Another Record Falls for the Wildcats on Final Day of Tiger Paw Invitational
CLEMSON, S.C. and BOSTON, Mass. – The Kentucky Wildcats closed out its first dual meet week of the 2025-26 season today at the Tiger Paw Invitational and the David Hemery Valentine Invitational in the team’s final meets prior to the start of postseason competition.
Yesterday, the Wildcats totaled 17 personal best marks between the two meets, three top 10 all-time program marks and two event wins. The top finishers were highlighted by Emmi Scales reclaiming the No. 1 spot in the national 60m hurdles rankings, and the No. spot on the UK all-time list, with a time of 7.83 and Ed Bird breaking his own Kentucky program 3000m record in Boston with a time of 7:49.99, beating his previous best by over a second and a half.
Today, nine more personal bests and another record was broken in the form of freshman Vanice Kerubo Nyagisera posting the program’s best 800m time at 2:03.21. Kerubo Nyagisera becomes the second freshman in consecutive seasons to break the women’s 800m record, as Janet Jepkemboi Amimo broke the record in 2025 with a time of 2:03.27.
In the men’s half of the 800m, junior Patrick Faust placed third and ran his career-best time of 1:48.92, moving him into No. 8 on Kentucky’s all-time leaderboard.
Theo Mudzengerere, Kate Powers and Grayson Brashear highlighted the Wildcats’ performance in the field events, with Mudzengerere and Powers both placing second in the men’s triple jump and women’s weight throw invite and Brashear posting a career-best distance of 18.39m/60-4 in the men’s shot put.
In the final event of the meet, the women’s 4x400m relay team, consisting of A’Laji Bradley, Hannah Douglas, Kerubo Nyagisera and Cha’iel Johnson, placed second, only behind first- place Georgia, with a time of 3:29.14, the sixth-fastest time in school history.
On day two at the David Hemery Valentine Invitational in Boston, senior Ally Kruger highlighted the Wildcats’ performance in the women’s distance events, placing 13th in the 3000m final with a career-best time of 9:10.53, landing at No. 5 on the UK all-time list. Junior Lyric Olson also posted a personal best time in the women’s mile race, finishing eighth at 4:43.31.
Next up for the Wildcats will be a trip to College Station, Texas for the start of postseason competition at the 2026 SEC Indoor Championships on Feb. 26-28 at the Fasken Indoor Facility.
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Event Schedule
| Tiger Paw Invitational: Friday, February 13: ALL TIMES IN EASTERN TIME | |||
| Men’s Weight Throw | 10:00 a.m. | FINAL | 4. Grayson Brashear – 19.40m (PR)
Brock Conrad – X
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| Women’s Long Jump | 11:00 a.m. | FINAL | 21. Dahlia Beasley – 5.61m
24. Julia Gunnell – 5.54m
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| Women’s 60m Hurdles | 11:20 a.m. | PRELIMS | 1. Emmi Scales – 7.94 (Q)
9. Rukia Nusra Omulisia – 8.20 (Q) (PR) (T-No. 10 UK All-Time) 15. Camden Bentley – 8.27 (Q) (PR) 17. Kori Martin – 8.31 (Q) 27. Julia Gunnell – 8.52 (PR) 50. Dahlia Beasley – 9.23
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| Women’s Weight Throw | 11:30 a.m. | FINAL | 13. Addison Stadsholt – 17.37m (PR)
14. Gwyn Lori – 17.24m
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| Men’s 60m Hurdles | 11:45 a.m. | PRELIMS | 14. Anthony Waterman – 7.77 (Q) (PR) (No. 6 UK All-Time)
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| Women’s Pole Vault | 12:00 p.m. | FINAL | Chelsea Wetzel – NH
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| Women’s 60m | 12:10 p.m. | PRELIMS | 39. Naseera Efua Quansah – 7.52
Sharmelle Holmes – DNS Kori Martin – DNS Emmi Scales – DNS
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| Men’s 60m | 12:45 p.m. | PRELIMS | 25. Coy Hyre – 6.78
39. Kaylib Nelson – 6.95 (PR)
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| Women’s Mile | 1:05 p.m. | FINAL | 11. Noel Barlette – 4:54.38
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| Men’s Mile | 1:15 p.m. | FINAL | 6. Tony Anania – 4:09.40 (PR)
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| Women’s 60m Hurdles | 1:20 p.m. | SEMIFINAL | 1. Emmi Scales – 7.86 (Q)
12. Kori Martin – 8.22 (PR) 17. Camden Bentley – 8.29 19. Rukia Nusra Omulisia – 8.32
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| Men’s Shot Put | 1:30 p.m. | FINAL | 7. Brock Conrad – 16.19m (PR)
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| Men’s 60m Hurdles | 1:35 p.m. | SEMIFINAL | 14. Anthony Waterman – 7.77 (T-PR)
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| Men’s Long Jump | 2:00 p.m. | FINAL | Kingi McNair – DNS
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| Women’s 400m | 2:20 p.m. | FINAL | 15. A’Laji Bradley – 53.06 (PR)
26. Cha’iel Johnson – 53.82 (PR) 31. Stacey Onyepunuka – 54.13 32. JahQueen McClellan – 54.15 (PR) 39. Tressia Davis – 54.72 61. Alene Washington – 57.21 (PR)
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| Women’s Pole Vault | 3:00 p.m. | INVITE | 4. Kaylee Daniel – 4.02m
4. Annie Murphy – 4.02m
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| Men’s 400m | 3:20 p.m. | FINAL | 25. Brandon Nyandoro – 46.74 (PR)
34. Tyrique Johnson – 46.91 (PR) 39. TK Pahuwa – 47.06
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| Women’s Shot Put | 3:30 p.m. | FINAL | 7. Gwyn Lori – 13.96m
9. Meagan Ewers – 13.61m
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| Women’s 60m Hurdles | 4:20 p.m. | FINAL | 2. Emmi Scales – 7.83 (PR) (No. 2 UK All-Time) (NCAA No. 1) (World No. 3) |
| David Hemery Valentine Invite: Friday, February 13: ALL TIMES IN EASTERN TIME | |||
| Men’s Mile | 1:20 p.m. | FINAL | 48. Nicola Baiocchi – 4:03.27
111. Levi Kipkurui Bichii – 4:08 113. Jackson Wyatt – 4:08.37
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| Men’s 3000m | 4:45 p.m. | FINAL | 9. Ed Bird – 7:49.99 (PR) (Kentucky Record)
14. Collins Kiprop Kipngok – 7:50.83 (PR) (No. 2 UK All-Time) 111. Eyan Turk – 8:17.25 |
| Tiger Paw Invitational: Saturday, February 14: ALL TIMES IN EASTERN TIME | |||
| Women’s High Jump | 9:00 a.m. | FINAL | 11. Dahlia Beasley – 1.61m (PR)
14. Julia Gunnell – 1.56m
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| Men’s Pole Vault | 10:00 a.m. | FINAL | Jack Marek – NH
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| Men’s Triple Jump | 10:00 a.m. | FINAL | 2. Theo Mudzengerere – 16.19m
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| Women’s Weight Throw | 11:30 a.m. | INVITE | 2. Kate Powers – 21.61m
7. Meagan Ewers – 20.56m (PR)
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| Women’s High Jump | 12:00 p.m. | INVITE | 6. Kemarah Howard – 1.66m
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| Women’s 800m | 12:00 p.m. | FINAL | 1. Vanice Kerubo Nyagisera – 2:03.21 (PR) (Kentucky Record) (Freshman Record)
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| Men’s 800m | 12:15 p.m. | FINAL | 3. Patrick Faust – 1:48.92 (PR) (No. 8 UK All-Time)
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| Women’s 200m | 12:25 p.m. | FINAL | 10. Hannah Douglas – 23.39
18. Briana St. Louis – 23.64 (PR) 33. Tressia Davis – 24.05 47. Naseera Efua Quansah – 24.37 Rukia Nusra Omulisia – DNS Stacey Onyepunuka – DNS
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| Men’s Shot Put | 1:00 p.m. | INVITE | 3. Grayson Brashear – 18.39m (PR)
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| Men’s Pole Vault | 1:30 p.m. | INVITE | Grant Harrison – NH
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| Men’s 200m | 1:35 p.m. | FINAL | 18. Oscar Baltan Vivero – 21.12
27. Coy Hyre – 21.48 (PR) 35. Anthony Waterman – 21.79 (PR)
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| Men’s High Jump | 2:00 p.m. | FINAL | 10. Devin Sealey – 2.09m (PR)
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| Women’s 3000m | 2:25 p.m. | FINAL | 7. Ava Hendren – 9:54.00
9. Elly Heine – 10:02.56 11. Baylor Wolfe – 10:11.15 13. Morgan Dick – 10:20.91
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| Men’s 3000m | 2:40 p.m. | FINAL | 11. Caden Miracle – 8:23.89
17. Miles Brush – 8:29.55 18. Lincoln Herald – 8:31.71 20. Alex Alston – 8:35.12 22. William Russell – 8:48.62 Tony Anania – DNF
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| Women’s 4x400m | 3:00 p.m. | FINAL | 2. Kentucky – 3:29.14 (No. 6 UK All-Time)
7. Kentucky – 3:36.76
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| Men’s 4x400m | 3:25 p.m. | FINAL | Kentucky – 3:07.12
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| David Hemery Valentine Invite: Saturday, February 14: ALL TIMES IN EASTERN TIME | |||
| Women’s Mile | 1:30 p.m. | FINAL | 8. Lyric Olson – 4:43.31 (PR) |
| Women’s Mile | 4:05 p.m. | INVITE | 37. Doricah Minsari Isoe – 4:40.58 |
| Women’s 3000m | 5:10 p.m. | FINAL | 13. Ally Kruger – 9:10.53 (PR) (No. 5 UK All-Time)
49. Ann Lemirisho – 9:27.23 (PR) |
