By Jacob Most
May 29, 2015

Meet Central

| Results

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Nine Wildcats earned places in the NCAA Championships field during the East Preliminary Championships on Friday at North Florida’s Hodges Stadium.

The NCAA East Preliminary Championships are a numbers game, with teams looking to move as many athletes as possible on to the next round. No championships can be won at the meet.

UK had a respectable output on Friday. Fifteen Wildcats had the opportunity to advance to the NCAA Championships, to be held in two weeks at Oregon’s Hayward Field.

Four of UK’s seven Friday running-event quarterfinalists advanced to the Big Dance.

Five of UK’s eight field-event entries on Friday booked spots on the trip to Eugene, Oregon.

Six of the eight Wildcats in Friday’s first-round races qualified for Saturday quarterfinals, which is the ultimate round of the preliminary championships.

The top-12 finishers in each NCAA East Preliminary Championship events move on to the Big Dance.

Kentucky has now advanced 10 athletes (eight women, two men) to the NCAA Championships through two of the three days of the meet.


Harrison breaks two facility records, heads to Eugene as 400-meter hurdles as NCAA –leader

Kendra Harrison continues to build her form on the road to TrackTown, USA, and Friday’s performances were no exception.

She advanced to the national semifinal in the 400m hurdles with a time of 55.05, which broke the three-year old Hodges Stadium Record.

Earlier in the day, she ran 12.61 to enter Saturday’s 100m hurdles qualifier as the top seed. Her time also broke the 100m hurdles facility record.

She is the current NCAA 100m hurdles leader with a personal-best of 12.50, which she ran two weeks ago en route to the Southeastern Conference Championship.

Bryant PRs in 100m and 200m, advances to Eugene in 100m

Dezerea Bryant showed her ever-increasing form and confidence, winning both of her races on Friday.

The senior won the de facto East Regional 100m title with a PR and school-record lowering time of 11.14.

She then ran a 200m PR of 22.62, and will now enter tomorrow’s quarterfinal as the top seed.

Ray has unfinished business. He’s heading back to Eugene. #NCAATF #UKTF #BBN pic.twitter.com/ENcI1Gxy1n

— UK Track and Field (@KentuckyTrack) May 29, 2015

Friday NCAA Field-event qualifiers
Raymond Dykstra wasted little time in moving a step closer to his ultimate goal as a collegiate athlete. His first javelin attempt travelled 236’4″/72.04m, good enough for a second-place finish.

UK’s discus dynamic duo of Rebecca Famurewa and Madison Jacobs will join their male-thrower teammate in Eugene as those two also advanced.

Famurewa finished fourth, although she needed her final toss of 178’9″/54.48m to give her a qualifying mark. Jacobs’s top throw traveled 177’6″/54.10m, for fifth place.

The Wildcats’ long-jump dynamic duo also advanced on Friday. Sha’Keela Saunders jumped 21’0.75″/6.42m for third place. Kenyattia Hackworth needed her third jump, a mark of 20’3.75″/6.19m to make the plane to Oregon.


Friday NCAA running-event qualifiers

Kentucky had the top two 400m hurdles qualifiers to the NCAA Championships, as Leah Nugent ran a significant PR to place second to Harrison’s first.

Nugent won her heat in 55.71, her first time covering the race in fewer than 56 seconds.

Keilah Tyson won her 100m heat in a time of 11.44 to qualify for the NCAA Championships once again.

Three Wildcats entered the first round of the #NCAATF East 200m, three advanced to the quarterfinal. #UKTF #BBN pic.twitter.com/6mxis5ylK1

— UK Track and Field (@KentuckyTrack) May 30, 2015

Friday advancements to quarterfinals

Three Wildcats entered the women’s 200m first round, and three moved on to the quarterfinals.

Bryant will be the top seed, while Dominique Booker ran a PR of 23.29 to place second in her heat. Keilah Tyson ran 23.48, also placing second in her heat and earning automatic qualification to the next round.

Two Wildcats entered the women’s 100m hurdles first round, and two advanced as Jacklyn Howell placed 18th in 13.32 to go along with Harrison’s qualification.

Nick Anderson advanced to the 110m hurdles quarterfinal with a time of 13.98. He will likely have to produce a significant improvement on Saturday to move past the quarterfinals.


Other results of note

Justin Kretchmer cleared 6’10.25″/2.09m in the high jump, but finished 13th, coming agonizingly short of a qualifying place.

He lost a three-athlete jump off to Ole Miss’ Adam Aguirre, who cleared 6’11.75″/2.13m, while Kretchmer was unable to get over that height.

Charles Moushey made it over the pole-vault bar on his first attempt at 16’4.75″/5m, but was unable to clear 16’10.25″/2.09m. He finished 18th and did not advance.

Keffri Neal placed sixth in his 800m heat with a time of 1:48.79. He did not advance.

Booker ran 11.59 for sixth place in her 100m heat, and did not advance.

Adriana Brown’s discus mark of 161’4″/49.18m was not enough to send her to Oregon.

Daje Pugh ran 58.99, and didn’t advance out of the 400 hurdles quarterfinal.


Kentucky’s NCAA East Preliminary Championships picture

In total, 28 Wildcats (15 women, 13 men) qualified for this week’s NCAA East Preliminary Championships. Texas’ Mike A. Myers Stadium is the host site for the NCAA West Preliminary Round, also being held this weekend.

For each individual event contested at each of the preliminary sites, the top 48 declared student-athletes were accepted into the competition. For each relay event, the top 24 declared relay teams were accepted into the competition.