UKTF Off and Running at Drake Relays
DES MOINES, Iowa – Faith Ross picked up Kentucky’s first Drake Relays individual event win in 21 years, two 4×100-meter relays advanced to finals, seven Wildcats advanced to individual-event finals and a few more Wildcats turned in PRs during the first two days of the meet.
UK’s men’s 4x800m relay of Gabe Szalay, Brennan Fields, Matthew Thomas and Ben Young scored UK’s first five points of the meet’s team-relay competition with a fourth-place finish. The balance of the five scored relays will run on Saturday.
Ross won the women’s 400m hurdles with a time of 58.21. Masai Russell was third in 59.42. Ross became UK’s first event winner at the Drake Relays since UK Hall of Famer Sherri Hoover Bordner won the 1,500m in 1988 (as reported by veteran Iowa sports publicist Mike Mahon).
UK’s men’s and women’s 4x100m relay teams were each the top qualifiers out of the prelims. The women’s team of Celera Barnes, Abby Steiner, Faith Ross and Kianna Gray ran 44.13Q. The men’s team of Daniel Roberts, Dwight St. Hillaire, Jacob Smith and Cameron Council ran 39.90Q.
Jaci Bickett placed fourth in the women’s pole vault with a fourth-place clearance at 13’3.5″/4.05m, a PB, which moved her to No. 2 on the UK all-time outdoor performers’ list – only behind two-time defending NCAA Champion Oliva Gruver.
Nicole Fautsch tossed a shot-put PB for the third week in a row, placing third with a mark of 53’5.75″/16.30m improving her mark at No. 3 on the UK all-time outdoor list. Fautsch placed fourth in the women’s discus and Molly Leppelmeier was fifth.
Rahman Minor placed third in the men’s high jump clearing 7’1″/2.16m.
Jacob Smith tied teammate Dwight St. Hillaire at No. 7 on the UK outdoor all-time list with a fourth-place 200m time of 20.76 (+0.3). St. Hillaire placed fifth in 20.82.
Tai Brown and Caleb Wilt advanced to the men’s 110m hurdles final, and Daniel Roberts is slated to run in the elite pro race on Saturday.
Janie O’Connor and Tatian Aholou qualified out of the women’s 100m first round.
On Thursday, Mallory Liggett ran an eighth-place 3k steeplechase time of 10:45.38, a PB that improved her No. 8 mark on the UK all-time list.
The meet will be UK’s last of the regular season, a fortnight before the Southeastern Conference Championships.
The Drake Relays will be broadcast live from Drake Stadium at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa Saturday April 27 via a mix of online coverage via USATF.TV and TV coverage.
The USATF.TV broadcast will require a RunnerSpace +PLUS subscription. All events from the USATF.TV and NBCSN broadcast windows will be made available for on-demand viewing on USATF.TV.
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2019 Drake Relays – UK entries |
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Thursday, April 25 |
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Women |
3000 Meter Steeplechase |
Final |
8. Mallory Liggett: 10:45.38 | PB |
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Women |
5000 Meter Seeded |
Final |
12. Sophie Carrier: 17:48.86 |
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Friday, April 26 |
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Women |
Long Jump |
Final |
4. Tatiana Aholou: 19’11.75″/6.09mw (+3.5) 12. Zahne Smith: 19’4.75″/4.92mW (+4.7) |
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Men |
Shot Put |
Final |
6. Josh Sobota: 60’9.5″/18.53m 8. Charles Lenford Jr.: 59’6.75″/18.15m 14. Noah Castle: 55’8.5″/16.98m |
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Men |
4 x 1600 Meter Relay |
Final |
7. UK (Moulai, Thomas, Warren, Allen): 17:16.57 |
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Women |
100 Meter Hurdles |
Prelim |
3. Faith Ross: 13.24Qw (+2.3) 10. Masai Russell: 13.76w (+3.0) |
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Men |
110 Meter Hurdles |
Prelim |
3. Tai Brown: 14.03q (+2.0) 4. Caleb Wilt: 14.05Q (+3.8) |
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Women |
Pole Vault |
Final |
4. Jaci Bickett: 13’3.5″/4.05m | PB, No. 2 on UK all-time outdoor performers’ list |
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Men |
High Jump |
Final |
3. Rahman Minor: 7’1″/2.16m |
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Women |
Discus |
Final |
4. Nicole Fautsch: 168’0″/51.22m 5. Molly Leppelmeier: 167’7″/51.09m |
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Women |
4 x 100 Meter Relay – University |
Prelim |
1. UK (Barnes, Steiner, Ross, Gray): 44.13Q |
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Men |
4 x 100 Meter Relay – University |
Prelim |
1. UK (Roberts, St. Hillaire, Smith, Council): 39.90Q |
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Women |
400 Meter Hurdles |
Final |
1. Faith Ross: 58.21 3. Masai Russell: 59.42 |
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Men |
400 Meter Hurdles |
Final |
11. William Walker: 53.30 |
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Women |
100 Meter |
Prelim |
3. Janie O’Connor: 11.67Q (+1.8) 8. Tatiana Aholou: 11.80q (+1.8) |
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Women |
200 Meter |
Final |
4. Janie O’Connor: 24.14w (+2.4) |
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Men |
200 Meter |
Final |
4. Jacob Smith: 20.76 (+0.3) | T-No. 7 on UK all-time list 5. Dwight St. Hillaire: 20.82 (+0.3) |
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Women |
Shot Put |
Final |
3. Nicole Fautsch: 53’5.75″/16.30 | 2.25″ PB, No. 3 on UK all-time outdoor list 6. Molly Leppelmeier: 50’4.75″/15.36m |
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Men |
1500 Meter |
Final |
9. Trevor Warren: 3:52.46 |
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Women |
4 x 800 Meter |
Final |
4: UK (Szalay, Fields, Thomas, Young): 7:25.23 | 5 points |
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Men |
4 x 800 Meter |
Final |
12: UK (Nohilly, Akin, Boice, Lacy): 8:58.95 |
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Saturday, April 27 (Times central) |
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9 AM |
Women |
Hammer |
Prelim/Final |
Leppelmeier |
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9:45 AM |
Women |
Triple Jump |
Prelim/Final |
Ebwea-Excel |
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10:30 AM |
Men |
Pole Vault |
Final |
Peare, Jardine |
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10:40 AM |
Women |
4 x 200 Meter Relay – University |
Final |
UK |
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10:55 AM |
Men |
4 x 200 Meter Relay – University |
Final |
UK |
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11 AM |
Women |
High Jump |
Final |
Ekholm, Hinkle |
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11 AM |
Men |
Discus |
Prelim/Final |
Lenford Jr., Castle, Sobota |
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11:10 AM |
Women |
Distance Medley Relay |
Final |
UK |
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12:20 PM |
Women |
Shuttle Hurdle Relay |
Final |
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12:35 PM |
Men |
Shuttle Hurdle Relay |
Final |
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11:56 AM |
Men |
Distance Medley Relay |
Final |
UK |
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1 PM |
Men |
Long Jump |
Prelim/Final |
Springfield |
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1 PM |
Men |
Hammer |
Prelim/Final |
Lenford Jr. |
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1:32 PM |
Women |
Sprint Medley Relay |
Final |
UK |
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1:44 PM |
Men |
Sprint Medley Relay |
Final |
UK |
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2:12 PM |
Women |
100 Meter |
Final |
O’Connor, Aholou |
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2:16 PM |
Men |
100 Meter |
Final |
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2:36 PM |
Women |
100 Meter Hurdles |
Final |
Ross |
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2:48 PM |
Men |
110 Meter Hurdles |
Final |
Roberts, Brown, Wilt |
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2:58 PM |
Men |
110 Hurdles World Showdown |
Final |
Roberts |
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3:11 PM |
Women |
4 x 100 Meter Relay – University |
Final |
UK |
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3:16 PM |
Men |
4 x 100 Meter Relay – University |
Final |
UK |
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3:42 PM |
Women |
4 x 400 Meter Relay – University |
Final |
UK |
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3:49 PM |
Men |
4 x 400 Meter Relay – University |
Final |
UK |
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