.com.
—Edited by Mark Vierthaler
Egor Agafonov, Togliatti, Russia, junior, turns in preparation to release the ball during the hammer throw competition outside Memorial Stadium on Thursday afternoon. Agafonov finished first with his longest throw of 69.3 meters. The Kansas relays will continue with events today and Saturday.
Hefferon places third after hot start during his first 1,500-meter race
BY TAYLOR BERN
In preparation for his first collegiate 10,000-meter race next week, junior Paul Hefferon ran in his first collegiate 1,500-meter race at the Kansas Relays and found out that it's a whole different breed.
Hefferson mistakenly jumped out to an early lead and stayed there for most of the way before running out of gas and dropping back for a third place time of 3:55.22.
"When it started, I tried to go out at what I thought was a moderate pace and it turned out to be a lot faster than it should have been," Hefferon said.
After opening the race with a 13-second 100 meters, when the desired range is 15 to 16 seconds, Hefferon realized that he would have to lead for most of the race.
That played into his hands, however, as Heferon's goal with the race was to increase his power and overwork his "quick-twitch" muscles, which only get used at the end of a
10,000-meter race.
At one point during the race it took the encouragement of teammate Benson Chesang, senior, to keep Hefferon charging toward the front of the pack. Chesang finished the race in fourth place with a time of 3:55.55.
In the final stretch, Hefferon underestimated the speed of Illinois freshman Jared Richardson and Lewis, Ill., senior Andy Tremble, who sprinted past him while he attempted to push to the end.
Sophomore Victor Chesang, nephew of Benson Chesang, looked impressive in the 3,000-meter steeplechase, jumping over hurdles and through water to win the race in a time of 9:53.16.
Freshmen Kellie Schneider, Casi Sokol and Allison Knoll race in the unseeded 1500-meter run at Memorial Stadium on Thursday night. The four annual Kansas Relays continues through Saturday.
"I calculated when some people took off early," Chesang said. "I was waiting for them until the last and then I did my thing."
Victor was steady through the first half of the race, then charged through the pack in hopes of reaching the front.
Sarah Leonard/KANSAN
In the 3,000 meters, junior Alicia McGregor finished at 10:18.97 for second place, followed by sophomore Hayley Harbert in third with a time of 10:40.17.
McGregor's time is a personal
record by nearly 18 seconds.
Both McGregor and Harbert will run in the 5,000 meters at next week's Drake Relays and used this race as a training session, much like Hefferon.
Kansan sportswriter Taylor Bern can be contacted at tbern@ kansan.com.
- Edited by Kelly Lanigan
Kansas Relays schedule
FIELD EVENTS
8 a.m. Boys javelin
8 Girls shot put
9:30 Girls pole vault
10 Boys high jump
11 Girls triple jump
11 Girls Javeline
11:30 Women's shot put
Noon Women's triple jump
1:30 p.m. Men's pole vault
1:30 Women's high jump
2 Women's javelin
3 Men's shot put
4 Men's triple jump
4 Boys triple jump
5 Girls high jump
5 Men's javelin
5:30 Boys pole vault
6:30 Boys shot put
TRACK EVENTS
TODAY
9:30 Boys 4-mile relay
9:55 Girls shuttle hurdle relay
10:05 Women's shuttle hurdle relay
10:10 Boys shuttle hurdle relay
10:20 Men's shuttle hurdle relay
10:30 Girls 400 meters
10:45 Boys 400 meters
11:05 Women's a2x200 meter relay
11:15 Girls a2x200 meter relay
11:30 Girls 3,200 meters
11:45 Boys 3,200 meters
Noon 4th grade relay
12:15 p.m. Girls 100 meters
12:30 Boys 100 meters
12:45 Women's 100 meters
1:05 Men's 100 meters
1:30 4th grade relay
1:35 Women's 400-meter hurdles
1:50 Men's 400-meter hurdles
2:10 Boys 300-meter hurdles
2:30 Girls 300-meter hurdles
2:55 Girls distance medley relay
3:10 Boys distance medley relay
3:25 Women's distance medley relay
3:40 Men's distance medley relay
3:55 Women's 400 meters
4:10 Men's 400 meters
4:30 Girls 4x100-meter relay
5 Boys 4x100-meter relay
5:30 Women's 4x100-meter relay
5:50 Men's 4x100-meter relay
6:10 KU Athletics: 4x100-meter relay
6:15 Girls 800 meters
6:25 Boys 800 meters
6:35 Men's steeplechase
6:50 Women's steeplechase
6:50 Girls 4x400-meter relay
7:30 Boys 4x400-meter relay
7:55 Women's 4x400-meter relay
8:15 Men's 4x400-meter relay
8:35 Women's 4-mile relay
9 Men's 4-mile relay
SATURDAY
FIELD EVENTS
8 a.m. Girls discus
10 Men's long jump
10:30 Women's pole vault
10:45 Women's discus
11 Men's high jump
11 Girls long jump
1:30 Boys discus
1:30 Women's invite long jump
2 Men's invite pole vault
3 Boys long jump
4 Women's long jump
4 Men's discus
TRACK EVENTS
9 a.m. Boys 110-meter hurdles
9:15 Men's 110-meter hurdles
9:35 Girls 100-meter hurdles
9:50 Women's 100-meter hurdles
10:10 Girls sprint medley
10:30 Boys sprint medley
10:50 Women's sprint medley
11:05 Men's sprint medley
11:30 Masters 4x100-meter relay
11:30 Girls 4x200-meter relay
11:45 Girls 4x200-meter relay
12:05 p.m. Girls 2-mile relay
12:30 Boys 2-mile relay 3:30 Girls 100 meters
12:50 Women's 2-mile relay 3:35 Women's 100 meters
1 Men's 2-mile relay 3:40 Women's invite 100 meters
1:15 Masters 800 meters 3:45 Boys 100 meters
1:25 Youth 50 meters 3:50 Master's 100 meters
1:55 Girls Kansas 4x100-meter relay 3:55 Men's 100 meters
2 Girls 4x100-meter relay 4 Men's invite 100 meters
2:05 Boys Kaneas 4x100-meter relay 4:05 Girls 400 meters
2:10 Boys 4x100-meter relay 4:10 Women's 400 meters
2:15 Women's 4x100-meter relay 4:15 Women's invite 400 meters
2:20 Men's 4x100-meter relay 4:20 Boys 400 meters
2:25 Men's invite 4x100-meter relay 4:25 Men's 400 meters
2:30 Women's 1,500 meters 4:30 Men's invite 400 meters
2:35 Men's 1,500 meters 4:35 Women's 400-meter hurdles
2:45 Girls 100-meter hurdles 4:40 Women's invite 400-meter
2:50 Women's 100-meter hurdles hurdles
2:55 Women's invite 100-meter hurdles 4:45 Men's 400-meter hurdles
3 Boys 110-meter hurdles 4:50 Men's invite 400-meter hurdles
3:05 Men's 110-meter hurdles 5:10 Boys 1,600 meters
3:10 Men's invite 110-meter hurdles 5:25 Girls Kansas 4x400-meter rel.
3:15 Women's 800 meters 5:30 Girls 4x400-meter relay
3:20 Men's 800 meters 5:35 Boys Kansas 4x400-meter relay
3:25 Women's invite 800 meters 5:40 Boys 4x400-meter relay