Kansas Relays (KS)
Defending Kansas Relays 1,600m champion Stephanie Jenks (Linn-Mar, IA) looks to punch her third consecutive ticket to the adidas Dream Mile, but she will have to get by U.S. No. 3 ranked 1,600m runner Hannah Long (Eureka, MO), who has raced 4:45.67 this year.
The Kansas Relays will stream LIVE on MileSplit all weekend, starting at 5 pm on Thurs., 4/16!
This meet is an auto qualifier for the adidas Dream Mile and Dream 100!
- Girls Mile - Defending champion Stephanie Jenks (Linn-Mar, IA) is back and looking to score her third consecutive invitation to the adidas Dream Mile. Jenks was a two-time All-American at NBN Indoors 2015 in the Mile and 5k and has charged straight into the outdoor season with seasonal bests of 4:35.77 for 1,500m (equivalent to about a 4:54 Mile), 9:51.23 for 3k and 2:14.38 for 800m. Jenks, last year's Dream Mile runner-up, will face her biggest challenge from Hannah Long (Eureka, MO), who is very sharp early on in the season. Long ranks US #3 for 1,600m at 4:45.67 and US #12 for 3,200m at 10:24.15, both of which were solo efforts. Jenks' PR for the Mile is slightly faster at 4:42.68, but Long is running very fast right now.
- Boys Mile - Ben Barrett (Norman North, OK) is fresh off a state record run in the 3,200m, as he became the first Oklahoma prep to break 9 minutes for the distance with his 14th place, 8:57.97 run at the Arcadia Invitational to rank US #15. He owns a PR of 4:12.89 in the Mile and will be challenged to dip under the 4:10 mark by Thomas Pollard (Gibert, IA), who owns a PR of 4:08.28 from last outdoor season. Both athletes have raced somewhat sparingly since Foot Locker Nationals in the fall, where Pollard placed 12th and Barrett was 31st.
- Boys Discus - A loaded field includes US #2 ranked Carlos Davis (Blue Springs, MO), who has thrown for an astounding 193-7 this year - as well as his brother, Khalil, a standout himself with a 177-3 seasonal best. US #4 Willie Morrison (Leavenworth, KS), the NBN Indoors Champion in the Shot Put, has thrown for 190-7 this year. Not to be overlooked is Jeff Ast (Andale, KS), who owns the nation's best mark in the javelin this year at 226-2, which stands as more than 16 feet ahead of the US #2 and ranks fourth-best in Kansas prep state history.
- Boys Shot Put - Many of the same faces return from the discus for the shot put, headlined by New Balance Nationals Indoor Champion Willie Morrison (Leavenworth, KS). He owns the US #2 on the outdoor national leaderboard at 68-9. Carlos Davis (Blue Springs, MO) owns a PR of 57-4.
More on Kansas Relays:
New York Relays (NY) | Mt. SAC Relays (CA) | Kansas Relays (KS)