UK Track & Field’s Clarke Makes T&T 200m Team, Historic 400H Concludes USATF Championships

Kentucky track and field junior Kayelle Clarke claimed the Trinidad and Tobago silver medal, and the spot on her national team for the IAAF World Championships that goes along with it, by running a 200-meter personal best 22.94 in the semifinals and then 22.97 in the final on Saturday.

Clarke ran the third leg on Kentucky’s NCAA Champion 4x100m relay team earlier this month. She transferred to UK from New Mexico Junior College before this season.

At the USA Track and Field Outdoor Championships, UK volunteer assistant coach and Jordan athlete Kori Carter took bronze with a personal best in a historically fast 400m hurdles final. Kentucky signee and Olympian Sydney McLaughlin finished sixth, lowering her world under-20 (formerly known as junior) record to 53.82.

”(This season) I went back to my college coach (UK Head Coach) Edrick Floréal,” Carter said. “He’s really been pushing me to be more technically sound, be more physically fit, be quicker. Just all around pushing me to work on the little details to make sure it pays off out here.

“I’m so excited. This is what we’ve been working for. I can’t wait to get back to work as soon as we get back to Lexington and get ready for London.”

All three medalists finished before the clock struck 53 seconds – marking the first time in history that three women broke the 53-second barrier in the same race. Carter ran 52.96, the fastest she’s run since setting the collegiate record at 53.21 to win the 2013 NCAA Championship.

Reigning Olympic Champion Dalilah Muhammad won in the sixth fastest time ever: 52.64 (No. 4 on the all-time U.S. list). NCAA Champion from 2014-2016 and 2015 World silver medalist Shamier Little was second in 52.75 (No. 9 performer on the all-time world list as well as the No. 5 performer, with the No. 7 performance, on the all-time U.S. list).

Carter moved to No. 19 on the world all-time performers’ list and eighth on the U.S. all-time performers’ list.

The times for third, fourth, fifth and sixth (McLaughlin was sixth in 53.82) were the fastest ever to earn those places (per IAAF senior web editor Jon Mulkeen).

“That was a fast race,” McLaughlin said. “It was great to see I’ve progressed this season coming into a pro race with these fast women. That was exactly where I wanted to be. I knew if I couldn’t make the team, because they’re out here running 52s, I at least wanted to try and break 54 to get that junior (U20) record.”

Before Sunday, the fastest 400m hurdles time in world this year was 53.38. That time would have placed sixth in in the 2017 USATF final.

To-date World Championships qualifiers with Kentucky ties
Through the weekend, two members of the 2017 Kentucky track and field team – senior Sha’Keela Saunders (U.S. long jump) and Clarke, a junior, (T&T 200m) made their national team that will compete at the IAAF World Championships in August.

Recent Kentucky alumni Americans Kendra Harrison (100m hurdles champion), and Andrew Evans (discus silver) also made the U.S. World Championships Team. Class of 2015 alumna Leah Nugent made the Jamaican 400m hurdles team for the second year in a row.

Not Kentucky graduates, but professionals who live in Lexington and train at UK under Floréal at UK: Carter (U.S. 400m hurdles) and Olympic 110m hurdles Champion Omar McLeod also qualified for the World Championships.

And Rondel Sorrillo – now an assistant coach on UK Head Coach Edrick Floréal’s staff in addition to being 2010 NCAA 200m Champion for UK – took bronze in the T&T 100m. He can chase the World Championships standard until next month.

More nations that Wildcats compete for will pick their World Championships teams in the coming weeks. Notably, sophomore Jasmine Camacho-Quinn – a semifinalist in the Olympic 100m hurdles last year – represents Puerto Rico and has achieved the qualifying standard this season.

The USATF Outdoor Championships were contested in sunny Sacramento, California June 22-25. The meet served as the selection competition (trials) for the Team USATF that will travel to the World Championships, to be held August 4-13 at London’s 2012 Olympic Stadium (now named the London Stadium).

Other UK Sunday results
Kentucky senior Nick Anderson finished 12th in the USATF 110m hurdles semifinals. He ran 13.87 into a -1.7 wind. The 2016 NCAA 110H silver medalist made a second straight U.S. semifinal, but did not advance to the final.

UK senior Destiny Carter placed sixth in heat one of the USATF 200m semifinal in 23.19 (-1.4). UK Class of 2015 alumna Dezerea Bryant was seventh in that heat (23.25). They didn’t advance.

Reigning NCAA Pole Vault Champion Olivia Gruver was unable to clear 14’5.25″/4.40m in three attempts in the sophomore’s first USATF senior competition.

Carter ran the leadoff leg for UK’s NCAA Champion 4x100m relay two weeks ago, and Bryant won two NCAA 200m titles between 2014 and 2015.

Carter made the USATF long jump final, and 100m and 200m semifinals this weekend.

Some final USATF Outdoor Championships Notes

The four-day USATF Outdoor Championships attendance was 29,743, after 7,820 passed through the Hornet Stadium gates on Sunday.

The stadium was host site for the 2014 USATF Outdoor Championships – with no major international championship scheduled that year, and prior to that the 2000 and 2004 Olympic Trials. Hornet Stadium also hosted multiple NCAA Championships in the mid-2000s.

Seven members of the current UK women’s team – which placed fourth at the NCAA Outdoor Championships earlier this month – and two more members of the UK men’s team – including 2016 NCAA 110m hurdles semifinalist and Olympic Trials semifinalist Nick Anderson – competed at “USAs.”

Temperatures in Sacramento topped 100 degrees the first two days of the meet, and reached the upper 90s on Saturday. The Sunday high was 89 degrees.

Sacramento State previously hosted USATF Outdoor Championships in 2014, and the U.S. Olympic Trials for Track & Field in 2000 and 2004. Sacramento was also recently announced as a finalist city for the 2020 U.S. Olympic Trials – Track & Field, along with Eugene, Oregon and Walnut, California.

Plenty more athletes with Kentucky connections competed at National Championships across the globe this weekend as well as in the coming weeks.

Information for this report was obtained via USATF.

UK at 2017 USATF Outdoor Championships

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‑ GO CATS –
Jake Most