Three Jayhawks set for World Championships in London

LAWRENCE, Kan. – Three former student-athletes for Kansas track & field are set to compete at the 2017 IAAF World Championships at The Stadium within Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in London, England, Aug. 4-13.
 
Michael Stigler and Mason Finley will be wearing the Red, White and Blue in London, representing team USA, while Mitch Cooper, who is coming off a successful senior campaign with the Jayhawks, will be representing Australia.
 
Stigler will compete in the 400-meter hurdles at the World Championships. In 2015, Stigler’s senior year at Kansas, the Canyon, Texas native won the 400 hurdles title at the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships with a time of 48.84 seconds. Stigler qualified for the World Championships by posting a second-place finish with a time of 48.26 at the USATF Championships in Sacramento, California, June 22-25.
 
Heats for the 400 hurdles are slated to being at 5:05 a.m. CDT on Sunday, Aug. 6, with semifinals the following day at 2:20 p.m. CDT. Finals for the event are scheduled for Wednesday, Aug. 9 at 3:30 p.m. CDT.
 
While Finley and Cooper share a bond of once donning the Crimson and Blue, the two will be competing against each other in the discus throw at the World Championships.
 
Finley competed for Kansas from 2010-12, and in his final year with KU placed second in the discus at the NCAA Outdoor Championships with a throw of 61.02 meters (200-2). Finley won the discus at the USATF Championships with a throw of 63.03 meters (206-9) to qualify for the World Championships.
 
Cooper was a late addition to the Australian national team, finding out on Tuesday, July 25 that he would be making the trip to England to represent his home country at the World Championships.
 
Fresh off his senior year with the Jayhawks where put up a sixth-place performance at the NCAA Outdoor Championships to earn All-America First Team honors, Cooper qualified for his national team with his Big 12-winning throw at Rock Chalk Park of 63.98 meters (209-11).
 
The discus will start with two groups on the World Championships’ first day. Group A is scheduled to start on Friday, August 4 at 1:20 p.m. CDT, with Group B slated to begin at 2:45 p.m. CDT. Finals for the event will be held on Saturday, August 5 at 1:25 p.m. CDT.
 
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