BATON ROUGE, La. – Kentucky Wildcats swept the straight hurdles races, produced some elite marks in the women’s long jump and then Destiny Carter won the 200 meters on day one of the inaugural Southeastern Conference Relays, Friday at LSU’s Bernie Moore Stadium.
Jasmine Camacho-Quinn won the 100-meter hurdles in 12.84 (+1.8), and then Nick Anderson took first the 110m hurdles in a windy personal best 13.50w (+2.3).
While Anderson’s time can’t qualify for records because the tailwind was more than 2.0 meters per second, the performance can qualify for the NCAA Preliminary Championships, and along those lines his time ranks No. 4 on the national qualifying list this season.
“I was happy,” Anderson said. “I’m always happy to run faster than I ever have. Of course I want to run faster than that. I think it’s a neat idea to have SEC Relays. I think it’s a cool concept and I hope it grows.”
Another long jump classic in the SEC
In a showdown between the last two NCAA Indoor Champions in the long jump, Alabama’s Quanesha Burks got the better of UK’s Sha’Keela Saunders with a slightly windy nation-leading mark of 22’7.5”/6.90m (+2.1). For the sake of adding perspective to the caliber of the SEC Relays women’s long jump, had the wind made the mark allowable for records purposes, the jump would be tied for seventh best ever by a collegian, there about four inches shy of the collegiate record.
Sha’Keela Saunders’ second-place mark was no slouch. In fact she reached an outdoor season best 22’3.5”/6.79m. That was her best outdoor mark in a collegiate meet, and the second best outdoor leap of her career. She reached 22′ 7.25″/6.89m (+1.8) in a fourth-place showing at the U.S. Olympic Trials, last summer.
Saunders’ absolute personal best was 22’7.5”/6.90m (+2.1) to win the NCAA Indoor Title in March.
Destiny Carter was third in her outdoor long jump season debut, reaching a PB 21’6”/6.55m (+0.7).
Burks and Saunders’ marks rank Nos. 1 and 2 nationally, respectively, while Carter moved up to No. 5 in the nation this season.
Carter doubles down
Shortly after the strong long jump, Carter came back and won the 200m with a windy time of 22.88w (+2.6).
“It was my season opener in the long jump and I felt pretty good,” Carter said. “I just have to work on my landing to get farther than today. Our team is growing, and doing better. I think we can reach some lofty goals. We have to put our minds to it. Everyone has improving to do, but we can get there.”
Hurdles depth too
Camacho-Quinn and Anderson led the line for the Wildcats, but UK had other hurdlers turn in strong performances on Friday as well.
Jacklyn Howell was third in the women’s 100m hurdles in 13.35 (+1.8). Freshman Daniel Roberts was fourth in the high hurdles with a time of 13.89w (+2.3).
Other results
Ellen Ekholm was third in the women’s high jump with a clearance at 5’8.75”/1.75m.
Charles Lenford Jr. and Noah Castle each produced their collegiate PBs in the men’s discus. Lenford Jr. was sixth with a 177’11”/54.24m, and Castle was seventh with a 175’2”/53.39m.
Kianna Gray was third in the women’s 200m, Javianne Oliver was seventh and Kayelle Clarke was ninth.
A look ahead
The SEC Relays continue and conclude Saturday. The first event will be the men’s hammer throw at 11:30 a.m. ET. The first track event will be 4x100m relays, slated to begin at 1:02 p.m. ET.
Unpacking the SEC Relays
The SEC Relays, contested two weeks before the Conference Championships, will take place at Bernie Moore Stadium on the LSU campus.
The inaugural meet will feature a novel if untested format. Events will be scored using the traditional NCAA format (10-8-6-5-4-3-2-1) with the winner scoring 10 trickling down to eighth place scoring one.
Only SEC institutions were invited to the meet and nine entered: Alabama, Arkansas, Kentucky, LSU, Ole Miss, Mississippi State, Tennessee, Texas A&M and Vanderbilt.
The high scoring team will win with the wrinkle that scoring is co-ed. The institutions are competing with men’s and women’s scores combined.
Teams can score in 18 relays – 14 of them in relatively typical relays, those being the men’s and women’s 4×100, 4×200, 4×400 and 4x800m relays in addition to the sprint medley, distance medley and shuttle hurdles relays.
The SEC Relays is adding a field-event spin to relays as well.
Field Events will be scored “relay style.” The single highest mark from each institution in each discipline will be added together for a combined four-event total.
Jumps Relay = High Jump + Pole Vault + Long Jump + Triple Jump
Throws Relay = Shot Put + Discus + Javelin + Hammer
Team score update
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PL
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Team
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Points
|
|
1
|
Texas A&M
|
35
|
|
2
|
Arkansas
|
27
|
|
2
|
LSU
|
27
|
|
4
|
Miss. State
|
20
|
|
5
|
Vanderbilt
|
9
|
|
6
|
Alabama
|
8
|
|
7
|
Ole Miss
|
6
|
|
8
|
Tennessee
|
5
|
|
Kentucky
|
0
|
Other notes
UK’s women’s team won the LSU Invitational – the SEC Relays’ predecessor – a year ago.
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Friday, April 28 – UK Results
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Field
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|
Event
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UK entry
|
|
Women’s Discus
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9. Nicole
Fautsch: 152’2”/46.38m
|
|
Men’s Discus
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6. Charles Lenford Jr.: 177’11’/54.24m
7. Noah Castle: 175’2”/53.39m
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Women’s High Jump
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3. Ellen
Ekholm: 5’8.75”/1.75m
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|
Men’s Long Jump
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7. Mohammed Abubakar: 24’10”/7.57m (+1.7)
Fred Dorsey: Foul
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Women’s Long Jump
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2. Sha’Keela
Saunders: 22’3.5”/6.79m (+1.2)
3. Destiny
Carter: 21’6”/6.55m (+0.7)
|
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Women’s Hammer
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11. Brandi Walker: 177’7”/54.12m
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Track
|
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Women’s 100 Hurdles
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1. Jasmine Camacho-Quinn: 12.84 (+1.8)
3. Jacklyn Howell: 13.35 (+1.8)
|
|
Men’s 110 Hurdles
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1. Nick
Anderson: 13.50w (+2.3)
4. Daniel
Roberts: 13.89 (+2.3)
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Women’s 400 Hurdles
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4. Kiah Seymour: 58.95
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|
Men’s 400 Hurdles
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9. William
Walker: 55.17
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|
Women’s 200 Meters
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1. Destiny Carter: 22.88w (+2.6)
3. Kianna Gray: 23.06w (+2.6)
7. Javianne Oliver: 23.25w (+2.6)
9. Kayelle Clarke: 23.39 (+2.6)
12. Precious Hitchcock: 23.47w (+3.2)
16. Sha’Keela Saunders: 23.85 (+1.1)
19. Jasmine Camacho-Quinn: 23.91w (+2.6)
24. Jacklyn Howell: 24.26w (+3.1)
|
|
Men’s 200 Meters
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10. Nick
Anderson: 21.39w (+4.4)
14. Fred
Dorsey: 21.58 (-0.1)
18. Daniel
Roberts: 21.88 (-0.1)
20. Craig
Green: 22.18w (+2.8)
21. Mohammed
Abubakar: 22.72 (-0.1)
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SEC Relays – UK Schedule
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|
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Saturday, April 29
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Field
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10:30 a.m.
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Men’s Hammer
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David Cline, Logan Bryer
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10:45 a.m.
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Women’s Shot Put
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Nicole Fautsch
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11:30 a.m.
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Women’s Pole Vault
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Olivia Gruver
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11:30 a.m.
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Men’s High Jump
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Justin Kretchmer, Xaivier McAllister
|
|
12:00 p.m.
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Men’s Javelin
|
Ethan Shalaway
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12:00 p.m.
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Women’s Javelin
|
Sarah Blake
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|
12:15 a.m.
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Men’s Shot Put
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Nik Huffman, Noah Castle, CJ Lenford
|
|
1:00 p.m.
|
Women’s Triple Jump
|
M-J Ebwea-Bile
|
|
1:15 p.m.
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Men’s Triple Jump
|
|
|
1:25 p.m.
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Elementary School Sit Ups
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|
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1:30 p.m.
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Elementary School Push Ups
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|
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1:45 p.m.
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Elementary School Softball Throw
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|
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2:00 p.m.
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Elementary School Long Jump
|
|
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Track
|
|
11:55 a.m.
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National Anthem
|
|
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12:00 p.m.
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Elementary School 100 Meters
|
|
|
12:02 p.m.
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Women’s 4×100 Relay
|
UK
|
|
12:09 p.m.
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Men’s 4×100 Relay
|
UK
|
|
12:16 p.m.
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Women’s 1500 Meters
|
|
|
12:28 p.m.
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Men’s 1500 Meters
|
|
|
12:40 p.m.
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Women’s 4×200 Relay
|
UK
|
|
12:50 p.m.
|
Men’s 4×200 Relay
|
|
|
1:00 p.m.
|
Women’s Shuttle Hurdle Relay
|
|
|
1:10 p.m.
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Men’s Shuttle Hurdle Relay
|
|
|
1:20 p.m.
|
Women’s Distance Medley Relay
|
|
|
1:35 p.m.
|
Men’s Distance Medley Relay
|
|
|
1:47 p.m.
|
Women’s 100 Meters
|
Kianna Gray, Destiny Carter, Javianne Oliver, Kayelle
Clarke
|
|
1:55 p.m.
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Men’s 100 Meters
|
Craig Green, Kenshard Hamilton
|
|
2:03 p.m.
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Women’s 4×400 Relay
|
UK
|
|
2:15 p.m.
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Men’s 4×400 Relay
|
UK
|
|
2:20 p.m.
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Elementary School 4×100 Relay
|
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—
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