Kentucky’s Annika Williams had a record-breaking performance at the SEC Indoor Championships on Friday, winning the women’s pentathlon with 4,346 points, shattering her personal best by 173 points. Her five-event total ranks third in NCAA Division I this season. Williams also broke the 12-year-old school record of Precious Nwokey by 161 points.
After her win, Williams expressed her excitement about making it to Nationals and winning her first SECs. She was Kentucky’s third-ever SEC pentathlon champion and first since Nwokey in 2011.
In addition to Williams’ gold medal, Kentucky’s Keaton Daniel won his first SEC Indoor Pole Vault title, clearing 17’8.5″/5.40m for the win. The Wildcats have won three of the last four SEC Indoor Pole Vault titles.
Dalton Shepler added three men’s pole vault points with a sixth-place personal best vault clearance of 7’0.25″/5.20m. Siobhan Szerencsits earned her first SEC medal, a pole vault silver, while Payton Phillips split the eighth place point three ways with a clearance of 12’11.75”/3.96m.
Anthaya Charlton claimed bronze in the women’s long jump, while Logan Coles scored a point in the men’s weight throw with a new personal best of 66’05.75”/20.26m.
The Wildcats have qualified eight athletes, four men and four women, for Saturday’s finals. Collegiate record holder Masai Russell was the top qualifier in the women’s 60m hurdles, while Jordan Anthony earned a “big Q” automatic qualification into the men’s 60m final. Dylan Allen won his heat in the men’s mile prelims, and Kennedy Lightner won the first of seven men’s 200m preliminary heats.
The women’s track and field team is currently in third place with 28.33 total points, while the men are tied for fifth with Auburn (Ala.) at 18 points. The Wildcats will wrap up the SEC Indoor Track & Field Championships on Saturday. The meet will be broadcast on SEC Network+ live streams, and SEC Network linear will air the meet replay on Sunday afternoon.
