Sydney McLaughlin Sets World Junior 300m Record in UK Debut

Results | McLaughlin Highlight

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Kentucky track and field freshman Sydney McLaughlin delivered and then some on Friday in what was one of the more anticipated collegiate debuts in the history of the sport at the Hoosier Open inside Indiana’s Gladstein Field House.

McLaughlin led a strong start to the 2017-18 season for Kentucky on Friday as the Wildcats totaled eight event wins on Friday.
 
The 2016 Olympian won the 300 meters in 36.12 seconds, setting the World Junior Record. The time also ranks No. 3 on the all-time collegiate list and is the best time on that list at a non-altitude venue. She now ranks second on the United States all-time list, to the 35.71 Quanera Hayes ran a year ago.

She moved to No. 6 on the world indoor all-time performers’ list (11th fastest performance) in the sparsely run indoor 300m.

Dwight St. Hillaire gave Kentucky a sweep of the men’s and women’s 300m, winning the men’s race in a facility record 32.83.

Kentucky also swept the men’s and women’s 60m hurdles with Daniel Roberts and Jasmine Camacho-Quinn getting off to sporty starts respectively.

Roberts ran a personal best 7.71 in the victorious record, moving to No. 3 on the UK all-time list.

Camacho-Quinn began her SEC 60m hurdles title defense campaign in 8.04, .02 off her PR.

Marie-Josee Ebwea-Bile began her junior season by picking up near where she left off in claiming NCAA silver in the outdoor triple jump. She won her signature event in 44’8.75″/13.36m, the indoor school record and facility record.

Latavia Coombs, last year’s junior college national champion in the outdoor triple jump, 100m hurdles, high jump and long jump and outdoor long and high jump, was second to Ebwea-Bile with a mark of 43’1.75″/13.15m. That performance made her the No. 4 performer on the UK all-time list.

Tim Duckworth won the men’s long jump in 25’4″/7.72m, showing off some strong form as he will seek to improve upon the NCAA silver he claimed in the heptathlon last season.

Olivia Gruver, reigning NCAA outdoor pole vault champion, won her signature event 14’1.25″/4.30m.

Celera Barnes was top collegian, and No. 2 to Kentucky alumna Javianne Oliver who ran a world-leading 7.17 in the 60m. Barnes, a sophomore transfer, ran 7.34, No. 9 on the UK all-time performers’ list.
 
The Wildcats began the season in early-December for the sixth year in a row. The Hoosier open serves as a measuring stick to assess before the Wildcats venture off for the Winter holiday break following next week’s final exams.
 
Many teams do not begin their indoor track and field season until January.
 
In any event the name of the game all regular season in indoor track and field is qualifying for the NCAA Championships, which will be contested for the second year in a row at Texas A&M’s Gilliam Indoor Track, March 9-10. Gilliam Indoor will also be the site for the Southeastern Conference Championships, Feb. 24-25.
 
The top-16 marks in the nation by declared competitors in individual events and the top-12 marks by relay teams achieved during the 2017-18 season are accepted into the NCAA Championships. Last Friday, the first day in December, was the first day athletes could record marks eligible for NCAA Championships qualification.
 
Kentucky will next host its first of two indoor meets inside Nutter Field House, the Kentucky Invitational on Jan. 12.
 
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