Tuesday, March 4, 2008
Sophomore pole-vaulter Jordan Scott and senior weight thrower Egor Agafonov managed to accomplish the unheard of with a third consecutive victory last weekend at the Big 12 Conference Championships in Lincoln, Neb.
“It feels like it did the last two times,” Scott said of his third title with a laugh. “It feels great, the feeling of helping the team out so much weighs more than the individual accomplishment.”
Sophomore high jumper Kelsey Erb clears the bar during a jump attempt at the Kansas Invitational Jan. 19, 2008.
In addition to Scott and Agafonov’s domination, three other Jayhawks brought home Big 12 titles. Senior pole-vaulter Kate Sultanova won her second indoor title in a row, while senior long jumper Crystal Manning won her second Big 12 title and junior sprinter Nickesha Anderson claimed her first title in the 60-meter dash.
Overall, the men finished in 10th while the women finished in third. The women’s third place finish is the best in school history and was only two points behind second place Nebraska.
“They competed well and were on a mission,” coach Stanley Redwine said of the women. “Some didn’t do as well as expected, but then some did better then expected. They really stepped it up and that is a total team effort.”
The Jayhawks’ pole-vault performances marked the second year in a row they have swept both events.
Defending champions Sultanova and Scott faced added pressure defending their titles.
“I like competing under pressure,” Scott said. “It gets my adrenaline going more. It’s a lot more fun.”
Scott said the crowd and other pole-vaulters aided his performance.
“The crowd was really into it, which was awesome,” he said. “They helped me out, clapping me down the runway. I also knew everyone who I was jumping with. We’re all friends, so it was a good atmosphere.”
While Scott felt good about his performance, Sultanova wasn’t entirely satisfied. Fatigue and a lack of energy hurt her performance.
“It wasn’t a good day for me, but it’s good to win,” she said. “I was out of energy and I jumped on the third attempt so I was a little bit nervous about it.”
Though Manning captured a Big 12 title, she was still dissatisfied with her long jump performance.
“I didn’t jump as far as I wanted to,” she said. “I wasn’t really satisfied. I wasn’t very happy.”
Despite Manning’s disappointment, the indoor and outdoor Big 12 Champion still accomplished her primary goal for the meet.
“I just wanted to give my team 20 points,” she said. “That was the promise I made and my goal for myself.”
Anderson was more satisfied with her performance. She ran a career best 7.22 seconds in the 60-meter dash and in the process became the first woman in school history to win a Big 12 title in the event.
“I had a good start, and I knew I could win it,” she said.
In the men’s weight throw, pressure didn’t faze Agafonov. He dominated the men’s weight throw with a 22.67-meter toss and then collected his third consecutive Big 12 title.
“I just try to concentrate on the particular competition at hand,” he said. “What happened in the past doesn’t matter.”
This weekend, many Jayhawks will travel to Ames, Iowa for the Iowa State Invitational. The Invitational will give athletes who haven’t qualified for the National Indoor Championships one last chance to get to Fayetteville, Ark. on March 14-15.
—Edited by Nick Mangiaracina
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