In an exceptional display of athletic prowess, Kentucky track & field freshman Jordan Anthony shattered the men’s 100-meter dash freshman record at the Tom Jones Memorial, hosted by the University of Florida at the James G. Pressly Stadium at Percy Beard Track. Anthony improved the record by a total of eight milliseconds, clocking a wind-legal 10.16 seconds.
The previous record, set at 10.24 seconds, was held jointly by Jim Green and Lance Lang. Green initially set the record in 1967, which remained unbroken for 54 years until Lang matched it in 2021. After 56 years, Anthony finally surpassed the longstanding record.
Reflecting on his achievement, Anthony remarked, “I went out there to run my race to see where I was at, and whatever happens, happens, and that’s what happened.” This is the second freshman record Anthony has improved this season, having already bettered the men’s 60-meter dash record during the indoor season. The freshman sprinter isn’t fazed by breaking records, stating, “Records are meant to be broken. At any point in time, they’re going to be broken.”
Several athletes achieved personal bests at the event, including Payton Phillips, who won the women’s pole vault with a personal best of 13’3.75″/4.06 meters. Phoebe McCowan placed eighth in the women’s 800 meters with a personal best time of 2:05.01, moving her to eighth on the UK all-time performers list. Bryanna Lucas also set a personal best time of 2:06.60 in the event to place 16th.
Simisola Akinrinsola set a personal best of 50’7.50″/15.43 meters in the women’s shot put to finish fifth, placing her ninth on the UK all-time performers list. Both Kennedy Lightner and Myles Anders achieved personal bests in the men’s 100-meter dash, with Lightner recording a 10.29 to finish 13th and Anders placing 28th with a time of 10.44.
The event saw notable performances from various relay teams, such as the 4×100 relay team of Victoria Perrow, Anthaya Charlton, Masai Russell, and Karimah Davis, who won with a time of 43.12. The men’s 4×400 relay team also set a season-best 3:02.05 to win the event, placing them fourth on the UK all-time performers list.
Kentucky Track and Field will now focus on the Michael Johnson Invite, hosted by Baylor University on April 21-22.
