As one star in the shot put leaves the Kansas University track and field squad, another one begins to shine bright – though the one leaving is one of the brightest ever to don a Kansas uniform.

Sheldon Battle finished his two-year career at Kansas with a total of six All-American honors – coming in both the shot put and the weight throw – and now bows out to female counterpart Stephanie Horton, a sophomore.

As a freshman, Horton finished seventh in the shot put at the Big 12 Conference Outdoor Championships and earned All-Big 12 honors in the process.

During the summer, Horton competed in the 2006 Finish Line USA Junior Outdoor Track and Field Championships and came home with a third-place finish in the shot – moving up from fourth with her third and final attempt at the event.

Horton won’t carry all the weight in the throwing events, as sophomore Egor Agafonov already garnered two All-American honors in his first year as a Jayhawk – earned in part by winning the Big 12 Conference and regional championships in the hammer throw.

But throwing isn’t the only area where track and field athletes are rising up the rankings.

Distance runner Paul Hefferon becam to make strides in the track and field season after completing the cross country season.

After earning all-conference honors for cross country, Hefferon received All-American honors after finishing 14th – but still one of the top eight Americans – in the 5,000-meter run in his first appearance at the NCAA Championships.

The 2005-2006 track and field season will be a difficult one to duplicate for the Jayhawks after having six athletes – Charisse Bacchus, Denita Young, Battle, Agafonov, Hefferon and Schwehr – being named All-Americans.

Kansas will be without all but Hefferon and Agafonov in the upcoming year.