UK Track & Field’s Daniel Roberts Moves into NCAA 60H All-Time Top-10

University of Kentucky track & field 2019
Courtesy UK Athletics

Kentucky track and field junior Daniel Roberts smashed his own school record and catapulted into the all-time collegiate top-10 of the 60-meter hurdles to headline the Wildcats’ Friday at the Tiger Paw Invitational.

Roberts won the 60m hurdles in 7.52, making him the ninth-fastest collegian ever and moving to No. 2 in the DI rankings for this season, only behind collegiate record holder Grant Holloway (Florida). Those two figure to race against each other in two weeks at the Southeastern Conference Championships.

He lowered the personal best he set just last week by .14 seconds, a considerable margin in a 60m race.

Roberts has consistently quickened his PBs all season as in the semifinal round on Friday he tied the PB and school record he had run just last week – 7.66.

Roberts also tied his PB to place fifth in the 60m dash, running 6.63 in both the final and semifinals. That time ranks 11th nationally at publication time.

Noah Castle won the men’s shot put at the Tiger Paw Invite with a mark of 62’6.5”/19.06m. Charles Lenford Jr. was third (62’6.5”/18.86m) and freshman Josh Sobota placed sixth.

In the men’s 60m hurdles final Tai Brown and Caleb Wilt placed 5-6 respectively. They both ran personal best times in the semifinals that of course were justifiably overshadowed by Roberts’ historic performance. Brown ran 7.86, moving to No. 5 on the UK indoor all-time list and Wilt ran 7.87 moving to No. 6 on the same list.

Kianna Gray maintained the form she began showing last weekend by placing fourth in the women’s 60m final with a PB time of 7.25, which moved her to No. 3 on the UK indoor all-time list. The time would rank tied for eighth nationally as of press time. Celera Barnes placed eighth in the final.

Masai Russell placed fifth and Faith Ross was eighth in the women’s 60m hurdles final. They each ran 8.18 in the semifinals which tied them for No. 5 on the UK all-time list. Russell’s time broke three-time NCAA Champion Jasmine Camacho-Quinn’s Kentucky freshman record (two 100m hurdles golds plus a 4x100m relay title).

Russell placed fifth in the open 400m final.

Alison D’Alessandro took 13th in the women’s pole vault, clearing 12’6.75”/3.83m, a PB that moved her to No. 6 on the UK indoor all-time list.

Chloe Abbott placed fifth in the women’s 400m invitational. Tatiana Aholou placed fifth in the women’s long jump. Sarah Michels was sixth in the women’s 5k.

Micaela Hazlewood placed fourth in the women’s shot put, while Molly Leppelmeier tossed a PB 51’9.75”/15.79 to place fifth. Leppelmeier moved up from 10th to No. 8 on the UK indoor all-time list.

ISU Classic dispatch

UK sent a select group of distance runners to compete on the oversized track at the Iowa State Classic.

Brennan Fields lowered his 3k PB by seven seconds to place 11th in 8:12.53. Trevor Warren ran a PB 8:20.87 to place 28th.

Sophie Carrier placed 26th in the women’s 5k with a PB time 17:18.47. Caitlin Shepard was 32nd in a PB 17:28.93 and Kelli Walsh was 34th in a PB 17:33.63.

Patrick Schaefer was 57th in the men’s 5k in 14:52.21, a PB.

Meet primer

Two weeks before indoor track and field postseason’s onset, the Kentucky track and field teams will embark upon some of their last best opportunities to show out at two meets – Clemson’s Tiger Paw Invitational and the Iowa State Classic.


Broadly speaking, UK is sending a lot of its distance runners to the oversized track in Ames, Iowa, while UK’s sprinters and field athletes and a few distance runners will compete on Clemson’s steeply-banked 200-meet track.

Both meets continue on Saturday.

The Iowa State classic will be livestreamed via Flotrack’s paid subscription service.

UK will have social media coverage from both meets with enhanced post-meet video coverage from Clemson.

UK entered the weekend with 12 team members (counted as marks) currently inside NCAA Championships-qualifying positions on individual-event Division I rankings lists (top-16 for individuals and top-12 for relay teams), which is notable because if the season ended today, their marks would correspondingly qualify for Nationals.

So to a good extent the name of the game this week will be posting a mark that will hold up on this season’s qualifying list, as well as rounding into shape for the Southeastern Conference Championships in two weeks.

Tiger Paw Invitational
Friday, Feb. 8
WomenLong JumpPrelim/Final5. Tatiana Aholou: 19’11.75”/6.09m8. Zhane Smith: 19’9”/6.02m
MenShot PutPrelim/Final1. Noah Castle: 62’6.5”/19.06m3. Charles Lenford Jr.: 61’10.5”/18.86m6. Josh Sobota: 59’5”/18.11m
Women5kFinal6. Sarah Michels: 17:40.85
WomenPole VaultFinal13. Alison D’Alessandro: 12’6.75”/3.83m – PB, No. 6 UK indoor all-time list14. Riley Caudill: 12’0.75”/3.68m14. Jaci Bickett: 12’0.75”/3.68m
MenMileFinal15. Dylan Allen: 4.20.52
MenLong JumpPrelim/Final15. Robbie Springfield: 23’1.75”/7.05m
WomenShot PutPrelim/Final4. Micaela Hazlewood: 52’3.25”/15.93m5. Molly Leppelmeier: 51’9.75”/15.79m – PB,11. Nicole Fautsch: 47’0.75”/14.34m
Women400mFinal5. Masai Russell: 54.94
Men400mFinal26. William Walker: 49.37
Women60m HurdlesFinal5. Masai Russell: 8.258. Faith Ross: 8.29 Semifinal5. Faith Ross: 8.18 (8.172) – PB, No. 5 on UK all-time list6. Masai Russell: 8.18 (8.175) – PB, UK freshman record, No. 5 on UK all-time list Qualifying4. Masai Russell: 8.34Q8. Faith Ross: 8.40q
Men60m HurdlesFinal1. Daniel Roberts: 7.52 – PB, Shatters School Record, No. 9 on NCAA all-time performers’ list (T-No. 7 fastest time), No. 2 in DI this year5. Caleb Wilt: 7.936. Tai Brown: 7.98 Semifinal2. Daniel Roberts: 7.66Q – Then-PB, improves school record6. Tai Brown: 7.86q – PB, No. 5 on UK indoor all-time list7. Caleb Wilt: 7.87q – PB, No.6 on UK indoor all-time list Qualifying1. Tai Brown: 7.91Q3. Caleb Wilt: 8.00Q
Women400m InviteFinal5. Chloe Abbott: 53.0719. Faith Ross: 56.47
Men400m InviteFinal15. Dwight St. Hillaire: 47.43
Women60mFinal4. Kianna Gray: 7.25 – PB, T-No. 3 on UK indoor all-time list8. Celera Barnes: 7.40 Semifinals2. Kianna Gray: 7.29Q8. Celera Barnes: 7.39q14. Abby Steiner: 7.44 Qualifying4. Abby Steiner: 7.41Q22. Janie O’Connor: 7.61
Men60mFinal5. Daniel Roberts: 6.63 – T-PB Semifinals3. Daniel Roberts: 6.63 – T-PB18. Dwight St. Hillaire: 6.80 Qualifying5. Daniel Roberts: 6.76Q12. Dwight St. Hillaire: 6.78q – T-PB
Saturday, Feb. 9
9:30 AMMenWeight ThrowPrelim/Final 
9:30 AMMenPole Vault Flight 1FinalJardine, Young
10:30 AMWomenHigh JumpFinalEkholm, Hinkle
10:30 AMWomenTriple JumpPrelim/FinalCoombs
11:30 AMWomen800mFinalAkin, Nohilly
11:50 AMMen800mFinal 
12:15 PMWomen200mFinalGray, Steiner, Abbott, Barnes, Parker
~ 12:30 PMMenPole Vault Flight 2FinalPeare
12:30 PMWomenWeight ThrowPrelim/FinalLeppelmeier, Hazlewood
1 PMMenTriple JumpPrelim/Final 
1 PMMenHigh JumpFinalMinor
1 PMMen200mFinalSmith, Council, Brown, Wilt
1:45 PMWomen3kFinal 
2 PMMen3kFinal 
2:25 PMWomen4 x 400 Meter RelayFinalTBD
3 PMMen4 x 400 Meter RelayFinalTBD
Iowa State Classic
Friday, Feb. 7
Women5kFinal26. Sophie Carrier: 17:18.47 — PB32. Caitlin Shepard: 17:28.9334. Kelli Walsh: 17:33.63 – PB
Men5kFinal57. Patrick Schaefer: 14:52.21 – PB
Men3kFinal11. Brennan Fields: 8:12.53 – PB28. Trevor Warren: 8:20.87 — PB
Saturday, Feb. 8
1:25 PMWomenMileFinalBoice, Bockrath
1:55 PMMenMileFinalMuhammad, Young, Thomas
University of Kentucky track & field 2019
Courtesy UK Athletics


For the most in-depth coverage of the UK cross country and track and field program follow the @KentuckyTrack social media channels on InstagramTwitter and Facebook as well as on UKathletics.com.

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