May 1, 2010

Smith Excels, Turned in Best Performance of the Year

Kristin Smith Moved From 12th to Fourth Nationally in the Hammer

Columbus, Ohio –

University of Kentucky track and field athlete Kristin Smith opened the 2010 Jesse Owens Track Classic with her best performance of the season as she finished first among her collegiate competitors Friday at Jesse Owens Stadium.

Senior Kristin Smith finished the women’s hammer throw competition second overall but first among collegiate athletes entered in the event. Smith gradually improved in each of her first four throws and saw her name slide up the leaderboard with a top mark of 60.17-meters at this point in the competition. The senior took a slight step back on her fifth throw just to add suspense to her sixth and final throw where she exploded and launched herself into second place with a season best throw of 208-07/63.57m. Smith’s mark catapults her up the national standings from tied for 12th to fourth currently. Senior Ashley Muffet and Heather Smith also competed in the hammer for the Cats with ninth and 18th place finishes respectively.

Sophomore Samantha Stenzel equaled her own school record in the women’s pole vault with a mark of 12-07.50/3.85m to finish in a tie for third. Mary Chris Durham finished in 12th clearing the bar at 12-07.75/3.55m.

On the men’s side junior Josh Nadzam, coming off an incredible achievement at the Catspy Awards where he received the Community Service Award, added his best performance of the season in the 1,500m run. With a time of 3:47.07 Nazdam earned a fourth place finish just six seconds ahead of teammate Adam Henken who finished 24th.

The Kentucky track and field team will be back in action Saturday at the Jesse Owens Track Classic on the Campus of the Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio. Follow live results at OhioStateBuckeyes.com.