UK Track & Field to Wrap Indoor Season at NCAA Championships
BIRMINGHAM,
Ala. – The 2016 indoor track and field season
culminates this weekend at the Birmingham CrossPlex.
Kentucky qualified six entries – five from the No. 18 women’s team and one from the men’s team to the indoor championships, where the top-16 performances recorded at
any point during the season qualify.
Sha’Keela Saunders was UK’s lone double qualifier making it in the long jump
and triple jump.
Saunders claimed the NCAA Silver Medal in the long jump last season, and came
back to score in the triple jump the next day. She enters the 2016
Championships as the No. 3-seed in the long jump and No. 12 in the triple jump.
She will long jump at 8:10 p.m. ET on Friday.
Rebecca Famurewa, fresh off a Southeastern Conference Championship in the
weight throw, qualified in her signature indoor event for the second year
running.
Javianne Oliver is the No 10-seed in the 60 meters.
UK’s women’s 4x400m relay of Jasmine Mitchell, Kiah Seymour, Destiny Carter and
Ariah Graham, which ran 3:31.50 – the second fastest time in school history
during a Bronze Medal Performance at the SEC Championships – will conclude the
meet as the No. 6 seed.
Tim Duckworth will make his NCAA Championships debut in the heptathlon to
represent the UK men’s team.
ESPN3
will stream the meet live on March 11 starting at 6:25 p.m. ET and March 12 at 4:55
p.m. A re-air of the championship will take place on Sunday, March 13 at 7 p.m.
on ESPN2 and Wednesday, March 23 at 10 p.m. on ESPNU.
The
complete list of participants to the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships
is available here.
How the NCAA Championships work
The
top-16 athletes and top-12 relay teams that declared for the Championships in
their particular events, based on performances recorded this season, qualified
for the Championships.
Athletes
earn points for their teams at the NCAA Championships based on top-8 finishes
on a 10-8-6-5-4-3-2-1 basis.
UK at NCAA Indoors Recent history
Last season the Kentucky women’s team finished in fifth place with 35 points,
which were school-records, at the NCAA Indoor Championships.
The UK men’s team finished 38th on five points in 2015.
Last year Kentucky qualified 11 entries from the women’s team and two from the
men’s team.
UKTF at NCAA Indoor Championships Schedule
Friday
1
p.m. – Hept – Tim Duckworth
7:30
p.m. – Women’s 60m – Javianne Oliver
8:10
p.m. – Women’s LJ – Sha’Keela Saunders
8:20
p.m. – Women’s WT – Beckie Famurewa
Saturday
1
p.m. – till – Hept – Tim Duckworth
6:55
p.m. – Women’s 60m – If qualified
7
p.m. – Women’s TJ – Sha’Keela Saunders
7:55
p.m. – Women’s 4x400m Relay — Kentucky
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The most up-to-date coverage of the UK track
and field program is available via @KentuckyTrack handles on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
