During the men’s 200-meter dash at Friday’s Jayhawk Invitational, Leo Bookman saw a strange sight out of the corner of his eye: a competitor.

The former Kansas University track standout won the race in a time of 21:23, but it was just by a smidgen over Kendrick Twiggs of Lindenwood (Mo.) University, who finished .05 behind.

“It was just a bad race,” Bookman said of his first 200-meter run this year as a member of Team Nike.

Perhaps the sprinter didn’t have much gas in his tank after posting a personal-record time of 6.66 earlier Friday in the 60-meter dash.

“I was a lot more worried about putting up a good time in the 60 than the 200,” said Bookman, who has won three NCAA championships in the 200. “The 200 will be there.”

Bookman, who will graduate in May from KU after finishing his sociology major and psychology minor, used the invitational as a training ground for the U.S.A. Indoor Track & Field Championships in late February in Boston.

If Bookman’s presence at the meet was a reminder of KU’s past, the noteworthy performances of a collection of freshmen reaffirmed the potential of its future. Out of 14 KU winners Friday, three were freshmen.

Kansas University's D.J. Hilding, of Lawrence, runs in the one-mile race. Hilding and the KU track and field squad competed Friday at the Jayhawk Invitational at Anschutz Pavilion.

First-year distance runner Colby Wissel set the tone by winning the day’s opening race, the men’s 3,000 meters. Connie Abbott followed suit with a victory in the women’s mile, and Matt Baysinger ran away with the men’s 600 a couple of hours later.

“I was real excited to see them step up the way they did,” KU coach Stanley Redwine said

Senior Jeremy Mims, who won the men’s 800, said the greatest obstacle as a newcomer was a lapse in confidence after high school standouts found themselves in the middle of a collegiate pack.

“I just try to make sure they don’t get frustrated,” Mims said about his role as a senior leader. “It’s a lot faster than high school. You can’t compare college to high school. It doesn’t work.”

Plenty of KU veterans joined the freshmen at the top of the standings, including senior Kim Clark (women’s 800), senior Brooklyn Hann (women’s 60 hurdles) and junior Sheldon Battle (men’s weight throw).

KU's Colby Wissel races during the Jayhawk Invitational.

With only five other Division One schools taking part in the non-scored event, many of the Jayhawks saw the meet as more training time for the Big 12 Indoor Championships next month in Lincoln, Neb.

“People run against themselves and not the competition,” Mims said.

6Sports video: KU freshmen have good day at track