April 19, 2012

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Kansas Relays Thurs. April 19, 2012 - Recap -

Tessa Turcotte brought home gold for the Jayhawks in the 3000-meters. The junior finished with a time of 10:08.45.  Kansas Agate | Live Results  Results at a Glance   Women's Heptathlon       April 18-19 100 Meter Hurdles Wed. April 18 1 Lindsay Vollmer 14.06w (970-pts) 8 Amanda Caines 16.68w (633-pts) High Jump                            Wed. April 18 3 Lindsay Vollmer 1.69m (842-pts) 4 Amanda Caines 1.63m (771-pts) Shot Put                               Wed. April 18 4 Lindsay Vollmer 11.53m (630-pts) 8 Amanda Caines 8.69m (444-pts) 200 Meter Dash                 Wed. April 18 3 Lindsay Vollmer 25.27w (862-pts) 8 Amanda Caines 27.33w (685-pts) Long Jump                           Thurs. April 19 2 Lindsay Vollmer 5.49w (697-pts) 5 Amanda Caines 5.22w (620-pts) Javelin                                  Thurs. April 19 1 Lindsay Vollmer 42.02 (706-pts) 8 Amanda Caines 20.24 (293-pts) 800 Meters                          Thurs. April 19 7 Amanda Caines 2:36.22 (617) - Lindsay Vollmer DNF Final Hep. Standings  April 18-19 7 Amanda Caines             (4,063) - Lindsay Vollmer DNF Women's Hammer Throw 1 Alena Krechyk 66.05m (216-08 ft.)*# Women's 800 Meters (Unseeded) 43 Anna Barber 2:23.50 Men's 800 Meters (Unseeded) 15 Sean Proehl 1:55.66 17 Nick Seckfort                1:55.73 23 Sam Jones 1:56.77 38 Dominque Manley         1:58.02 71 Kellum Schneider 2:01.21 Women's 1500 Meters (Unseeded)            5 Ragan Allen 4:44.49 11 Sara Seiwald 4:49.00 Women's 3000 Meters             1 Tessa Turcotte 10:08.45 Women's 5000 Meters 7 Liza Tauscher 17:48.24 16 Kyra Kilwein 18:21.31 Men's 5000 Meters 3 Josh Baden 14:50.89 4 Evan Landes 14:51.32 31 Alex Galli 16:32.32  - James Wilson DNF  - Zach Zarda DNF Men's 10,000 Meters 20 Colin Jokisch 32:17.62  *=New Kansas Relays record  #= New Kansas school record

LAWRENCE, Kan. - A record-breaking performance by senior Alena Krechyk headlined the second day of competition for the Jayhawks during the 85^th annual Kansas Relays. She and teammate Tessa Turcotte captured first-place finishes in the hammer throw and 3000-meters, respectively. 

Krechyk set a new Kansas Relays record, not once or twice, but a total of four times during her six throws. The Grodno, Belarus native also broke her own KU school record in the event and had the best toss in the Big 12 Conference this year with her fifth throw. That attempt was the fourth-best throw in the nation thus far during the 2012 outdoor season.

Krechyk eclipsed the previous Relays record of 61.92m (203-2 ft.), set by KU's Zlata Tarasova in 2007, with her first toss which landed 63.55 meters (208-05) from the circle. Her second and fourth throws were equally as impressive (64.16m) on the second toss and (65.10m) after the fourth. Her fifth attempt would be the eventual record as she set a new standard for Relays competitors, heaving the hammer 66.05m (216-07), for a first-place finish.     

Junior Tessa Turcotte carried that momentum into the night's distance carnival as she ran away with a first-place finish in the women's 3000 meters. Her 10:08.45 time was a season best performance and gave KU its second champion on the day.

Wednesday's competition began shortly after 9 a.m. with the final three events of the heptathlon. Kansas freshman Lindsay Vollmer followed up her solid first day with a second-place finish in the long jump, with a wind-aided distance of 5.49 meters (18-00.25 ft.), which netted her 697 points. Sophomore Amanda Caines placed fifth in the event with her wind-aided 5.22 meter (17-01.50 ft) jump, that gave her 620 points.

Vollmer then went onto claim first in the javelin portion with her 42.02m (137-10 ft.) throw, which netted her 706 points. Caines threw 20.24 meters (66-05 ft.) and scored 293 points in the heptathlon's second to last event.

An injury heading into the 800 meters unfortunately forced Vollmer to scratch from the event, while Caines placed seventh with a time of 2:36.22, which added 617 points to her total. Caines finished her first ever heptathlon in seventh place with 4,063 total points, while Vollmer accumulated a total of 4,707 points competing in six of second heptathlon events, but did not officially place.

The Jayhawks continued to impress during the night's distance carnival as Josh Baden and Evan Landes finished back-to-back, coming in third and fourth place, respectively. Baden battled Pittsburg State's Adam Volkert in heat two for the early part of race, but the KU junior lost his shoe midway through, allowing the Gorilla runner to surge ahead. Baden finished the 5K in 14:50.89, while Landes completed the event with a time of 14:51.32.    

In other distance events, freshman Liza Tauscher finished seventh in her first ever 5000-meter collegiate race with her time of 17:48.24. Junior Kyra Kilwein placed 16^th with at time of 18:21.31.

Leading the way for the Jayhawks in the unseeded events was freshman Ragan Allen, with her fifth-place performance in the 1500 meters (4:44.49). The men were headlined by Sean Proehl, who finished the 1500 meters in 1:55.66.

DAY TWO NOTES    
-Sophomore Amanda Caines finished her first-ever heptathlon in seventh place with 4,063 points... She experienced collegiate best performances in a total of two events during the two-day long competition.

-Senior thrower Alena Krechyk set a new Kansas Relays record three times with separate tosses in the hammer throw... She finished first in the event with a personal best and new Relays record of 66.05m.
-Redshirt freshman Kellum Schneider experienced a season best performance in the 800 meters with his 2:01.24 time...  He bested his previous fastest time in the event by more than three seconds.

-Freshman Evan Landes shaved more than seven seconds off his season-best time in the 5,000 meters with his 14:51.32, third-place performance.

DAY TWO QUOTES
Senior thrower Alena Krechyk
On setting a new Kansas Relays record and finishing first in the hammer throw:
"I am very happy because I did not have good throws earlier in the season. Today I made four throws and improved in almost every one."

Kansas junior distance runner Tessa Turcotte
On her start and pacing of the run in the 3,000 meters:
"I think in the start we went out on a good pace on 78 (seconds) and we were trying to hold 78 to 80 (seconds per lap) the whole way. I think through the end we kind of lost it a little bit, which wasn't good."

On keeping her focus while leading the majority of the race:
I knew there was someone back there and I could like feel here there and hear people cheering for her. And it is hard to have the front by yourself the whole time so in parts I kind of wish we would have switched back and forth but I guess in the end I got the win."

On her thoughts as she neared the finish line:
"I was just trying to finish and compete and trying to hit a faster time, so I am a little disappointed that I didn't hit that. But I was just trying to compete as much as I can and push myself."

On posting a time of 10:08.45 to claim first place:
"I was hoping to get a 9:50 or around that area or 9:55. But it was a little windy out there today so it wasn't perfect conditions."

KU junior distance runner Josh Baden
On finishing the race without his left shoe:
"About 100 or 150 meters in someone caught the back of my shoe and I was trying to get it to stay on but after it fell off I just had to make the best of it after that. It ended up falling off and I ran about 12 laps with only one shoe but I feel like I made the most of it. It was kind of a weird experience for me; I have ever had to run without a shoe before."

On staying up near the leaders:
"Zach Zarda and James Wilson set us up for a really good pace but after they came off after the 3K I just wasn't feeling as well. I was hoping for a better time but I think I made the most of it."