UK Track & Field: Hurdles Performances Build Momentum at Florida Relays

The Kentucky track and field program went to it’s bread and butter: running over barriers, when in need of strong performances on Friday at the Florida Relays.

UK has come to boast a program that has quality across the board, but to some degree Friday’s hurdles successes seemed to ignite the rest of the team.

The Wildcats started the day with elite times in the sprint hurdles and closed the night with Katy Kunc breaking the 3,000-meter steeplechase school record.

Jasmine Camacho-Quinn began the afternoon by tying her wind-legal personal best: 12.69 (aided by a 2.0 meters per second tailwind). Oregon’s Alaysha Johnson edged Camacho-Quinn by a few thousandths of a second as determined by a photo. Camacho-Quinn ran that previous 12.69 while winning the Southeastern Conference 100m hurdles last season.

UK volunteer assistant Kori Carter was third, a spot behind Camacho-Quinn, after winning heat one in 12.79w (+5.5). Camacho-Quinn ran in heat two.

To keep the personal bests going Nick Anderson opened up his outdoor season with a wind-legal PB 13.59 (+2.0) to win his heat and place second overall. That time was faster than any he ran last season en route to the SEC bronze and NCAA silver. Freshman Daniel Roberts was 12th in 13.93w (+3.7).

To close the night Katy Kunc broke her PB and school record to win the 3k steeplechase in 10:11.99. Kunc’s performance was all the more impressive considering she took a spill with 700 meters to go. The fall was not near any steeple barriers. Entering the race – accounting for results from Friday’s Stanford Invitational – that 10:11.99 would rank sixth nationally.

Caroline McCaslin was third in 10:19.58

Quality UK Friday results
Destiny Carter ran another wind-legal PR 11.31 (+1.3) to place sixth overall in the women’s 100m. Javianne Oliver was eighth in 11.38 and Kianna Gray was ninth in 11.40.

Kendall Muhammad (3:44.83) and Ben Young (3:44.97) went one-two in their 1,500m section to place fifth and sixth overall. They both ran more than three seconds quicker than their prior personal bests. Young scared Martin Clark’s UK freshman record of 3:44.50 set in 1982.

Michelle McKinney turned on an impressive kick to pass two in the last 50 meters of the 1,500m to win her heat in 4:24.51 and place 11th overall. Jill Weston was third in section three in 4:31.27.

Marie-Josee Ebwea-Bile was second in the women’s college long jump and Ellen Ekholm was fifth in the women’s high jump.

Kenshard Hamilton ran a wind-aided PR 10.29w (+3.1) to take 13th in the men’s 100m.

Justin Kretchmer tied his season best clearance 6’11”/2.11m to take second in the high jump.

Sarah Blake placed second in the javelin.

Tim Duckworth tied his outdoor PB in the long jump to place third with a mark of 25’0.75”/7.64m (+1.3) as he competed in a few individual open events as he preps to make his 2017 decathlon debut. Fred Dorsey was fifth in 24’4.25”/7.42m (+1.4).

UK took care of business in the men’s and women’s 4x400m relay as the men’s team of Dorsey, Victor Oye, Anderson and Duckworth had the fourth fastest qualifying time: 3:11.04.

UK’s women’s 4x400m relay of Sha’Keela Saunders, Gray, Kayelle Clarke and Precious Hitchcock had the fastest prelim time: 3:37.74.

Ian Jones placed 21st overall in the 800m with a time of 1:49.99.

Gabe Harm closed the evening of distance races with a 10th-place steeplechase PB 9:11.89.

Logistics
The meet will continue on Saturday at 12:30 p.m. ET.

SEC Network+ will broadcast live coverage via ESPN3/WatchESPN. Saturday’s broadcast window runs from 2:35-7:10 p.m.
Kentucky’s women’s team is ranked No. 2 in the country and the men’s team is ranked No. 22. The 2017 Florida Relays feature 20 ranked teams – 10 men’s and 10 women’s.

Friday, March 31, 2017

UK Results – Thursday, March 30, 2017

Florida Relays ranked teams

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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.

‑ GO CATS –
Jake Most