SACRAMENTO, Calif. ? Kentucky sprinters Luis Luna (Barquisimeto, Venezuela) and Jenna Martin (Nova Scotia, Canada) each ran valiant races Friday in the semifinals of the 400-meter dash, but fell short of qualifying for the finals in a tough field at the 2007 NCAA Track and Field Championships at the Alex G. Spanos Sports Complex to conclude a successful season for the Wildcats.
?Today, Luis and Jenna went out and competed to the best of their abilities,? UK sprints coach Erin Tucker said. ?We?ve said all season long that we want to work hard to be here at the end and see how the cards fall when things play out. I couldn?t ask for anything more from either of them. They are obviously disappointed that they weren?t able to advance to the finals, but I am happy with the effort they showed tonight and all season long. I hope that the rest of our athletes can see the effort that Luis and Jenna put into it and mimic that level of competitiveness in their races next season.”
Martin, who posted one of the finest rookie campaigns in recent history, again broke the 53-second mark in her race, finishing in a time of 52.98. Martin, who recorded a personal-best mark of 52.60 at the NCAA Mideast Regional, is one of only three female sprinters in Kentucky school history to run faster than 53 seconds in the outdoor 400-meter dash. In just her freshman season, Martin broke the rookie school records in both the indoor and outdoor 400 meters and ranks third on UK?s all-time list in the outdoor and second on the indoor 400 meters.
Luna saw his outstanding collegiate career come to a close, finishing in a time of 46.55. Luna, also the anchor leg of UK?s trademark 4×400 relay team, ends his college days ranked tied for second all-time in the outdoor 400 meter with a collegiate-best time of 46.15. His indoor personal-best time of 46.46 also ranks second all-time at UK.
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Kentucky Results (June 8, 2007 – Sacramento, Calif.)
Men’s 400 Meter Semifinals
12. Luis Luis – 46.55
Women’s 400 Meter Semifinals
14. Jenna Martin – 52.98
