Stately Shatters Husker Pole Vault Record

Lawrence, Kan.?Sophomore Brysun Stately turned in a phenomenal performance in the women’s pole vault Saturday, as she shattered the three-year-old Nebraska school record in the event during a hot and windy final day of the Kansas Relays. Stately was just one of several Huskers who earned meet titles Saturday at KU’s Memorial Stadium.<?xml:namespace prefix="o" ns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office"?>

Stately became the first Husker woman ever to surpass the 14-foot barrier in the pole vault when she cleared 14-3 ? on her first attempt to defeat an impressive field featuring Kansas’ Kate Sultanova, who won the Big 12 indoor title and placed third at the NCAA Indoor Championships last month.

Stately became the first NCAA athlete to clear 14 feet outdoors this season, and her current height is nearly a half foot better than all other national marks recorded prior to this weekend. She also tied the Kansas Relays record set in 2004 by Andrea Dutoit (unattached), as she notched NU’s second straight meet title (Jenna Blubaugh in 2006).

“Before the day I told coach (Kris Grimes) that if it gets 10 degrees warmer, I’m going to break 14 feet,” Stately said following her record-setting performance. “I’ve been training really hard the last few weeks and I knew I’m running really fast, so it was just a matter of me needing the weather to go with it.”

The performance by Stately erased the former NU record held by junior teammate Jenny Green, who vaulted 13-11 ? as a freshman at the 2004 Texas Relays to set what was then a Big 12 Conference record. Stately tied Green’s mark Saturday on the attempt prior to setting the record, as she reached 13-11 ? on her third try to keep herself in the competition. The Rancho Cordova, <?xml:namespace prefix="st1" ns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags"?>Calif., native’s previous career best was 13-7 ?, which she set in 2005 as a freshman at USC.

 “I didn’t really know the (last few) heights when I was jumping at them. After I cleared (13-11 ?), they told me what it was and I knew that it was the school record. I didn’t even care about hearing the next height, I just asked myself what I needed to do to get over that bar. I asked coach what to do, went down and got it.”

Also competing in the women’s pole vault for NU were Green, who cleared 12-5 ?, and freshman Lindsey Maher, who reached 11-5 3/4. Official placings for the women’s pole vault were delayed and not available by the conclusion of the day’s events.

Junior Dusty Jonas returned to the site where he set his career best of 7-5 ? a year ago in the high jump and defended his meet crown Saturday. Jonas reached 7-3 for the first time outdoors in 2007 after just staying alive in the event by clearing 7-1 ? on his final opportunity. While the day marked his second consecutive Kansas Relays title, more importantly it signified the first true spring conditions in which Jonas been able to compete outdoors this season.

“The weather was great, the atmosphere was great and it was good to be back here again,” Jonas said. “I can’t really look at (7-3) as too bad, because we hadn’t really had a good day to jump yet outdoors. This is a little change from what we have been competing in.”

While Jonas became only the second Big 12 athlete to break 7-3 so far this outdoor season, he also turned in a wind-aided personal-best leap of 23-11 ? to place fourth in the men’s long jump. Husker teammates Daniel Roper and Robert Rands shared 13th place with each reaching 22-2 ? during qualifying jumps.

Defending NCAA women’s discus champion continued her winning ways Saturday by taking the meet title by a foot and a half over Kansas’ Abby Emsick with a toss of 171-10. The performance marked Ruskule’s second consecutive victory after starting the season with a pair of fourth-place finishes. She also claimed victory during last weekend’s John Jacobs Invitational.

Senior teammate Jeni Steiner earned third place Saturday after recording a new personal best of 169-1, which moves her into sixth place on the Big 12’s season performance list, while junior Kacie Sharp was 16th.

Senior Kim Pancoast added an event title for the Husker women in the 800-meter run. Pancoast easily trumped the field after leading the race from start to finish to post a time of 2:11.12. She previously owned a top mark of 2:11.40, which she set last month at the Stanford Invitational.

Huskers swept the top two positions in the college section of the men’s 400-meter hurdles, as junior Andrew Pearson and freshman Tim Grier clocked respective times of 51.99 and 52.44. Pearson’s mark equaled the personal best he set last weekend while finishing second at the John Jacobs Invitational.

Sophomore Zarinah Suluki-Drakes completed a solid weekend that saw her register personal-best marks in both of her specialty events with a winning leap of 20-0 ? in the women’s long jump. While the leap had a wind reading of +4.2, unacceptable for regional qualification purposes, her second-best mark of 19-9 just did meet the regional standard. Suluki-Drakes earlier cleared the 42-foot barrier in the triple jump for the first time on Friday.

Both Ross brothers, senior Aaron and freshman Tyrell, clocked personal-best times in the 110-meter hurdles Saturday. Aaron Ross broke 14 seconds for the first time ever with a clocking of 13.99 that earned him sixth place in the men’s Invitational section, while Tyrell Ross hit the mark dead-on with a wind-aided time of 14.00 that won the men’s College section. The efforts rank second and third, respectively, in the Big 12 this season.

Nebraska’s seven event victories Saturday brought the squad’s total number of 2007 Kansas Relays titles to 11, following earlier individual wins by seniors Gable Baldwin in the men’s pole vault and Casie Witte in the women’s heptathlon and relay victories in the men’s 4x200 and men’s 4x110-meter shuttle hurdle relay.

The Husker men’s 4x400-meter relay of senior Nate Probasco, junior Andrew Pearson and freshmen Dax Danns and Lukas Hulett appeared as if it would conclude the day’s events with a victory, but a dropped hand-off between the third and fourth legs relegated the squad to a runner-up finish in 3:10.56.

Nebraska concludes the 2007 circuit of relay meets next week, when it sends athletes to compete in both the Drake Relays and Penn Relays. NU’s largest contingent of competitors will see action at Drake, while the weekend will end with the team hosting its first home outdoor meet of the season, the Nebraska Open, Sunday at Ed Weir Stadium.

Kansas Relays ? Results
Memorial Stadium
Lawrence, Kan.

Women’s 800-Meter Run ? College Final
1. Kim Pancoast, 2:11.12 PR

Women’s 400-Meter Hurdles ? Invitational
5. Sheryl Morgan, 59.33 RQ

Women’s 400-Meter Hurdles ? College Final
4. Justine Roach, 1:02.02

Women’s Pole Vault
1. Brysun Stately, 14-3 ?  RQ, PR, **School Record**
-- Jenny Green, 12-5 ? RQ
-- Lindsey Maher, 11-5 ?
(official placings not available by conclusion of meet)

Women’s Long Jump
1. Zarinah Suluki-Drakes, 20-0 ?w (+4.2w) RQ (19-9), PR
5. Ashley Selig, 19-4
6. Leandra McGruder, 19-2 1/2w (+4.5w)

Women’s Discus
1. Dace Ruskule, 171-10 RQ
3. Jeni Steiner, 169-1 RQ, PR
16. Kacie Sharp, 133-4

Men’s 100-Meter Dash ? Final
7. Dax Danns, 10.54w (+2.8)
8. Scott Wims, 10.93w (+2.8)

Men’s 800-Meter Run ? College Final
7. Erwin Schmidt, 1:52.71

Men’s 110-Meter Hurdles ? Invitational
6. Aaron Ross, 13.99 RQ, PR

Men’s 110-Meter Hurdles ? College Final
1. Tyrell Ross, 14.00w (+2.1) RQ, PR

Men’s 400-Meter Hurdles ? College Final
1. Andrew Pearson, 51.99 RQ, PR
2. Tim Grier, 52.44 RQ
5. Tyrell Ross, 53.34

Men’s 4x100m Relay ? Invitational
3. Nebraska (Dann, Hulett, Probasco, Wims), 40.34 RQ

Men's 4x400m Relay ? College Final
2. Nebraska (Probasco, Pearson, Danns, Hulett), 3:10.56

Men’s High Jump
1. Dusty Jonas, 7-3 RQ
T-14. Skyler Reising, 6-6 ?
18. Pat Burke, 6-6 ?
19. Lee Martin, 6-6 ?

Men’s Long Jump
4. Dusty Jonas, 23-11 ?w (+4.0) PR
T-13. Robert Rands, 22-2 ?w (No Wind Info)
T-13. Daniel Roper, 22-2 ?w (No Wind Info)

RQ- NCAA regional qualification

PR- Personal-best mark