.png&width=40&type=webp)
Kangaroos To Close Out Regular Season At Arkansas Twilight
5/3/2012 9:31:00 AM | Track and Field
Last Time Out
The UMKC track & field team scored three titles and 18 personal best at Track-It Buster Invitational by Holiday Inn on April 27-28, as the women finished fifth with 47 points and the men placed sixth with 20 points.
Senior Denise Banda claimed the 'Roos first title with a personal best throw of 52.18m in the Hammer Throw, the third best mark in UMKC history, while junior Susan Bruegemann finished right behind in second place with a personal best of 45.99m . Kimoya Harriott, meanwhile, garnered the second UMKC title of the event and her fourth title of the season, with a throw of 46.32m in the Javelin, the second furthest throw in school history. The Kangaroos' final title came on the men's side when sophomore Kris Leverette's personal best throw of 52.68m was good for first in the event, while junior Ramon Nelson finished third with a mark of 50.58m.
Top-30 Rankings
The Kangaroos feature a pair of athletes ranked in the top-30 in the NCAA. Junior Cosmas Ayabei comes in 27th in the 10,000 meter, while senior Kimoya Harriott is ranked 28th in the Javelin.
Harriott And Frerichs Multiple Champs
Four times this season Kimoya Harriott has finished first in the javelin. At the Tulsa Duels, the senior won with a throw of 48.43m, while capturing the title at the Wendy's/PSU Open with a mark of 42.38, at the Mule Relays with a throw of 45.38 and at the Track-It Buster Invitational with a throw of 46.32m. At the MU Relays, meanwhile, Harriott placed second. Freshman Courtney Frerichs, meanwhile, has captured the 3,000 meter Steeplechase at the MU Relays and the 3,000 meter at the State Farm/ESU Relays.
Records Fall
After 10 meets in the outdoor season, the 'Roos have broken five school records. On the men's side, junior Max Carroll broke is old mark with a throw of 58.23m in the Javelin, while Cosmas Ayabei broke his time of 29:13.50 in the 10,000 meter run. On the women's side, senior Kimoya Harriott broke her record in the javelin with a toss of 48.43., while freshman Courtney Frerichs broke the 3,000 meter steeplechase mark with a time of 29:13.50 and Sarah Meiners broke the mark in the 10,000 meter run with a time of 35:52.69.
Frerichs Named Summit League Female Track Athlete of the Week
Nixa, Mo., native Courtney Frerichs captured her first career Outdoor Track and Field Athlete of the Week award on Mar. 27 after recording a first-place finish and setting a school record in the 3,000-meter steeplechase at the Missouri Relays. Her time of 10:42.23 was 52.41 faster than the previous record, is tops in the league and ranks 10th in the nation. Frerichs' honor marks the first for a UMKC female outdoor track and field athlete since 2005.
Reigning Champions
Both the men's and the women's squad return an individual champion from a season ago, as Cosmas Ayabei will look to defend his title in the 10,000 meter, while Kimoya Harriott will try to do the same in the Javelin.
Summit League Preseason Poll
The UMKC women's track & field team was selected to finish fifth and the men's team sixth in The Summit League Preseason Poll in a vote by the league's head coaches, it was announced on Mar. 13. The 'Roos, who finished fifth on the men's side and sixth on the women's side in last season's championship, received 28 and 47 points respectively in the polls.
Indoor Season
The UMKC track and field team completed the 2012 Summit League Indoor Championships as the men placed sixth (75 points) and the women finished fifth (63 points).
On the men's side, UMKC brought home the silver and bronze medals in the weight throw with Ramon Nelson placing second (58-00.25 - 17.68m) and Kris Leverette (57-04.25 - 17.48m) finishing third. Charles Hinton won the silver medal in the 60-meter dash (7.08) and Kristen Hepburn won the bronze medal in the 60-meter hurdles (8.34). In the 200-meter dash, Josh Butler won the bronze medal (22.44), while D.C. Okonta placed second in the triple jump with a mark of 47-03.50 (14.41m). In the 5,000 meters, Cosmas Ayabei placed third with a time of 14:39.77 to take home the bronze medal as Group A (Chandler Hannah, Butler, Jonathan Barnett, Redell Frazier) also placed third in the 4x400-meter relay.
On the women's side, Jylian Jaloma finished third with a school-best 10:01.81 in the 3,000 meters, while Stephany Johnson finished second in triple jump with a mark of 40-06.75 (12.36m) despite suffering a leg injury.
Last Season
The Kangaroos earned one silver medal, two bronze medals and had 18 student-athletes score points in The Summit League Championships.
The men's team took fifth overall with 74 points and the women's team finished sixth with 52 points.
Cosmas Ayabei earned two medals at the 2011 Outdoor Championships, earning silver in the 5,000 meters with a time of 14:59.34 and gold in the 10,000 meters.
Oscar Emegano also earned two medals at the championships, jumping his way to a bronze medal in the men's triple jump and the silver medal in the men's long jump the day before.
Kimoya Harriott, meanwhile, took first in the women's javelin with a season-high mark of 144-01 (43.92m).
Incoming 'Roos
Currently, the 'Roos have signed four members to the 2012 recruiting class including Brady Adams (Nixa, Mo./Nixa HS - Sprints), Kelsey Benoit (Centralia, Mo./Centralia HS - Throws), Blake Hocking (Lawrence, Kan./Lawrence Free State HS - Throws) and Kolton Sheldon (Lee's Summit, Mo./Lee's Summit North - Distance).
Kangaroos In The Classroom
Last season, 35 Kangaroo track & field student-athletes were named to The Summit League Winter/Spring Academic all-League Team for posting a GPA above 3.0 in the semester in which they competed, while 12 were named Distinguished Scholars for achieving greater than a 3.60 GPA.
Additionally, 16 were named to the Commissioner's List of Academic Excellence for carry a cumulative GPA of 3.00 or better.
Head Coach McField
Shameika McField was named the head coach for the UMKC track and field/cross country programs on March 4, 2008. Before her appointment, McField served as the interim head coach for the Kangaroos from January to March 2008. McField joined the athletics department in September 2007 as an academic advisor.
In 2010, McField coached Anthony Boyer to the gold medal in the 110-meter hurdles. Boyer was also recognized as The Summit League Championship Track MVP, the February Athlete of the Month and the Co-Track Athlete of the Year. In 2011, Cosmas Ayabei finished 56th in the Cross Country NCAA Championships.
Next Up for the Kangaroos...
The 'Roos will continue their outdoor season on May 10-12 when they head to the Fargo, N.D. for the Summit League Championships.
Players Mentioned
