Wildcats Shine on Day One of Crossroads of America Invitational
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – In their second event of the new calendar year, the Kentucky Wildcats kicked off the 2026 Crossroads of America Invitational today in Indianapolis, Ind.
The Wildcats totaled six event wins on the opening day in Indianapolis, along with two athletes, Kemarah Howard in the women’s high jump and Denzel Simusialela in the men’s 60m, breaking into the top 10 program performance list in their respective events.
In the first event of the meet, freshman Kemarah Howard nearly broke the program’s high jump freshman record with a 1.81m/5-11.25 mark, tying the fifth-best mark in UK history, to win the women’s high jump invite event.
Five Wildcats advanced to the women’s 60m hurdles final tomorrow, as Emmi Scales, Camden Bentley, Kori Martin Rukia Nusra Omulisia and Julia Gunnell each finished inside the top five. In the men’s 60m hurdles, sophomore Anthony Waterman also advanced to tomorrow’s final, winning the event with a time of 7.86.
In the men’s and women’s 60m events, six Wildcats finished inside the top five to advance to the final round tomorrow. Sharmelle Holmes, Emmi Scales and Naseera Efua Quansah qualified in the women’s 60m and Denzel Simusialela, Miles Jones and Coy Hyre qualified in the men’s 60m.
Freshman Kingi McNair and Gunnell capped off the field events for day one in Indianapolis, as both Wildcats finished second in the men’s long jump invite and the women’s high jump invite, respectively, with marks of 7.40m and 1.65m.
In the final running events of the day, Hannah Douglas won the women’s 200m final with a season-best time of 23.52, as the Wildcats took each of the top five spots, with Sharmelle Holmes, A’Laji Bradley, Tressia Davis and Scales rounding out the top finishers.
In the men’s 200m, Jones and Simusialela led the way for Kentucky, finishing second and third with two of the three sub-21 times of 20.90 and 20.93.
The Crossroads of America Invitational will continue tomorrow with day two from Indianapolis, starting with Dahlia Beasley, Meagan Ewers, the women’s shot put event at 9:45 a.m. ET and conclude with the men’s 4x400m relay at 2:15 p.m. ET.
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Event Schedule
| Crossroads of America Invitational: Friday, January 23: ALL TIMES IN EASTERN TIME | |||
| Women’s Weight Throw | 12:15 p.m. | FINAL | 5. Gwyn Lori – 17.26m
7. Addison Stadsholt – 16.89m (PR)
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| Women’s High Jump | 1:00 p.m. | INVITE | 1. Kemarah Howard – 1.81m (PR) (No. 5 UK All-Time) |
| Women’s Long Jump | 2:00 p.m. | FINAL | Kemarah Howard – DNS
|
| Women’s Weight Throw | 3:30 p.m. | INVITE | 3. Kate Powers – 20.35m
4. Meagan Ewers – 19.67m
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| Women’s 60m Hurdles | 4:10 p.m. | PRELIMS | 1. Emmi Scales – 8.12 (Q)
2. Camden Bentley – 8.36 (Q) 3. Kori Martin – 8.43 (Q) 4. Rukia Nusra Omulisia – 8.54 (Q) 5. Julia Gunnell – 8.74 (Q) 11. Alene Washington – 9.04 12. Kahalia Hoo – 9.07 (PR) Dahlia Beasley – DNS
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| Men’s 60m Hurdles | 5:15 p.m. | PRELIMS | 1. Anthony Waterman – 7.86 (Q)
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| Men’s Weight Throw | 5:15 p.m. | INVITE | 6. Grayson Brashear – 18.94m
8. Brock Conrad – 17.65m
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| Women’s 60m | 5:30 p.m. | PRELIMS | 1. Sharmelle Holmes – 7.38 (Q)
2. Emmi Scales – 7.42 (Q) (PR) 5. Naseera Efua Quansah – 7.55 (Q) 8. Kori Martin – 7.66 17. Briley Cline – 7.80
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| Men’s 60m | 5:45 p.m. | PRELIMS | 1. Denzel Simusialela – 6.64 (Q) (No. 8 UK All-Time)
3. Miles Jones – 6.73 (Q) 6. Coy Hyre – 6.83 (Q) 10. Zyrie Stewart-McLaren – 6.91 16. Kaylib Nelson – 7.01 Jack Marek – DNS
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| Men’s Pole Vault | 6:00 p.m. | FINAL | 5. Jack Marek – 4.87m (PR)
Grant Harrison – NH
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| Women’s 600m | 6:30 p.m. | FINAL | Vanice Kerubo Nyagisera – DNS
Cha’iel Johnson – DNS
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| Women’s High Jump | 6:45 p.m. | FINAL | 2. Julia Gunnell – 1.65m
5. Dahlia Beasley – 1.59m
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| Men’s Weight Throw | 6:45 p.m. | FINAL | 13. Cian Crampton – 14.66m
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| Men’s 600m | 6:50 p.m. | FINAL | Patrick Faust – DNS
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| Men’s Long Jump | 7:00 p.m. | INVITE | 2. Kingi McNair – 7.40m
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| Women’s 200m | 8:00 p.m. | FINAL | 1. Hannah Douglas – 23.52
2. Sharmelle Holmes – 23.54 3. A’Laji Bradley – 23.72 (PR) 4. Tressia Davis – 23.81 (PR) 5. Emmi Scales – 23.88 (PR) 7. Briana St. Louis – 24.41 (PR) 9. JahQueen McClellan – 24.55 (PR) 19. Rukia Nusra Omulisia – 25.09 (PR) 21. Camden Bentley – 25.14 (PR) 24. Kori Martin – 25.27 (PR) Stacey Onyepunuka – DNS Briley Cline – DNS
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| Men’s 200m | 8:25 p.m. | FINAL | 2. Miles Jones – 20.90
3. Denzel Simusialela – 20.93 (PR) 7. Coy Hyre – 21.50 (PR) 11. Tyrique Johnson – 21.71 (PR) 18. Brandon Nyandoro – 21.95 26. Zyrie Stewart-McLaren – 22.13 (PR) 28. Zach Morgan – 22.15 (PR) TK Pahuwa – DNS
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| Crossroads of America Invitational: Saturday, January 24: ALL TIMES IN EASTERN TIME | |||
| Women’s Shot Put | 9:45 a.m. | FINAL | Dahlia Beasley, Meagan Ewers, Julia Gunnell, Gwyn Lori |
| Women’s 60m Hurdles | 10:20 a.m. | FINAL | Emmi Scales, Camden Bentley, Kori Martin, Rukia Nusra Omulisia, Julia Gunnell
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| Men’s 60m Hurdles | 10:30 a.m. | FINAL | Anthony Waterman
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| Women’s Pole Vault | 10:45 a.m. | INVITE | Kaylee Daniel, Annie Murphy, Chelsea Wetzel |
| Women’s 60m | 10:50 a.m. | FINAL | Sharmelle Holmes, Emmi Scales, Naseera Efua Quansah
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| Men’s 60m | 10:55 a.m. | FINAL | Denzel Simusialela, Miles Jones, Coy Hyre
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| Women’s Mile | 11:15 a.m. | FINAL | Morgan Dick, Ava Hendren, Ann Lemirisho, Baylor Wolfe
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| Men’s High Jump | 11:40 a.m. | INVITE | Devin Sealey |
| Men’s Mile | 11:45 a.m. | FINAL | Miles Brush, Lincoln Herald, Caden Miracle, William Russell, Eyan Turk
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| Women’s 400m | 12:15 p.m. | FINAL | Jayla Atkinson, A’Laji Bradley, Tressia Davis, Hannah Douglas, Kashia Hoo, Cha’iel Johnson, JahQueen McClellan, Alene Washington
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| Men’s 400m | 12:45 p.m. | FINAL | Tyrique Johnson, Brandon Nyandoro
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| Women’s 800m | 1:15 p.m. | FINAL | Vanice Kerubo Nyagisera
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| Men’s 800m | 1:30 p.m. | FINAL | Tony Anania, Patrick Faust
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| Women’s 4x400m | 1:55 p.m. | FINAL | Kentucky
|
| Men’s 4x400m | 2:15 p.m. | FINAL | Kentucky |
