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?Roos Head To Wichita For K.T. Woodman Classic
4/11/2013 9:22:00 AM | Track and Field
Last Time Out
Jylian Jaloma, Kelsey Benoit, Kimoya Hariott and Taylor Wardall each brought home an individual title at the Zola Witten Track/Fran Welch Stadium to lead the Kangaroos at the ESU Relays in Emporia, Kan.
Jaloma earned her title in the 3,000 meter run , crossing the line with a time of 10:33.93 to edge teammate Siara Stahl who finished second with a time of 10:36.69.
Benoit and Hariott each won a throwing event, as Benoit finished first in the discus with a personal best throw of 39.58 meters, while Hariott won the javelin with a season best throw of 46.84, keeping her in the top-25 of the NCAA. Dahlia Dyson, meanwhile, finished fourth in the discus with a throw of 45.26 meters, the third furthest toss in school history.
Shanelle Williams continued her strong season, finishing second in the 100 meter hurdles with a time of 13.98, a new personal best and just .03 off the school record, while Patricia Miller came in third in the triple jump with a mark of 11.81 meters, the fifth best jump in school history.
On the men's side, Wardall won the 3,000 meter run with a time of 8:36.97, the fourth fastest time in school history, while teammates Daniel Mann and Kolton Sheldon finished right behind in second and third, respectively. Blake Hocking, meanwhile, finished third in the shot put with a mark of 16.20 meters, the second best throw in Kansas City history.
2012 K.T. Woodman Classic
The UMKC track & field team wrapped up a successful trip to the K.T. Woodman Classic on Saturday, as four Kangaroos recorded top-five marks in school history and nine personal bests.
Sophomores Shanelle Williams and Jazmine Cooper led the way for the 'Roos, as Williams placed eighth with a personal best mark of 14.48 in the 110m hurdles, the third best time in UMKC history and Cooper placed sixth in the triple jump with a personal best mark of 11.87 meters, the third best jump in school history.
In the throwing events, junior Susan Brueggemann came in fourth in the shot put with a throw of 12.84 meters, the fourth best mark in school history, while senior Denise Banda placed eighth in the hammer throw with a mark of 49.35 meters, the fifth best throw in school history.
On the men's side junior Ramon Nelson and sophomore Kris Leverette each placed in the top-10 in the hammer throw, with Nelson placing seventh (50.00 meters) and Leverette 10th (47.64 meters).
Okonta Named Athlete of the Week
Kansas City senior D.C. Okonta earns his first career Outdoor Track and Field Athlete of the Week honor after winning the triple jump at the Tulsa Duels. The senior posted a league-best jump of 50'0” (15.24m), which ranks 12th in the NCAA. His jump would tie last year's league-best mark. The Liberty, Mo., native also recorded a sixth-place finish in the long jump (22'4.5”/6.82m), which is third in the league.
NCAA Top 100's
On the men's side, two individuals, including D.C. Okonta (41st - TJ and 682nd - LJ) and Richard McCoy (67th - LJ) are both top 100 in the NCAA, while on the women's side, Courtney Frerichs (5th - 3,000M SC, Michelle Momo (54th - LJ) and Kimoya Hariott (28th - Javelin) are all in the top-100.
2013 Summit League Preseason Poll
The Summit League announced its 2013 Outdoor Track & Field Preseason Poll with the Kansas City men tabbed to finish third (35 points), while the women were selected to finish fifth (39 points). North Dakota State was selected as the favorite in each poll.
2013 UMKC Top-Fives
This season, several Kanagroos have put their names in the top-five in school history. On the women's side, Courtney Frerichs broke her own school record in the 3,000 meter Steeplechase (10:08.27), while Shanelle Williams improved up her time in the 100 meter Hurdles (13.98) to maintain her second place standing. Dahlia Dyson, meanwhile, has recorded the third best mark in both the Discus (148-06) and Shot Put (42-4.25) and the fourth best mark in the Hammer Throw (169-0), while Kelsey Benoit has the second best mark in the Shot Put (43-7.25).
On the men's side, Blake Hocking scored the third best throw in the Shot Put (53-01.75), while Taylor Wardall notched the fourth best time in the 3,000 meter Run (8:36.97).
Frerichs Goes International
Kansas City sophomore Courtney Frerichs finished 16th in the 3,000 Meter Steeplechase representing Team USA at the 14th IAAF World Junior Championships in Barcelona, Spain, at the Olympic Stadium Lluís Companys de Montjuïc.
Frerichs, who ran in the second of two heats, finished with a time of 10:35.24, just one hundredth of a second off her personal best, to place eighth in her heat, less than seven seconds behind the final qualifying time.
Indoor Season
The Kansas City track and field program wrapped up its successful performance in The Summit League Championships as the men placed third with 118 points, while the women took fourth with 86 points, the highest point totals for each team since 2001.
On the women's side, sophomore Courtney Frerichs took home her second gold medal of the league championships by crossing the finish line with a school and DakotaDome arena record time of 16.54.54 in the 5,000 meters, after Frerichs accomplished a similar feat to win the 3,000 meters by setting a school and DakotaDome record with a time of 9:46.24.
Leading the way for the men, senior D.C. Okonta won in the triple jump (48-01.25 - 14.66m) for the fifth time this season, while junior Joshua Harden placed third with a personal best mark of 46-09.50 (14.26m) in the event. Senior Josh Butler concluded his successful outing in the league championships by taking home the gold medal (22.06) in the 200 meters and silver medal (49.06) in the 400 meters. Butler was also a part of the 4x400-meter relay squad (Terrone Garner, Johnathon Barnett, Xavier Kenney, Josh Butler) that crossed the finish line at 3:22.50 to place third
Last Season
Las season, the track and field program produced 18 champions across 12 events, while finishing seventh in The Summit League on both the men's and women's side during the outdoor season.
Cosmas Ayabei (10,000M), Dontay Taylor (Long Jump), Courtney Frerichs (3,000M Steeplechase) and Kimoya Harriott (Javelin) all advanced to the NCAA West Regionals.
Record Holders
Several 'Roos have placed their names among the top two spots in the Kansas City record books, including senior Cosmas Ayabei who sits first in the 3,000M, 5,000M and 10,000M, while senior Max Carroll is first in Javelin. On the women's side, sophomore Courtney Frerichs holds the top spot in the 3,000M Steeplechase, while senior Sarah Meiners is first in the 10,000M, senior Susan Brueggemann is first in Shot Put and senior Kimoya Harriott is first in the Javelin. Those sitting second for the 'Roos include Michelle Momo - 100M, Angel Gannon - 800M, Jylian Jaloma - 5,000M, Shanelle Williams - 100M IH, Briana Carter - Triple Jump, Kelsey Benoit - Shot Put and Ramon Nelson - Shot Put and Discus.
Joining The Hall
This winter, Dion McNeal and Willie White were inducted into the UMKC Hall of Fame, joining fellow track and field athletes, Bill Hibdon (2012), Sheri (Pewitte) McCoy (2012), Grant Dennis (2011), Dave Krueger (2011), Dee Dee (Fortman) Johnson (2010) and Matt Voelker (2009).
McNeal was an NCAA indoor qualifier in the weight throw in 2002 and an outdoor qualifier in the hammer in 2003. She earned the Mid-Con indoor title in the weight throw in 2002. She is also the UMKC indoor record holder in the weight throw (60-5.75) and outdoor record holder in the hammer throw (180-6). She ranks second all-time in the discus (153-7).
White, meanwhile, was the Mid-Con indoor champion in the 60-meter hurdles in both 1999 and 2001, he also earned Mid-Con Outdoor Athlete of the Year in 1999. He was the Mid-Con outdoor champion in the 110-meter hurdles three times (1998, 1999 and 2000) and helped win Mid-Con outdoor titles in the 4x400-relay three times (1999, 2000 and 2001). White also won the Mid-Con outdoor crown in the 400-meter hurdles in 2001.
Head Coach McField
Shameika McField was named the head coach for the UMKC track and field/cross country programs on March 4, 2008 and is now in her sixth season at the helm.
This season she guided the 'Roos to a third place finish during the indoor season on the men's side and a fourth place finish on the women's side, both marking the highest finishes since 2001.
During the 2012 season, McField guided the Kangaroos to a fifth place finish by the women and a sixth place finish by the men at the 2012 Summit League Indoor Championships, while guiding each squad to a seventh place finish at the outdoor championships. In all, 22 'Roos were named to the All-Summit League Team, while Cosmas Ayabei, Kimoya Harriott, Courtney Frerichs and Dontay Taylor each qualified for the NCAA West Regionals during the outdoor season.
'Roos In The Classroom
Last season, the 'Roos placed 12 members from the men's squad on the Commissioner's List of Academic Excellence, with eight returning to this year's squad, while the women placed 13 on the list with eight returners.
For the Winter/Spring Academic All-League Team, meanwhile, the men placed 14, including four Distinguished Scholars, while the women added 17 with six Distinguished Scholars.
Coming Up for the Kangaroos…
Next week the Kangaroos will split into three groups when they head to the Kansas Relays in Lawrence, Kan. on Apr. 17-20, the Mt. SAC Relays in Walnut, Calif., on Apr. 18-20 and the Mule Relays in Warrensburg, Mo., on Apr. 19.
