Six Jayhawks earn Big 12 victories
KU track and field stars ran up six victories in this year's Big 12 Championship. Barrett Saunders, Zlata Tarasova, Egor Agafonov, Crystal Manning, Ashley Brown and Jordan Scott won individual awards, marking a new Big 12 Championship record for the Jayhawks. As a team, the men placed sixth with 73 points, while the women recorded their highest Big 12 finish ever, placing fifth with 78 points.
Saunders became the first Jayhawk to win the conference title in the men's long jump since 1983, when he leapt 25-08 (7.82m). Saunders entered the competition ranked first in the Big 12 Conference and second in the nation. He cleared the mark on his third jump of the competition.
Agafonov defended his title as the Big 12 hammer throw champion, with a season-best and Big 12 meet record 230-01 (70.14m). The throw set an Ed Weir Stadium record and is just the second mark in the nation to eclipse 70 meters. Agafonov is now a four-time Big 12 champion.
Tarasova picked up her first Big 12 Championship, winning the women's hammer throw with an impressive 206-06 (62.95m). She came from behind in the event and broke her own school record twice in the competition.
Manning shattered her school record in the triple jump with a Division I-leading 44-11.75 (13.71m). Manning also participated as a member of the women's 4x100-meter relay team and the 4x400-meter relay team.
Brown won the women's 100-meter hurdles, breaking her own school record with a winning time of 13.27 seconds. The victory was the first of Brown's career and she is the first KU woman to win the conference 100-meter hurdles crown since Gwen Poss did so in 1981.
Scott is now a two-time Big 12 champion, winning the pole vault with a Big 12 meet record-tying vault of 18-02.50 (5.55m). The mark represents both a "B" Olympic Trials qualifying mark and U.S. Championship qualifying mark for the Watkinsville, Ga., native. Scott cleared the bar on his first attempt and now has the No. 1 pole vault in NCAA Division I.
Next up for the Jayhawks is the Midwest Regional May 25-26 in Des Moines, Iowa. KU will enter the event with 35 regional qualifying marks.
