Jan. 28, 2012

Complete Results | Photo Gallery 

LEXINGTON, Ky. – Led by eye-opening performances from freshman Keilah Tyson and senior Terri-Ann Grant, the University of Kentucky men’s and women’s track and field teams enjoyed a great final day at the Rod McCravy Memorial meet at Nutter Field House on Saturday.

Tyson excelled in the women’s 60-meter dash, etching her name in the UK freshman record books in her first collegiate appearance in the event. Tyson, a standout from Western Branch High School in Norfolk, Va., was a state champion in the 55-meter dash as a sophomore and senior. On Saturday, Tyson showed her speed, breaking former Kentucky great Passion Richardson’s indoor 60m dash freshman record.

Richardson, a four-time All-American at Kentucky, won a bronze medal in the 2000 summer Olympic games in Sydney as a member of the United States’ 4×100 relay team. Tyson got off to a strong start in the two-round sprint event by finishing second in the preliminary round with a time of 7.44, which would have ranked fourth in the all-time record books. Tyson showed her true grit in the finals though, tying the third fastest time in program history, and setting a new Kentucky freshman record with a time of 7.36.

“This is my first 60-meter dash of the year,” Tyson said. “For me to run 7.36 – and that was the worst 60 I’ve ever had in my life. Nothing about it was good to me except the time. I was really shocked. I came out of the blocks dead last. I had to play catch up at the beginning of the race. I began to catch up, but I feel like if I would have had a better start like in the preliminaries, I would have ran faster. There’s room for improvement, that’s what that shows. My competition today did a really great job.”

Grant entered Saturday’s competition with a personal-best indoor high jump mark of 5-08.00 set at the Southeastern Conference Championships last season, but shattered that mark with Saturday’s performance. The Kingston, Jamaica native put together a truly impressive performance in the high jump, clearing each of the first three heights on her first attempt. Grant clipped the bar on her first attempt at the 1.79m/5-10.50 mark, but cleared it on her second try to move up to 1.82m/5-11.50. With the event down to two competitors, Grant sealed up first place by clearing 5-11.50, the second-highest mark in program history. Grant finally bowed out on the NCAA automatic qualifying mark of 1.85m/6-00.75, which would have been both a program record and a meet record.

“Terri-Ann did really well and it’s very encouraging,” UK head coach Don Weber said. “Last year she was hurting all year long and then had surgery to correct it. Just watching today, I was telling her, ‘You look like a completely different woman. You look like you’re pain free for the first time in a long time.’ ”

“It really motivates me,” said Grant about reaching 5-11.50 in her first competition of the season. “It shows that I can do a lot better if I can do this my first meet out because that is usually not everyone’s best meet. It just shows me I can go a lot further.”

Freshman Joanne Imbert also had a very strong showing in the women’s high jump. Imbert, a native of Valley Stream, N.Y., set a new personal collegiate-best mark of 1.76m/5-09.25, the fourth-highest mark in program history, to finish in a tie for third. Imbert had a flare for the dramatic Saturday morning, clearing each of the first three height progressions on her third and final attempt.

Overall, Weber said he was pleased with the Wildcats’ performance Saturday. Not only did UK have good times and marks, Weber said, but the student-athletes’ mindset was a more aggressive one, which is what he had been looking for.

“I think it was a big step forward based on some performances, but I think it was another big step forward because people raced and competed more daringly this weekend than they did two weeks ago,” Weber said. “Some of those more daring performances ended up with a better final result, some of them didn’t – they maybe over did it and were too daring. The most important thing is they continue to understand that being aggressive is an ingredient to a good performance. If you don’t have that ingredient in your performance you’re not going to get it. You have to be daring.”

Junior Darryl Bradshaw nearly broke his personal record in the 60-meter hurdles. Bradshaw and sophomore Brandon Bagley each qualified for the finals of the 60m hurdles with a time of 8.17. In the finals, Bradshaw finished fourth with a time of 8.05, just barely falling short of his career-best time of 8.04, the sixth best time in program history. Bagley ran an 8.21 in the finals.

Junior Luis Orta had another strong performance, finishing second in the men’s 3,000m run with a time of 8:10.58. The time is a career best for the Caracas, Venezuela native, and is the eighth best 3,000m time in program history. The winner of the event, Soufiane Bouchikhi, set a meet record with a time of 8:04.00.

Freshman Terence Boyd, who tied the seventh-best mark in program history in the long jump Friday, had another strong performance Saturday in the men’s triple jump. Boyd broke his previous career best in the event with a mark of 15.23m/49-11.75 to finish fourth. The jump is the eighth best in program history.

Senior Jennifer Svoboda finished third in the women’s shot put. Svoboda, a 2008 and 2009 NCAA Mideast Regional Semifinalist in the shot put, threw 15.59m/51-01.75 to finish third. Jeneva McCall of Southern Illinois won the women’s shot put with an NCAA automatic qualifying mark of 17.31m/56-09.50.

The Rod McCravy Memorial was Kentucky’s second home meet of the young season. Kentucky will compete at the Nutter Field House again Feb. 24-26 at the Southeastern Conference Championships. The Wildcats’ next meet is in one week at the Notre Dame Meyo Invitational in South Bend, Ind., from Feb. 3-4.

For more Kentucky track and field news and information, go to UKathletics.com and follow the Wildcats on Twitter at @KentuckyTrack.

Rod McCravy Memorial

Nutter Field House

Jan. 27-28, 2012

Saturday Results

Women’s High Jump

1. Terri-Ann Grant – 1.82m/5-11.50
T3. Joanne Imbert – 1.76m/5-09.25

Women’s Triple Jump

12. Brittany Britt – 11.25m/36-11.00

Men’s Triple Jump

4. Terence Boyd – 15.23m/49-11.75

Men’s Shot Put

5. Bradley Szypka – 15.98m/52-05.25
8. Isiah Kent – 15.12m/49-07.25

Women’s Shot Put

3. Jennifer Svoboda – 15.59m/51-01.75

Women’s 60-Meter Hurdles (Prelims)

5. Kayla Parker – 8.57q

Men’s 60-Meter Hurdles (Prelims)

T5. Brandon Bagley – 8.17q
T5. Darryl Bradshaw – 8.17q
20. Daniel Buckles – 9.10

Women’s 60-Meter Dash (Prelims)

2. Keilah Tyson – 7.44q
36. Candice Taylor – 8.03
38. Brittany Britt – 8.06

Men’s 60-Meter Dash (Prelims)

18. Darryl Bradshaw – 7.12q
24. Ben Mason – 7.16

Women’s One-Mile Run

6. Allison Peare – 4:56.65
10. Megan Broderick – 4:59.17
12. Megan Wright – 5:00.63
39. Katie Achtien – 5:24.06

Men’s One-Mile Run

3. Adam Kahleifeh – 4:09.82
7. Trent Halasek – 4:11.42
9. Keffri Neal – 4:12.50
14. Walter Luttrell – 4:15.36
18. Stacey Eden – 4:17.71
34. Miles Kilgore – 4:40.59

Men’s 60-Meter Hurdles (Finals)

4. Darryl Bradshaw – 8.05
8. Brandon Bagley – 8.21

Women’s 60-Meter Hurdles (Finals)

6. Kayla Parker – 8.58

Men’s 60-Meter Dash (Finals)

18. Darryl Bradshaw – 7.13

Women’s 60-Meter Dash (Finals)

2. Keilah Tyson – 7.36

Women’s 400-Meter Dash

8. Julie Nunn – 55.86
T12. Shiara Robinson – 56.33
T12. Angelica Whaley – 56.33

Men’s 400-Meter Dash

30. Brandon Bagley – 51.52

Women’s 800-Meter Run
12. Allison Peare – 2:14.13
17. Megan Broderick – 2:15.95

Men’s 800-Meter Run

8. Robert Scharold – 1:53.15
12. Sean Keane – 1:55.20
13. Adam Kahleifeh – 1:55.33

Men’s 200-Meter Dash

6. Ben Mason – 22.01
13. Darryl Bradshaw – 22.53
15. Brandon Bagley – 22.73
23. Daniel Buckles – 24.23

Women’s 3,000-Meter Run

7. Chelsea Oswald – 9:49.95
18. Taylor Wendler – 10:06.16

Men’s 3,000-Meter Run

2. Luis Orta – 8:10.58

Women’s 4×400-Meter Relay

5. Kentucky ‘A’ – 3:46.31
    Julie Nunn, Shiara Robinson, Angelica Whaley and Keilah Tyson