Eight Wildcats Punch Tickets to Eugene on Final Day of East First Round

LEXINGTON, Ky. – The 2026 NCAA East First Round came to a close tonight with the second round of qualifying events for the women, with the Wildcats punching eight more tickets to the NCAA’s most prestigious track and field event.

Across the four-day regional meet, the Wildcats totaled 20 individual qualifiers for the NCAA Championships, including eight from the men’s team and 12 from the women’s.

Kicking off the final day of competition in Lexington, freshman Kemarah Howard secured the first national qualifying spot the Wildcats of the afternoon in the women’s high jump semifinal. The two-time SEC Champion completed the event with the top qualifying mark at 1.82m/5-11.5.

All three Wildcats punched their ticket to the NCAA Championships in the women’s 100m hurdles, including Emmi Scales, once again, running the top qualifying time at 12.69. Freshman Rukia Nusra Omulisia improved her personal best time from Thursday’s first round to 12.88, moving her to No. 5 on the all-time list, to advance to nationals for the first time in her career. Camden Bentley tied her career-best time of 12.93, the sixth-fastest time in school history, to secure the No. 10 spot on the qualifying list.

For the fourth time in her career, Hannah Douglas claimed a qualifying spot in the women’s 400m quarterfinal with the 10^th-fastest time at 50.88. A’Laji Bradley finished the event in 18^th with a final time of 51.56.

Two-time SEC Silver Medalist, Janet Jepkemboi Amimo, secured national qualification in the 800m event for the second consecutive season to begin her UK career. After advancing to tonight’s race in Thursday’s first round, Jepkemboi Amimo ran the 11^th fastest qualifying time at 2:01.17 to punch her ticket to Eugene.

Vanice Kerubo Nyagisera featured as the final individual national qualifier for Kentucky, running the fourth-fastest time in the 400m hurdles quarterfinal. The Wildcat freshman crossed the finish line at 55.13, just 0.01 seconds off her personal best time.

In the final event of the week, the women’s 4x400m relay team, consisting of A’Laji Bradley, Hannah Douglas, Vanice Kerubo Nyagisera and Cha’iel Johnson, punched the Wildcats’ final ticket to the national championships. The team earned the second-fastest qualifying time in the second heat at 3:26.81, along with the third-fastest overall mark.

Following the completion of the East First Round, the Wildcats will now begin preparation for the NCAA Outdoor Championships at Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore. on June 10-13.

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Event Schedule