The 2017 collegiate track and field odyssey of a season will conclude for Kentucky over the four-day NCAA Championships at Oregon’s Hayward Field starting Wednesday.
Kentucky will have 23 entries – 16 women’s and seven men’s – compete this week.
The No. 5-ranked UK women’s team’s 16 entries are fourth most in the field, behind LSU (19), and Arkansas and Oregon (17).
The Wednesday primer
Junior Tim Duckworth will kick things off at 3:30 p.m. ET in his second NCAA decathlon. Duckworth, the reigning NCAA indoor heptathlon silver medalist, has done one decathlon prior this year. He recorded a personal best 7,973, which ranks No. 4 in the country entering NCAAs, at the Bulldog Decathlon in April.
He placed 11th in the NCAA decathlon last season.
Nick Anderson, reigning NCAA 110m hurdles silver medalist, will run in the first of three semifinal heats in his signature event at 8:32 p.m. ET.
Jacob Thomson, sixth in the NCAA 10k last season, will run that final at 10:08 p.m. ET.
In the field Ethan Shalaway will throw the javelin at 8:45 p.m., Fred Dorsey will be in the long jump for the second year in a row at 9 p.m. and Nik Huffman will make his NCAA finals site debut in the shot put at 9:40 p.m.
For the third year in a row the meet will feature men competitors only on Wednesday and Friday. The women’s competition will be contested Thursday and Saturday, with the men’s decathlon day two occurring on Thursday.
Meet coverage
The NCAA Outdoor Championships will be broadcast by the ESPN family of networks.
Wednesday’s competition will be shown on ESPNU starting at 7:30 p.m. ET and continuing on ESPN2 at 8:30 p.m.
All of the competition will be available streaming via WatchESPN/ESPN3.
UKTF NCAA Outdoor Championships Precedent
The UK women’s qualified one fewer entry to Eugene, 16, than it did a year ago (17).
The UK men’s team advanced one more NCAA qualifier than it did a year ago.
The UK women’s team was 11th, and the men’s team was 22nd at 2016 NCAA Outdoor Championships.
The UK women’s team’s best NCAA finish was as runner-up in 2015 with 50 points. The UK men’s team’s best NCAA outdoor finish was ninth with 25 points in 2008.
The format
Athletes earn points for their teams at the NCAA Championships based on top-8 finishes with points awarded on a 10-8-6-5-4-3-2-1 basis where first place gets 10 points and eighth place gets one.
The meet features 21 events per gender, and the team with the most points at the end wins.
Oregon is serving as NCAA Outdoor Championships host institution for the fifth season in a row in a run that’s slated to run through 2021.
| Wednesday, June 7 | |||
| Decathlon Day One | |||
| Time (PT) | Event | Round | UK entry |
| 12:30 p.m. | 100m | Sec. 1 of 3 | Ln. 1: Tim Duckworth |
| 1:10 p.m. | Long Jump | Fl. 1 of 2 | No. 9: Duckworth |
| 2:25 p.m. | Shot Put | Fl. 1 of 2 | No. 4: Duckworth |
| 3:40 p.m. | High Jump | Fl. 1 of 2 | No. 9: Duckworth |
| 6:56 p.m. | 400m | Sec. 2 of 3 | Ln. 1: Duckworth |
| Men’s Track Events | |||
| Time (PT) | Event | Round | UK Entry |
| 4:32 p.m. | 4x100m Relay | Semifinal | |
| 4:46 p.m. | 1500m | Semifinal | |
| 5:02 p.m. | 3k Steeplechase | Semifinal | |
| 5:32 p.m. | 110m Hurdles | Semifinal 3 Heats. Advance top 2 from each heat plus next best 2 to final |
Ht. 1 | Ln. 4: Nick Anderson |
| 5:46 p.m. | 100m | Semifinal | |
| 6 p.m. | 400m | Semifinal | |
| 6:14 p.m. | 800m | Semifinal | |
| 6:30 p.m. | 400m Hurdles | Semifinal | |
| 6:44 p.m. | 200m | Semifinal | |
| 6:56 p.m. | 400m | Decathlon | |
| 7:08 p.m. | 10k | Final – 24 entries | Jacob Thomson |
| 7:48 p.m. | 4x400m Relay | Semifinal | |
| Men’s Field Events | |||
| Time (PT) | Event | Round – Top 9 to final | UK entry |
| 2 p.m. | Hammer Throw | Final | |
| 5:00 p.m. | Pole Vault | Final | |
| 5:45 p.m. | Javelin Throw | Final 2 flights |
Fl. 1 | No. 11: Ethan Shalaway |
| 6 p.m. | Long Jump | Final
2 flights, parallel pits |
Fl. 1 | No. 4: Fred Dorsey |
| 6:40 p.m. | Shot Put | Final 2 flights |
Fl. 1 | No. 10: Nikolas Huffman |
| Thursday, June 8 | |||
| Decathlon Day Two | |||
| Time (PT) | Event | Round | UK entry |
| 10:30 a.m. | 110m Hurdles | Sec. 5 of 6 | Ln. 7: Tim Duckworth |
| 11:20 p.m. | Discus Throw | Fl. 1 of 2 | No. 11: Duckworth |
| 12:30 p.m. | Pole Vault | Fl 1 of 2 | No. 5: Duckworth |
| 3 p.m. | Javelin Throw | Fl 1 of 2 | No. 7: Duckworth |
| 6:56 p.m. | 1500m | Sec. 1 of 1 | Duckworth |
| Women’s Track Events | |||
| Time (PT) | Event | Round | UK entry |
| 4:32 p.m. | 4x100m Relay | Semifinal 3 Heats. Advance top 2 from each heat plus next best 2 to final |
Ht. 3 of 3 | Ln. 4: Kentucky |
| 4:46 p.m. | 1500m | Semifinal | |
| 5:02 p.m. | 3k Steeplechase | Semifinal 2 heats. Advance top 5 each heat plus next 2 best times |
Ht. 2 of 2: Katy Kunc |
| 5:32 p.m. | 100m Hurdles | Semifinal 3 heats. Advance top 2 from each heat plus next best 2 to final |
Ht. 1 | Ln. 4: J Camacho-Quinn Ht. 3 | Ln. 2: Jacklyn Howell |
| 5:46 p.m. | 100m | Semifinal 3 heats. Advance top 2 from each heat plus next best 2 to final |
Ht .2 | Ln. 4: Kianna Gray Ht. 3 | Ln. 3: Destiny Carter |
| 6 p.m. | 400m | Semifinal | |
| 6:14 p.m. | 800m | Semifinal | |
| 6:30 p.m. | 400m Hurdles | Semifinal | |
| 6:44 p.m. | 200m | Semifinal 3 Heats. Advance top 2 from each heat plus next best 2 to final |
Ht. 2 | Ln. 3: Kianna Gray Ln. 5: Destiny Carter Ht. 3 | Ln 2: J. Camacho-Quinn |
| 6:56 p.m. | 1500m | Decathlon | Duckworth (aforementioned) |
| 7:08 p.m. | 10,000m | Final | |
| 7:48 p.m. | 4x400m Relay | Semifinal 3 heats. Advance top 2 from each heat plus next best two to final |
Ht. 1 | Ln. 3: Kentucky |
| Women’s Field Events | |||
| Time (PT) | Event | Round – Top 9 to final | UK entry |
| 2 p.m. | Hammer Throw | Final | |
| 5 p.m. | Pole Vault | Final Start ht: 4m – 4:15 – 4:30 -4:45 then + 5 cm |
Olivia Gruver |
| 5:45 p.m. | Javelin Throw | Final
2 flights |
Fl 1 | No. 12: Sarah Blake |
| 6 p.m. | Long Jump | Final 2 flights, parallel pits |
Fl 1 | No. 5: Destiny Carter Fl. 2 | No. 11: S. Saunders |
| 6:40 p.m. | Shot Put | Final | |
| Friday, June 9 | |||
| Men’s Track Events | |||
| Time (PT) | Event | Round | UK entry |
| 5:32 p.m. | 4x100m Relay | Final | |
| 5:42 p.m. | 1500m | Final | |
| 5:54 p.m. | 3k Steeplechase | Final | |
| 6:12 p.m. | 110m Hurdles | Final | TBD (Anderson) |
| 6:22 p.m. | 100m | Final | |
| 6:32 p.m. | 400m | Final | |
| 6:44 p.m. | 800m | Final | |
| 6:57 p.m. | 400m Hurdles | Final | |
| 7:07 p.m. | 200m | Final | |
| 7:13 p.m. | 200m | Heptathlon | |
| 7:25 p.m. | 5k | Final | |
| 7:51 p.m. | 4x400m Relay | Final | |
| Men’s Field Events | |||
| Time (PT) | Event | Round | UK entry |
| 5:00 p.m. | High Jump | Final | Justin Kretchmer |
| 5:05 p.m. | Discus Throw | Final | |
| 5:40 p.m. | Triple Jump | Final | |
| Saturday, June 10 | |||
| Track Events | |||
| Time (PT) | Event | Round | UK entry |
| 3:32 p.m. | 4x100m Relay | Final | TBD (UK) |
| 3:41 p.m. | 1500m | Final | |
| 3:54 p.m. | 3k Steeplechase | Final | TBD (Kunc) |
| 4:12 p.m. | 100m Hurdles | Final | TBD (Carter, Gray) |
| 4:22 p.m. | 100m | Final | TBD (Camacho-Quinn, Howell) |
| 4:32 p.m. | 400m | Final | |
| 4:44 p.m. | 800m | Final | |
| 4:57 p.m. | 400m Hurdles | Final | |
| 5:07 p.m. | 200m | Final | TBD (Carter, Camacho-Quinn, Gray) |
| 5:13 p.m. | 800m | Heptathlon | |
| 5:25 p.m. | 5k | Final | |
| 5:51 p.m. | 4x400m Relay | Final | TBD UK |
| Field Events | |||
| Time (PT) | Event | Round | UK entry |
| 3:00 p.m. | High Jump | Final | Ellen Ekholm |
| 3:05 p.m. | Discus Throw | Final | |
| 3:40 p.m. | Triple Jump | Final – 2 flights | Fl. 2 | No. 8: M-J Ebwea-Bile |
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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