Track & Field prepare for championships

Friday, February 27, 2009

Freshman sprinter Keith Hayes knows the importance of swagger at a track meet.

“That’s one of the key elements in track; to be successful is to know that you’re going to be successful and to carry yourself like that,” Hayes said.

The Kansas track and field team will need to carry that swagger into College Station, Texas, as it competes at the Big 12 Indoor Championships.

Freshman Keith Hayes clears a series of hurdles during the Jayhawks’ Jan. 16 meet against Missouri in Lawrence. The Big 12 Indoor Championships begin today in College Station, Texas.

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This weekend’s meet will take place at Texas A&M’s Gilliam Indoor Track stadium, and the team is ready to take on all of its conference rivals.

“Everyone’s in really good shape and for those that are going, we’re looking forward to them competing and having the opportunity to compete against some very good competition,” coach Stanley Redwine said.

It’s been two weeks since the team competed in Arkansas and Iowa at the Tyson Invitational and Iowa State Classic. But the Jayhawks are ready to perform at their best to place strong in the Big 12 standings.

“It’s very important to show that we’re improving every year,” sophomore sprinter Kendra Bradley said.

Bradley, seniors Charity Stowers and Sha’Ray Butler and freshman Shayla Wilson, will be competing in the 400-meter dash and the 4x400-meter relay.

Bradley said the competing teams train differently than the Jayhawks.

“They train to run fast early in the season. We train to run fast when it matters,” Bradley said. “I’m not really worried about what they’ve done in the past, all that matters is what happens that day.”

Last year the women placed third behind Texas A&M and Nebraska respectively, while the men placed ninth. Senior sprinter Victoria Howard said there’s no reason the women can’t build on that impressive finish.

“This year, we’re all going to have to step up on the women’s side and get as many points as possible,” Howard said. “It’s going to be tough but that’s what the Big 12 is.”

Howard will be competing in the 60- and 200-meter dashes. Last year Howard placed eighth in the 200.

On the men’s side, Hayes said Kansas shows a different side of itself at every meet.

“It’s going to be a whole other Kansas team than we showed at the Kansas-Missouri duel, than we showed at the Tyson Invitational,” said Hayes, who will compete in the 60-meter hurdles. “We’re coming to compete, we’re coming to win.”

In the distance events, sophomore Amanda Miller will be competing in both the 3,000 and 5,000 runs. Miller said her focus was on the 5,000 because she felt confident in scoring points for the team. Running both of those events for the men is senior Colby Wissel. Wissel provisionally qualified for indoor nationals in the 5,000 in Washington at the Husky Invitational on Feb. 14.

In the field events, all eyes will be on junior Jordan Scott as he goes for his third straight Big 12 title in the pole vault. Scott said he’s trying not to put too much pressure on himself, but he won’t be happy unless he wins.

Redwine just wants the team to compete to the best of its abilities.

“I’ll be just as excited if everyone reaches their potential versus some people not doing what’s expected of them,” Redwine said. “We want everyone to go out and do what’s expected of them and it’s an opportunity for the team to step up and get the job done.”

— —Edited by Sam Speer

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