Day Three of Kansas Relays Sees High Level Pole Vault Performances

April 19, 2013

| Day 3 Results: Track/Field | Saturday Heats: Track/Field | Day 3 Quotes

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041913aag_369_8854280.jpegLAWRENCE, Kan. – A busy day of collegiate and high school preliminary action on the track was overshadowed by a pair of impressive outings on the pole vault runways as the 86th Kansas Relays saw its third day of action Friday.

Oral Roberts’ All-American pole vaulter Jack Whitt was able to claim an easy victory in the event against a tough field of collegians. It took the senior out of Norman, Okla., only two clearances to wrap up his first-career win at the KU Relays. Whitt got over a top bar of 5.32 meters (17’5.5″), out dueling Kansas junior Alex Bishop, who went on to take the runner-up finish. Whitt’s victory makes him the first Oral Roberts vaulter in the 90-year history of the Kansas Relays pole vault to win the historic event.

A KU Relays record fell early in the day as Mill Valley high school’s Emily Brigham soared to victory. The senior fouled only once through three clearances and claimed her second-consecutive Relays win. Brigham came within half an inch of the meet record last season, but was able to complete the task this year when she got over the 3.80 meter (12’5.5″) bar on her second attempt. The win makes Brigham the first girl since the high school event began at the KU Relays in 2000 to be a two-time pole vault champion.

Another female was able to earn a second-straight Relays title as Kansas senior Heather Bergmann repeated as collegiate javelin champion. The two-time All-American never trailed in the competition and hit a top throw of 49.86 meters (163’7″) on her third attempt. No competitor was able to come within eight feet of Bergmann’s top throw, giving her a fitting finish to her final home meet of her Kansas career.

Elsewhere on the McCook Throws Field, Geneva McCall claimed the shot put title after earning a runner-up finish in the hammer throw a day earlier. Like Bergmann, McCall never trailed in the event and put an exclamation point on her performance as she saved her best throw for last, a heave of 16.89 meters (55’5″) on her final attempt of the afternoon. McCall’s winning throw was the fourth-farthest in Kansas Relays history.

Memorial Stadium welcomed the reigning American Champion in the triple jump, Amanda Smock, Friday. Smock, who represented the U.S. at the London Olympics last summer after winning the event at the Olympic Trials, needed only three fair jumps on the day to earn her first KU Relays title. No other jumper came close to Smock as her best leap of 13.32 meters (43’8.5″) was over 2.5 feet better than the runner-up finisher.

The collegiate distance medley relay was again one of the top events of the day. In the women’s race, Michigan dethroned the three-time reigning champion Kansas team. Both squads entered the final leg nearly neck-and-neck, however a strong mile leg by Michigan’s Rebecca Addison gave the Wolverines the win with a time of 11:36.23, while Kansas clocked in at 11:59.52.

The men’s race was nearly identical to the women’s, however it was KU that saw a strong final leg to earn the win. The Jayhawks entered the final leg nearly level with Iowa Central CC, but KU junior Josh Munsch ran away from his Triton counterpart in the final 200 meters to give his team its third-straight KU Relays distance medley victory. Kansas took the win in 10:12.96, while Iowa Central Community College took the runner-up finish in 10:16.33.

The 86th Kansas Relays is now down to its final day with track & field action concluding Saturday, April 20th. The elite athletes will highlight the day as some of the world’s best sprinters, hurdlers and pole vaulters will hit Jim Hershberger Track in attempts to start their year off right. The day will begin at 8 a.m. with the high school and collegiate sprint medley relays with the elite athlete races beginning mid-afternoon. Follow all the day’s action through the meet central page at kansasrelays.com and watch a live broadcast via Jayhawk All-Access beginning at 9:30 a.m.

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