Jayhawks track shines at two weekend meets

Kansas University claimed two records – a school and meet mark – and earned nine NCAA qualifying results over the weekend.

In Norman, Okla., KU senior hurdler Ashley Brown tied her school record in the 100-meter hurdles, and junior Nickesha Anderson set a John Jacbos Invitational record with an NCAA-leading time in the 200-meter dash.

Brown sprinted to a second-place finish of 13.27 in the 100 hurdles to match her performance from last year’s Big 12 Championships.

In her outdoor debut as a Jayhawk, Anderson broke Aleen Bailey’s (Barton County) seven-year-old meet record in winning the 200 meters with a finish of 23.07. It is the best time in the country this year and the second-best time in school history behind Lori Green-Jones’ 23.0 finish at the Husker Invitational in 1981. In the same race, junior Victoria Howard also qualified for the NCAA Regionals with a third-place finish of 23.75.

In the long jump, Crystal Manning bested former KU great Charisse Bacchus to win the event. Her opening jump of 6.29 meters (20-feet, 7.72-inches) was just enough to top her former teammate’s second-place jump of 6.27 meters.

Senior Libby Harmon and freshman Julia Cummings each cleared 3.85 meters on their final pole vault attempts to finish in a tie for fourth and match the regional standard.

Senior Alicia McGregor won the 3,000, with freshman Kara Windisch placing second.

In the men’s 3,000, Patrick McGowan (8:56.22) was third, with Nick Caprario (8:56.75) placing fourth.

KU senior Julius Jiles was third in the 110-meter hurdles with a finish of 14:10.

At the University of Georgia, Kansas’ throwers found equal success. Senior Egor Agafonov won the hammer throw in his season debut, while junior Zlata Tarasova finished second in the women’s portion of the event.