Four Wildcats Post NCAA-Leaders to Begin Season at Hoosier Open
times/marks, and 11 Wildcats won individual events to begin the indoor track
and field season on Friday at Indiana’s Hoosier Open.
Notably a lot of teams do not begin the outdoor season until January.
Reigning Southeastern Conference indoor long jump champion Sha’Keela Saunders dropped
a great mark to begin the year, winning her signature event with a mark of 21’6.25”/6.56m.
That mark is her indoor personal best, meaning she opened the 2015-16 season
with a mark better than what she produced to win both the SEC title and NCAA
Silver Medal last year.
Saunders mark was also a Gladstein Fieldhouse and Hoosier Open record.
Javianne Oliver began the season in ideal fashion, winning the 60-meter dash in
a PR and nation-leading time of 7.30.
Jacklyn Howell ran a nation-leading PR 8.30 in the prelims, and followed it up
with an 8.34 in the final to win the 60m hurdles.
Rebecca Famurewa won the weight throw with a nation-leading mark of 69’6.25”/21.19m.
Reigning SEC Outdoor High Jump Champion Justin Kretchmer got over the bar at 7’0.25”/2.14m
– the Hoosier Open record – to win with a mark that matched the PR clearance he
made to win the SEC last May.
Ariah Graham won the 500m with a time of 1:10.80. As an early-season meet, the
Hoosier Open features less common race distances like 300 and 500m.
Nikolas Huffman won the shot put with a mark of 59’5″/18.11m.
Destiny Carter won the 200m with a time of 24.06. Oliver placed second in 24.38
and Precious Hitchcock was third in 24.48.
Multi-eventer Tim Duckworth won the long jump with a mark of 24’5”/7.44m.
Xavier Jones won the 200m in his best performance as a Wildcat – 21.81.
Naija Omari ran 49.56 to win the 400m.
Olivia Gruver made a strong UK debut, finishing second overall and as the top
collegiate pole vaulter with a top clearance at 13’1.5”/4m – 2.5” short of her
PR. Gruver’s clearance is tied for third in the nation.
Kaitlyn Taylor jumped to the best long jump distance of her UK career, reaching
19’7”/5.97m.
Adrianna Brown threw a shot put PR 53’11.25/16.44m for second place. Famurewa
placed third in the SP.
Shane Dillon ran 2:28.53 over 1,000 meters for second place in his UK debut.
Ian Jones was fourth in 2:29.78.
Nick Anderson was third in the 60m hurdles in 7.81. He ran 7.90 in the prelims.
Kentucky will break until 2016, and then host two indoor meets in mid-January,
including the Rod McCravy Memorial. That meet again will host the nation’s most
stacked early-season field.
