Much like it did two weeks before the Big 12 Indoor Championships, Kansas will send its athletes to several meets across the country in hopes of getting more Jayhawks to qualify for the NCAA Indoor Championships.

The tactic is common for collegiate teams around championship time, and it paid off for coach Stanley Redwine earlier in the season.

Redwine sent junior distance runners Colby Wissel and Paul Hefferon out to Seattle for the Husky Classic on Feb. 10, and the duo returned with provisional times in the 5,000 meters. This time they will travel to the Alex Wilson Invitational in South Bend, Ind., to compete in the 3,000 meters.

Wissel looks to improve his provisional time of 8:03.33 that he ran at the Husker Invitational, while Hefferon will attempt to meet provisional requirements.

One week after finishing second and third, respectively, in the 60-meter hurdles at the Big 12 Indoor Championships, junior Julius Jiles and sophomore Ashley Brown will return to Ames, Iowa, to try to improve their times.

Jiles finished in 7.85 seconds in his preliminary last week and Brown also churned out her season-best time of 8.38 seconds. A group of 800-meter runners will join the sprinters in hopes of posting NCAA-qualifying times. The group includes freshman Jack Sachse, sophomore Charity Stowers and senior Janiece Gatson.

Also, several KU pole vaulters will travel to Fayetteville, Ark., to get a feel for the NCAA Championship runway. Freshman Jordan Scott, the Big 12 pole vault champion, highlights a group of six jumpers making the trip.

Freshman Kirk Cooper and sophomore Ryan Hays will join Scott. Freshman Britany Parker leads the female attack, which includes senior Laura Gjerde and junior Libby Harmon.

Usually, the top 15 to 18 competitors in the nation make it to the NCAA Championships. Currently, Scott is ranked No. 14 and Parker is No. 19.

Kansan sportswriter Taylor Bern can be contacted at tbern@kansan.com.

— Edited by Kelly Lanigan