Bruins debut at Kansas Relays

LAWRENCE, Kan. -- The 2025 edition of the Kansas Relays was the 102nd running of the storied track and field classic, but the first opportunity for members of the Bruin distance squad to participate. Six men met the qualifying standard of the event held at Rock Chalk Park in Lawrence, Kan., on Thursday and Friday.

Thursday's night of collegiate distance races was held in cool and windy weather, a theme familiar to the Bruins this Spring. Jose Lara Flores led off the evening's events, dropping down in distance to the 1500-meter run and turning in a personal best run despite the conditions. His time of 4:11.33 cut five seconds from his best and placed him in the top ten among NSAA athletes.

Alvin Keter was next up under the lights in the first section of the 5,000-meter run. After running near the front of the pack in the first mile, he broke away to win the section in 15:28.82. He would end up in tenth place overall in the field of twenty-six runners. He continues to lead the NSAA in both the 5,000 and 10,000-meter events.

Cool and breezy conditions once again greeted athletes on Friday, including a stoppage in action while a thunderstorm passed by. The Bruin 4 x 800 meter relay team of Luis Casallas Vega, Richard Marcoux, Xavier Mallow, and Ronald Kipyegon waited out the delay and then returned to the track to smash the existing school record, turning in a time of 7:51.86. They finished fifth among fifteen squads, including host KU, which won the event on their home track.

Head Coach Craig Christians: "It was a great experience to expose our athletes to this level of competition, and we competed well. While the conditions weren't great, our guys stepped up and performed. I believe this is an indication of the direction of the program, and hopefully it's an experience we'll repeat."

The Bruins will experience another first next week when Alvin Keter becomes the first Bruin to qualify and compete in the fabled Drake Relays in Des Moines. The remaining team members will compete at the Kip Javrin Invite, hosted by nearby Simpson College in Indianola, Iowa.