Kansas University’s track teams will be hoping to improve on last year’s second-division placings when they compete in the Big 12 Indoor championships this weekend in Lincoln, Neb.

KU’s women finished seventh and the men ninth at the 2004 league indoor championships.

This year’s meet is scheduled today and Saturday at the Devaney Center. Most of today’s competition will be preliminaries.

“Every year at this time, your team has to get 15 to 20 percent better for this meet,” KU coach Stanley Redwine said. “I hope everyone is going into the championships with the attitude to win every event.”

Junior Benson Chesang may be KU’s best hope of winning an individual title. Chesang broke one of the oldest records in the KU books when he ran the 3,000 in 7:59.46 at the Tyson Invitational. That clocking eclipsed the school record established by Jim Ryun in 1968.

Junior Sheldon Battle also is a potential gold medalist in the league meet. Battle, a transfer from Mesa (Ariz.) CC, ranks first in the Big 12 in the shot put (63-31/4) and second in the weight throw (68-11).

Among the KU women, two newcomers have sparkled in the pole vault.

Senior Amy Linnen, a transfer from Arizona, broke the KU record in the pole vault at the Tyson Invitational, posting a leap of 13-111/4. That height is the best in the Big 12 and second-best in the nation this season.

KU freshman Ekaterina Sultanova ranks third in the Big 12 after posting a best vault of 13-73/4.

Senior Brooklyn Hann also looms as a potential medalist. Hann already has broken her own school record in the triple jump after a leap of 42-41/4.