Anthony Waterman Breaks UK Men’s 400m Hurdles Record on Opening Day of SEC Outdoor Championships
AUBURN, Ala. – The Kentucky Wildcats concluded day one of the 2026 SEC Outdoor Championships at the Hutsell-Rosen Track in Auburn, Ala. today, totaling five prelim qualifiers, four top 10 program marks and one program record.
In the men’s half of the 400m hurdles, the final event of the day, Anthony Waterman broke the Kentucky school record with an eighth-place finish and a time of 49.85. This marks the third time this season Waterman has improved her career-best time, today advancing to the SEC 400m hurdles final on Saturday.
Julia Gunnell and Dahlia Beasley competed in the opening four events of the women’s heptathlon, including the 100m hurdles, high jump, shot put and 200m. Beasley picked up a pair of personal bests in the 100m hurdles and high jump events, and concluded the day with a first-place finish in the 200m. Gunnell posted a career-best time of 13.75 in the 100m hurdles and placed second in the 200m.
In the women’s hammer throw final, Kate Powers earned the first points of the championships for the Wildcats with a seventh-place finish and a season-best mark of 62.30m. Meagan Ewers improved her personal-best mark to 60.11m, tying the sixth-best mark in Kentucky history. Addison Stadsholt also finished with a personal best mark of 57.02m, the 10th-best distance in school history.
Janet Jepkemboi Amimo and Lyric Olson qualified for the women’s 800m final in today’s prelim event, with Jepkemboi Amimo finishing atop the leaderboard with a time of 2:02.18, breaking the Hutsell-Rosen Track Facility Record. Olson broke her career-best time, the sixth-fastest time in program history, improving to 2:03.95.
Denzel Simusialela, the current NCAA leader, won the men’s 200m qualifier to advance to the final on Saturday, placing fourth with a time of 20.65.
Vanice Kerubo Nyagisera featured as the fourth prelim qualifier on the day for the Wildcats in the opening round of the women’s 400m hurdles, advancing to the final with a fifth-place finish and a time of 56.21.
Tomorrow’s events will conclude the final three events of the heptathlon, and feature the final eight preliminary track events, including the 100m and 110m hurdles, 1500m, 400m and 100m.
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Event Schedule
| SEC Outdoor Championships: Thursday, May 14: ALL TIMES IN EASTERN TIME | |||
| Women’s Hammer | 1:00 p.m. | FINAL | 7. Kate Powers – 62.30m
10. Meagan Ewers – 60.11m (PR) (No. 6 UK All-Time) 14. Addison Stadsholt – 57.03m (PR) (No. 10 UK All-Time)
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| Women’s 100m Hurdles | 1:00 p.m. | HEPTATHLON | 3. Julia Gunnell – 13.75 (PR)
10. Dahlia Beasley – 14.16 (PR)
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| Women’s High Jump | 1:45 p.m. | HEPTATHLON | 2. Dahlia Beasley – 1.71m (PR)
7. Julia Gunnell – 1.65m
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| Men’s Hammer | 3:15 p.m. | FINAL | 12. Brock Conrad – 61.08m
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| Women’s Shot Put | 3:45 p.m. | HEPTATHLON | 9. Julia Gunnell – 12.32m
14. Dahlia Beasley – 9.27m
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| Women’s 200m | 5:00 p.m. | HEPTATHLON | 1. Dahlia Beasley – 24.08
2. Julia Gunnell – 24.59
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| Women’s 800m | 6:30 p.m. | PRELIMS | 1. Janet Jepkemboi Amimo – 2:02.18 (Q) (Facility Record)
9. Lyric Olson – 2:03.95 (Q) (PR) (No. 6 UK All-Time)
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| Men’s 800m | 6:50 p.m. | PRELIMS | 28. Patrick Faust – 1:51.41
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| Women’s 200m | 7:10 p.m. | PRELIMS | 35. Stacey Onyepunuka – 23.85
47. Briana St. Louis – 24.43
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| Men’s 200m | 7:35 p.m. | PRELIMS | 4. Denzel Simusialela – 20.65 (Q)
29. Oscar Baltan Vivero – 21.23
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| Women’s 400m Hurdles | 8:00 p.m. | PRELIMS | 5. Vanice Kerubo Nyagisera – 56.21 (Q)
18. Kashia Hoo – 1:02.63
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| Men’s 400m Hurdles | 8:20 p.m. | PRELIMS | 8. Anthony Waterman – 49.85 (Q) (PR) (Kentucky Record)
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| SEC Outdoor Championships: Friday, May 15: ALL TIMES IN EASTERN TIME | |||
| Women’s Long Jump | 12:45 p.m. | HEPTATHLON | Julia Gunnell, Dahlia Beasley
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| Women’s Javelin | 2:00 p.m. | HEPTATHLON | Julia Gunnell, Dahlia Beasley
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| Women’s 800m | 3:45 p.m. | HEPTATHLON | Julia Gunnell, Dahlia Beasley
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| Women’s Shot Put | 4:30 p.m. | FINAL | Meagan Ewers, Gwyn Lori |
| Women’s High Jump | 5:30 p.m. | FINAL | Kemarah Howard
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| Men’s Pole Vault | 6:00 p.m. | FINAL | Grant Harrison
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| Women’s 100m Hurdles | 6:15 p.m. | PRELIMS | Emmi Scales, Camden Bentley, Rukia Nusra Omulisia
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| Men’s 110m Hurdles | 6:30 p.m. | PRELIMS | Anthony Waterman
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| Women’s 1500m | 6:45 p.m. | PRELIMS | Doricah Minsari Isoe, Ally Kruger
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| Men’s Shot Put | 6:45 p.m. | FINAL | Grayson Brashear
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| Men’s 1500m | 7:05 p.m. | PRELIMS | Tony Anania, Levi Kipkurui Bichii, Ed Bird, Jackson Wyatt
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| Women’s 400m | 7:25 p.m. | PRELIMS | A’Laji Bradley, Hannah Douglas, Cha’iel Johnson, JahQueen McClellan
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| Men’s 400m | 7:45 p.m. | PRELIMS | Brandon Nyandoro, TK Pahuwa
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| Women’s 100m | 8:10 p.m. | PRELIMS | Sharmelle Holmes, Naseera Efua Quansah
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| Men’s 100m | 8:25 p.m. | PRELIMS | Denzel Simusialela, Miles Jones
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| Men’s 3000m Steeplechase | 9:30 p.m. | FINAL | Collins Kiprop Kipngok
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| SEC Outdoor Championships: Saturday, May 16: ALL TIMES IN EASTERN TIME | |||
| Women’s Discus | 2:30 p.m. | FINAL | Kate Powers, Gwyn Lori
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| Women’s Pole Vault | 5:00 p.m. | FINAL | Annie Murphy, Chelsea Wetzel, Kaylee Daniel, Sarah Ferguson
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| Men’s Discus | 5:15 p.m. | FINAL | Grayson Brashear, Brock Conrad
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| Men’s Triple Jump | 6:00 p.m. | FINAL | Theo Mudzengerere |
| Women’s 4x100m | 6:05 p.m. | FINAL | Kentucky |
| Men’s 4x100m | 6:15 p.m. | FINAL | Kentucky
|
| Women’s 1500m | 6:25 p.m. | FINAL | TBD
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| Men’s 1500m | 6:35 p.m. | FINAL | TBD
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| Women’s 100m Hurdles | 6:45 p.m. | FINAL | TBD
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| Men’s 110m Hurdles | 6:55 p.m. | FINAL | TBD |
| Women’s 400m | 7:05 p.m. | FINAL | TBD
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| Men’s 400m | 7:15 p.m. | FINAL | TBD
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| Women’s 100m | 7:25 p.m. | FINAL | TBD
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| Men’s 100m | 7:35 p.m. | FINAL | TBD
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| Women’s 800m | 7:45 p.m. | FINAL | Janet Jepkemboi Amimo, Lyric Olson
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| Women’s 400m Hurdles | 8:05 p.m. | FINAL | Vanice Kerubo Nyagisera |
| Men’s 400m Hurdles | 8:15 p.m. | FINAL | Anthony Waterman |
| Men’s 200m | 8:35 p.m. | FINAL | Denzel Simusialela
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| Women’s 5000m | 8:45 p.m. | FINAL | Ally Kruger, Ann Lemirisho
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| Men’s 5000m | 9:05 p.m. | FINAL | Ed Bird, Miles Brush, Eyan Turk
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| Women’s 4x400m | 9:30 p.m. | FINAL | Kentucky |
| Men’s 4x400m | 9:40 p.m. | FINAL | Kentucky |
