Two School Records Fall on Day Two of Wake Forest Invitational
GAINESVILLE, Fla. and Winston-Salem, N.C. – The Wildcats concluded day two in Gainesville and Winston-Salem today, combining for two program records, seven top 10 all-time marks and one event win.
On the final day of the Wake Forest Invitational, the Wildcats totaled two school records and three top 10 program marks, highlighted by Ed Bird and Doricah Minsari Isoe.
Freshman Ann Lemirisho opened the day with a third-place finish in the women’s 1500m final, posting a personal best time of 4:24.50. In the men’s half of the 1500m, freshman Jackson Wyatt won his section of the event with a personal best time of 3:46.58.
Freshman Minasri Isoe and senior Ally Kruger both posted historic marks in the women’s 1500m race. Minasri Isoe improved her Kentucky school record time to 4:10.34 and Kruger improved her career-best time to 4:14.54, the fourth-fastest time in program history.
A second 1500m school record would fall in the men’s half of the 1500m event, as Bird moved from 10th all-time to breaking a 12-year record, previously held by Matt Hillenbrand in 2014. Bird improved his career-best time by over four seconds and now holds the fifth-best mark in the NCAA this season at 3:38.38.
Day two of the Tom Jones Memorial Invitational kicked off this afternoon, with Grant Harrison and Meagan Ewers highlighting the early portion of the results for the Cats.
Harrison earned the first win of his career in the men’s pole vault event, finishing with the 10-best mark in UK history at 5.15m/16-10.75. Ewers followed that performance with a third-place finish in the women’s hammer throw, finishing with the ninth-best mark in program history at 57.65m/189-1.
Julia Gunnell and Dahlia Beasley concluded their runs in the women’s heptathlon, with Beasley placing fourth with a career-best 5,217 total points and Gunnell finishing seventh with 4,561 points.
In the men’s 200m, Denzel Simusialela broke into the all-time top 10 marks with a third-place finish and a time of 20.36, the sixth-best time in school history.
The 2026 Tom Jones Memorial Invitational will conclude with day three tomorrow, starting with Kate Powers and Gwyn Lori competing in the women’s discus event at 9 a.m. ET.
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Event Schedule
| Wake Forest Invitational: Thursday, April 16: ALL TIMES IN EASTERN TIME | |||
| Women’s 800m | 6:00 p.m. | FINAL | 2. Jayla Atkinson – 2:08.72 (PR)
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| Men’s 800m | 7:00 p.m. | FINAL | 5. Sami Hattab – 1:52.49
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| Women’s 800m | 7:30 p.m. | INVITE | 2. Lyric Olson – 2:04.80
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| Women’s 3000m Steeplechase | 8:00 p.m. | FINAL | 3. Morgan Dick – 11:01.36 (PR)
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| Men’s 3000m Steeplechase | 8:40 p.m. | FINAL | Alex Alston – 9:11.91
William Russell – 9:32.58
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| Women’s 5000m | 9:20 p.m. | FINAL | 4. Ava Hendren – 17:08.49
25. Baylor Wolfe – 17:58.01
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| Men’s 5000m | 9:40 p.m. | FINAL | 3. Eyan Turk – 14:22.97 (PR)
4. Miles Brush – 14:25.17 (PR) 10. Caden Miracle – 14:31.47 17. Lincoln Herald – 14:51.74 Alex Alston – DNF William Russell – DNF |
| Tom Jones Memorial Invitational: Thursday, April 16: ALL TIMES IN EASTERN TIME | |||
| Women’s 100m Hurdles | 11:30 a.m. | HEPTATHLON | 3. Julia Gunnell – 13.87 (PR)
6. Dahlia Beasley – 14.76
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| Women’s High Jump | 12:15 p.m. | HEPTATHLON | 3. Julia Gunnell – 1.66m (PR)
5. Dahlia Beasley – 1.66m
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| Women’s Shot Put | 1:45 p.m. | HEPTATHLON | 4. Julia Gunnell – 11.62m
10. Dahlia Beasley – 10.68 (PR)
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| Women’s 200m | 3:00 p.m. | HEPTATHLON | 2. Dahlia Beasley – 23.79
4. Julia Gunnell – 24.64
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| Wake Forest Invitational: Friday, April 17: ALL TIMES IN EASTERN TIME | |||
| Women’s 1500m | 1:10 p.m. | FINAL | 3. Ann Lemirisho – 4:24.50 (PR)
Lyric Olson – DNF
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| Men’s 1500m | 1:35 p.m. | FINAL | Jackson Wyatt – 3:46.58 (PR)
Levi Kipkurui Bichii – 3:46.89 Tony Anania – 3:47.92 (PR) Sami Hattab – 3:52.84
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| Women’s 1500m | 7:50 p.m. | INVITE | Doricah Minsari Isoe – 4:10.34 (PR) (Kentucky Record) (Freshman Record)
Ally Kruger – 4:14.54 (PR) (No. 4 UK All-Time)
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| Men’s 1500m | 8:15 p.m. | INVITE | Ed Bird –
Collins Kiprop Kipngok – 3:42.77 Nicola Baiocchi – DNF
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| Women’s 5000m | 8:35 p.m. | INVITE | Elly Heine – 17:08.63
Ally Kruger – DNS Ann Lemirisho – DNS |
| Tom Jones Memorial Invitational: Friday, April 17: ALL TIMES IN EASTERN TIME | |||
| Women’s 200m | 12:00 p.m. | FINAL | 27. Tressia Davis – 23.94
28. Briana St. Louis – 23.96 (PR) 29. Naseera Efua Quansah – 24.00 43. JahQueen McClellan – 24.32 (PR)
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| Men’s Hammer | 12:00 p.m. | FINAL | 5. Brock Conrad – 62.15m
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| Men’s 200m | 12:30 p.m. | FINAL | 21. Coy Hyre – 21. 44 (PR)
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| Women’s 400m Hurdles | 1:00 p.m. | FINAL | 9. Kashia Hoo – 59.43 (PR) |
| Women’s Long Jump | 1:00 p.m. | HEPTATHLON | 5. Julia Gunnell – 5.68m (PR)
6. Dahlia Beasley – 5.67m (PR)
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| Men’s Pole Vault | 2:00 p.m. | FINAL | 1. Grant Harrison – 5.15m (PR) (No. 10 UK All-Time)
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| Women’s Hammer | 2:15 p.m. | FINAL | 3. Meagan Ewers – 57.65m (PR) (No. 9 UK All-Time)
9. Addison Stadsholt – 53.77m Gwyn Lori – X
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| Women’s Javelin | 2:30 p.m. | HEPTATHLON | 7. Julia Gunnell – 28.55m
11. Dahlia Beasley – 22.28m
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| Women’s 800m | 4:15 p.m. | HEPTATHLON | 4. Dahlia Beasley – 2:15.87 (PR)
Julia Gunnell – DNF
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| Women’s 200m | 5:00 p.m. | INVITE | 14. Sharmelle Holmes – 22.95
39. Stacey Onyepunuka – 24.12
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| Men’s 200m | 5:35 p.m. | INVITE | 3. Denzel Simusialela – 20.36 (PR) (No. 6 UK All-Time)
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| Women’s 400m Hurdles | 6:20 p.m. | INVITE | 8. Vanice Kerubo Nyagisera – 55.77 |
| Men’s 400m Hurdles | 6:45 p.m. | INVITE | 20. Anthony Waterman – 50.81 |
| Men’s Shot Put | 6:45 p.m. | INVITE | 8. Grayson Brashear – 18.04m
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| Men’s Long Jump | 7:00 p.m. | FINAL | 10. Kingi McNair – 7.22m
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| Women’s Heptathlon | FINAL | 4. Dahlia Beasley – 5217 pts (PR) (No. 6 UK Al-Time)
7. Julia Gunnell – 4561 pts |
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| Tom Jones Memorial Invite: Saturday, April 18: ALL TIMES IN EASTERN TIME | |||
| Women’s Discus | 9:00 a.m. | FINAL | Kate Powers, Gwyn Lori
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| Men’s Discus | 9:00 a.m. | FINAL | Grayson Brashear, Brock Conrad
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| Women’s 100m | 9:45 a.m. | FINAL | Naseera Efua Quansah, Briana St. Louis
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| Women’s Pole Vault | 10:00 a.m. | FINAL | Chelsea Wetzel, Kaylee Daniel, Annie Murphy, Sarah Ferguson
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| Women’s 400m | 10:10 a.m. | FINAL | Cha’iel Johnson, JahQueen McClellan, Stacey Onyepunuka
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| Men’s 400m | 10:30 a.m. | FINAL | Brandon Nyandoro
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| Women’s 100m Hurdles | 12:00 p.m. | PRELIMS | Emmi Scales, Camden Bentley, Rukia Nusra Omulisia
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| Men’s 110m Hurdles | 12:30 p.m. | PRELIMS | Anthony Waterman |
| Women’s Hammer | 12:30 p.m. | INVITE | Kate Powers |
| Women’s 4x100m | 1:10 p.m. | FINAL | Kentucky |
| Men’s 4x100m | 1:35 p.m. | FINAL | Kentucky
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| Women’s 800m | 1:55 p.m. | INVITE | Janet Jepkemboi Amimo
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| Men’s 800m | 2:05 p.m. | INVITE | Patrick Faust
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| Women’s 100m Hurdles | 2:15 p.m. | FINAL | TBD |
| Men’s 110m Hurdles | 2:30 p.m. | FINAL | TBD |
| Women’s 400m | 2:45 p.m. | INVITE | Hannah Douglas, A’Laji Bradley
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| Men’s Shot Put | 3:00 p.m. | FINAL | Brock Conrad
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| Men’s 400m | 3:15 p.m. | INVITE | TK Pahuwa
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| Men’s Triple Jump | 3:30 p.m. | INVITE | Theo Mudzengerere |
| Women’s 100m | 3:50 p.m. | INVITE | Sharmelle Holmes
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| Women’s High Jump | 4:00 p.m. | INVITE | Kemarah Howard |
| Men’s 100m | 4:10 p.m. | INVITE | Denzel Simusialela, Miles Jones, Coy Hyre
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| Women’s Shot Put | 4:30 p.m. | FINAL | Gwyn Lori, Meagan Ewers |
| Women’s 4x400m | 5:10 p.m. | FINAL | Kentucky |
| Men’s 4x400m | 5:35 p.m. | FINAL | Kentucky |
