Kentucky swept the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association’s Southeast Region Awards for the 2017 indoor season.
Sophomore Jasmine Camacho-Quinn was named Track Athlete of the Year, senior Sha’Keela Saunders earned Field Athlete of the Year honors and Edrick Floréal was named Women’s Team Coach of the Year.
Camacho-Quinn was Southeast Region Track Athlete of the Year outdoors last season, but earned the award for the first time indoors.
Saunders picked up Southeast Field Athlete of the Year honors for the second time, and first since 2015.
Floréal earned the same honor for the 2014 indoor season, and is the two-time reigning recipient of accolade outdoors.
Camacho-Quinn 2017 indoor capsule
Scored 19 points at the SEC Indoor Championships … Won the 60m hurdles in a PR 8.02, and now holds the SEC indoor and outdoor short hurdles titles … Placed second in the SEC 200m in 23.31 … Ran the second leg of UK’s fifth-place SEC 4x400m Relay running 52.9 split … Her 19 points were second most at the SEC Championships … ranks sixth nationally in the 60m hurdles, and 12th in the 200m.
Saunders 2017 indoor capsule
Won the most competitive long jump in indoor collegiate history: the only such showdown with three women reaching marks better than 22 feet … Winning jump was sixth farthest in collegiate history 22’4″/6.82m … Long jump mark leads the nation … scored an additional two points in the triple jump with a seventh-place mark of 43’8.5″/13.32m … ranks 14th nationally in the triple jump … USTFCCCA National Athlete of the Week after her long-jump season opener (22’1″/6.73m) was the furthest in the history of December.
Floréal 2017 indoor capsule
Coached Kentucky to a school-record-tying third place team finish at the SEC Indoor Championships … Has the Wildcats ranked No. 5 in the country and first in the southeast region having qualified 10 entries to the NCAA Indoor Championships – fourth most in the nation … Event coaches SEC Champions Sha’Keela Saunders (long jump) and Jasmine Camacho-Quinn (60m hurdles) … Saunders needed the third best jump in indoor collegiate history 22’4.5″/6.82m to win the first indoor competition in collegiate history with three women better than 22 feet … Helped Camacho-Quinn to the SEC 200m silver and Javianne Oliver also claimed silver in the 60m dash … Pole vaulter Olivia Gruver PR’d twice to take bronze in the first conference competition with three women over 14’8.75″ in indoor collegiate history … Event coach for two NCAA qualifiers in the 60, two in the 200m, two in the long jump and two in the triple jump
On the horizon
Kentucky will next compete at the NCAA Indoor Championships this weekend, March 10-11, at Texas A&M’s Gilliam Indoor facility.
ESPN3 will stream the meet live on March 10 starting at 6:25 p.m. ET and March 11 starting at 4:55 p.m. ET. A re-air of the championship will take place on Sunday, March 12 starting at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN2.
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The most up-to-date coverage of the UK track and field program is available via @KentuckyTrack handles on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
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Jake Most