UKTF’s 4x800m Relay Runs Meet Record on Day Two of Drake Relays

DES MOINES, Iowa – Kentucky track & field earned three relay wins, including a meet record in the women’s 4x800m, and two individual wins on the second day of competition at the 112th Annual Drake Relays. 

The Wildcats are now in the lead in relay cup points with 32, with 10 points being awarded to each of Kentucky’s three relay wins plus two points from the sixth-place men’s 4x800m. 

Friday Recap 

UKTF had a successful second day of competition, featuring five event wins, three second place finishes and one top prelim time. 

The women’s 4x800m stole the show with a meet record time of 8:25.25. The team of Phoebe McCowan, Deanna Martin, Jenna Gearing and Jenna Schwinghamer ran for the Cats first ever win in the event and the world-lead. 

Kentucky’s 4x200m relays swept the competition with the women running a time of 1:32.98 and the men running 1:23.11. The women’s team of Dajour Miles, Megan Moss, Shadajah Ballard and Alexis Holmes earned the current third fastest time in the U.S. and fifth fastest in the world this year. 

The men’s 4x200m relay featured Tai Brown, Kenroy Williams, Brian Faust and Rodney Heath Jr. 

Masai Russell was crowned the Drake Relays 400m hurdles Champion with a 56.27 finish in the race. She also was the second finisher in the 100m hurdles prelims with a time of 13.59 and a 2.3 m/s headwind. 

Matt Peare won the men’s pole vault with a vault of 17’7″/5.36m. 

The women’s 4x100m of 43.65 took the top time of prelims and will compete at 3:13 p.m. ET/2:13 p.m. CT. 

The men’s 4x100m ran the second fastest time in prelims (39.38). 

Rahman Minor jumped for second in the high jump with a height of 7’1″/2.16m. He has jumped over seven feet in each outdoor meet this season and has yet to finish outside the top two. 

Kenroy Williams and Bryanna Lucas both placed second in their respective races, the 400m hurdles (50.57) and the 800m (2:08.81). 

The Cats’ next best finishers was Areti Filipidou, a freshman from Greece, who broke into the UK all-time list in the discus at eighth all-time (171’8″/52.32m) with her fourth-place finish at Drake. 

Siobhan Szerencsits also finished fourth in her respective event, the pole vault, with a mark of (13’2.25″/4.02m). 

Perri Bockrath ran for a personal best in the 1,500m, clocking 4:22.44. 

Thursday Recap 

Kentucky track & field began competing on the Drake Relay’s second day of competition, featuring five distance runners in the distance carnival. 

The Wildcats’ best finisher was Martin, who placed sixth in the 800m (2:10.30). 

Kelli Walsh placed 13th in the 5,000m with a personal best time of 17:11.82. 

Meet Information 

On Saturday, UKTF starts at 12:30 p.m. with the women’s hammer and ends at 4 p.m. with the 4x400m. 

Kentucky track & field will mostly run relays instead of individual events, while the field athletes will compete in their usual events. 

Live Results can be found at results.drakerelays.us 

Saturday TV Schedule: 

8 a.m. – 1 p.m. on RunnerSpace.com and USATF.tv 
1-3 p.m. on CBS Sports Network 
3-5 p.m. on RunnerSpace.com and USATF.tv  

Tickets can be found at draketix.com 

The meet schedule, Kentucky student-athlete schedule and any other necessary meet links are attached above. 

UKTF at Drake Relays 2019 

In 2019, the Wildcats’ first time at Drake Relays since 1988 and the last time the team attended the meet, Kentucky won eight events, highlighted by Daniel Roberts’ victory over world and Olympic gold medalist Omar McLeod in the World Showdown Invitational 110-meter hurdles. 

Faith Ross became just the third runner and first since 2004 to sweep the university-college 100 hurdles and 400 hurdles and was voted the Outstanding Performer in the women’s division. The Wildcats also swept the men’s and women’s 4×200 relays, with Celera Barnes, Abby Steiner, Chloe Abbott and Kianna Gray taking the women’s title and Dwight St. Hillaire, Jacob Smith, Daniel Roberts and Cameron Council earning the men’s title. 

UKTF Alumnae and Olympic medalists Kendra Harrison and Jasmine Camacho-Quinn went first and second in the 100m hurdles, respectively. 

Marie-Josée Ebwea-Bile Excel won the triple jump, Ellen Ekholm won the high jump, and Tai Brown placed first in the collegiate 110m hurdles. 

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