LHS junior wants Relays record

By Staff     Apr 20, 1996

Brian Martin’s goal is to rewrite the Kansas University track record books.

Martin, a 5-foot-9, 160-pound junior out of Lawrence High, set the school record in the 400 during indoor season.

He ran a personal-best outdoor time of 45.4, helping KU to a second-place sprint medley relay finish at the Kansas Relays Friday at Hershberger Track.

His split nearly topped the KU outdoor record of 45.38. Martin hopes to better the record time during today’s men’s special invitational 400 at 5:08 p.m.

“It’s something I’ve wanted to do since I was a freshman,” said Martin, who ran on the sprint medley relay with David Cooksey, Grady Blackmon and Matt Norton. KU finished in 3:20.54 to Wichita State’s 3:19.5. The KU team beat its own personal record by three seconds.

“Today when I ran the 400, I didn’t get out as fast as I wanted to,” Martin noted. “I think I can break the record (today). I’m excited getting a chance to run the open quarter. We don’t get to run that event too many times during outdoor season.”

Martin, who won the 400 at both the Relays and the state meet his senior year at Lawrence High, thinks he knows why he’s had such a stellar junior season.

“Last summer I hit the weights really hard,” he said. “My teammates have improved a lot, too. There’s a lot of competition at practice.”

KU’s sprint medley team won at last year’s Relays.

“We wanted to start the Relays out with a win, but as long as we had a good showing, we’re not too disappointed,” said Cooksey, who ran the 200.

KU’s women’s sprint medley team of LaTanya Holloway, Diamond Williams, Carleen Roberts and Melissa Swartz also placed second in 3:56.02. Kansas State won in 3:52.31.

A Relays record fell Friday. Ed Kaminski of the Nike track club, won the javelin in 251-4. He held the old record of 250-6 set in 1992. KU’s Jeff Dieterich was second in 218-3.

Also Friday, Iowa State’s Heather Nelson won the shot in an NCAA provisional qualifying 52-5 1/4, beating Kansas’ Kim Feldkamp, who placed second in 45-4 1/2. Feldkamp also placed sixth in the javelin.

Nelson uncorked her winning toss on her first throw. She fell on throw No. 3 and suffered a cut on her knee, yet continued.

“It’s good to finally win at the Kansas Relays,” said Nelson. “I won my sophomore year, but they wrote it down wrong and gave me second. They were off by one meter. I felt I should have won, but there was nothing I could do about it. I had no hard feelings, I’m just glad I was able to win today.”

Drake’s Garrick Wilson won the collegiate pole vault in 16-6. KU’s Chip Malmstrom and Mark Romito placed second and third at 16-0.

Wilson had trouble reading the swirling winds on an otherwise beautiful, 80-degree day.

“The wind would switch up as I started to run. My steps were way off,” Wilson said. “To win it at 16-6 … I wanted to go a lot higher and make it look good for the Missouri Valley Conference.”

Also Friday, Jacqui Brown of Nike won the long jump in 20-3 3/4.

The Relays conclude today. Events begin at 8 a.m. and will run until 6 p.m. The steeplechase kicks off the majority of finals at 11:10 a.m.

NOTES
¢ Several KU athletes have qualified for today’s finals. Representing the women’s team will be Diamond Williams (100), Dawn Steele-Slavens and Michael’a Edwards (400 hurdles), plus the 1,600 relay team. On the men’s side: David Cooksey and Travis Batts (100) and the 1,600 relay team.

  • KU track Olympians Bill Alley, Kent Floerke, Mark Lutz, Billy Mills, Jim Ryun, Wes Santee and Cliff Wiley will sign autographs for the fans following a recognition ceremony at 2:15 p.m. today at Memorial Stadium.
PREV POST

Columbia Mt. Orad 10K

NEXT POST

16715LHS junior wants Relays record