Andrea Geubelle

The top-ranked Kansas University women’s track and field team is in first place after the first day of the NCAA Outdoor Championship, Wednesday at Hayward Field.

The KU women scored 17 points in four events. The 2013 Indoor champion Andrea Geubelle led the way with a runner-up finish in the long jump. Geubelle fouled on her final two attempts and finished with a mark of 6.50 meters (21 feet, 3?4 inches). TCU’s Lorraine Ugen took the title with 6.77 (22-21?2).

Geubelle’s finish was the highest by a KU long jumper at a NCAA meet since 1982 and tacked on eight points to her team’s total.

Geubelle’s finish also garnered her first-team All-America honors in the event for the third time in her career, the most by a Kansas woman in the outdoor long jump. The senior will return to the Hayward Field runway Friday as she looks to add a national title to her résumé in the triple jump. The event is set to begin at 5:25 CDT.

Other Jayhawks to score points Wednesday were Alena Krechyk (third place, hammer throw) and Heather Bergmann (sixth, javelin).

Kansas men’s standout Michael Stigler won his 400 hurdle heat to qualify for the finals, while teammate Kyle Clemons did not advance in the 400. The Kansas women’s relay team of Paris Daniels, Tianna Valentine, Denesha Morris and Diamond Dixon advanced to the finals of the 4×100, but Dixon fell short in the 400 semifinals.

Elsewhere inside Hayward Field Wednesday, a trio of Jayhawks saw action in their first NCAA Championship meet. In the men’s pole vault, junior Alex Bishop and sophomore Casey Bowen cleared a top bar of 5.25 meters (17-8 1/2). Bishop managed to finish in a tie for 15th, while Bowen posted a 25th-place finish. Freshman Sydney Conley finished 17th in the long jump with a best mark of 6.02 meters (19-9).

The meet continues today.