University of South Florida
.png&width=60&height=60&type=webp)
Jayhawk Classic
Bulls Continue to Improve at Jayhawk Classic
January 26, 2013 | Track & Field
By TOM ZEBOLD
USF Senior Writer
TAMPA - The USF track and field team continues to show improvement with weeks to go before the Big East Indoor Championships.
The Bulls had three event winners and 11 finishes in the top three of respective events at Friday's Jayhawk Classic in Lawrence, Kan. USF's event winners were Courtney Anderson (high jump), Yasmin Smith (mile) and Kadeidra Jackson (200 morning session).
"Overall there were very solid performances from mostly everyone. They're improving each week," head coach Warren Bye said.
Anderson, a senior from Cape Coral, Fla., won the women's high jump with a mark of 5' 9 ¾" that ranks second in the USF women's indoor record books. Anderson set a new USF record with a mark of 5' 10" at last week's Notre Dame Invitational.
"She's been very consistent for us this indoor season and coach (Lissa) Olson had done a great job working with her and getting her ready to jump high," Bye said.
Smith, a senior from St. Petersburg, won the women's mile with a time of 4:52.63 that ranks fifth all-time at USF. Smith also owns the fourth-best time in the mile in the program's history after running the mile in 4:52.30 two seasons ago. Friday's performance comes a week after Smith posted USF's second-best indoor time in the 800 meters.
"Yasmin Smith is having an exceptional senior campaign," Bye said. "Coach (Dena) Reid has done a great job with Jasmin this season and we look for more good things from her over the next several weeks."
Jackson, a freshman from Gainesville, won the 200-meter morning season with a time of 25.29 seconds, while Atasha Warren continued to show progress in the women's weight throw. Warren, a senior from Wabasso, Fla., finished in fourth with a weight throw of 59' 2" that was a foot better than her mark last week at Notre Dame. Her latest throw ranks fourth in USF's indoor history.
"Coach (Toby) Colyer has done really well with Atasha getting her ready for this season and I know she has more long throws ahead of her this season," Bye said.
Drew Volz, Wyatt Metzger and Winston Perry shined on the men's side for USF in the pole vault. Volz and Metzger both posted marks of 16' 1 ¼" while Perry wasn't far behind at 15' 7 ¼" in an event that featured more than 50 competitors.
"If you know anything about the pole vault, it takes a while to get warmed up and get everything going," Bye said. "They had a very good day and coach (Don) Marsh continues to do a good job with our pole vaulters. We had three 15-plus feet pole vaults, and that's saying something. He has them ready to go when it's time to go."
Preparation for Big East indoors continues Saturday, Feb. 2 at Penn State. The Big East Indoor Championships take place Feb. 16-17 in Geneva, Ohio.
