Molly Leppelmeier, McLean Griffin, Jonah Mitchell, Women’s 4x300 Relay Get First Wins of Outdoor Season
COLUMBIA, S.C. and AUSTIN, TEXAS – Molly Leppelmeier, McLean Griffin, Jonah Mitchell and the women’s 4×300-meter relay earned the first wins of the outdoor season for the University of Kentucky track and field teams Friday at the Weems Baskin in Columbia, S.C.
Leppelmeier won the weight throw with a sling of 207’05″/63.22m, almost nine feet longer than her nearest competitor. It was a personal best for the senior, improving her No. 3 rank in school history. The 4×300 relay unit of Faith Ross, Darci Khan, Shadajah Ballard and Megan Moss posted a time of 2:35.17, two seconds better than the runner-up.
On the men’s side, sophomore McLean Griffin won the 3000-meter steeplechase with a time of 9:35.84, nipping his closest rival by less than two seconds. It was the first time that Griffin had run a steeplechase. Also running a 5000-meter event for the first time, freshman Jonah Mitchell won with a mark of 14:47.37.
Freshman Rodney Heath Jr. posted the best 100-meter preliminary time on Friday with a time of 10.70 seconds. More heats will be run Saturday.
Meanwhile, at the Texas Relays, sophomore Annika Williams finished fourth among 15 athletes – third among collegians – in the women’s heptathlon. The highlight of her performance was a personal-best long jump of 19’8.25″/6.00m. Given that the 2020 outdoor season was canceled because of the pandemic, it was the sophomore’s first effort at the heptathlon and she totaled 5361 points, fourth most in school history.
On Saturday at Cregger Track in Columbia, action resumes in the field at 10 a.m. and on the track at 11 a.m.
In addition to Kentucky and host South Carolina, schools competing include Appalachian State, Benedict, Campbell, Charleston Southern, Claflin, Coastal Carolina, Coppin State, Emmanuel College, Furman, Georgia State, Kennesaw State, Lenoir-Rhyne University, Limestone College, North Carolina A&T, North Greenville University, Presbyterian College, Savannah State, South Carolina State, Southern Wesleyan, The Citadel, Charlotte, Northern Colorado, Virginia Tech and Voorhees College.
The event is named in honor of Weems Baskin, the South Carolina track and field coach from 1949-72.
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Thursday, March 25 and Friday, March 26 – Women’s Heptathlon – Texas Relays |
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Event |
UK entry |
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(Thursday) 100m Hurdles |
7. Annika Williams, 14.05 (971 points) |
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(Thursday) High Jump |
3. Annika Williams, 5’8″/1.73m (891 points) |
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(Thursday) Shot Put |
9. Annika Williams, 37’3″/11.35 (618 points) |
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(Thursday) 200m |
6. Annika Williams, 25.29 (860 points) |
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(Friday) Long Jump |
5. Annika Williams, 19’8.25″/6.00m (850 points) | Personal best |
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(Friday) Javelin Throw |
10. Annika Williams, 93’11″/28.64m (451 points) |
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(Friday) 800m |
7. Annika Williams, 2:27.87 (720 points) |
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Total |
4. Annika Williams, 5361 points (Third place among collegians) | No. 4 on UK all-time list |
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Friday, March 25 — Weems Baskin |
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Event |
UK entries |
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Women’s Hammer Throw |
1. Molly Leppelmeier, 207’05″/63.22m | Personal best, improves No. 3 mark on UK all-time list |
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Women’s 400m preliminaries |
9. Sydney Spillman, 1:00.18 |
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Men’s Hammer Throw |
2. Charles Lenford Jr., 195’07″/59.63m 5. Michael Browning, 182’10″/55.73 9. Aeon Johnson, 150’08″/45.94m | Personal best 10. Ezarious Roller, 126’07″/38.59m |
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Men’s 100m preliminaries |
1. Rodney Heath Jr., 10.70 |
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Women’s 4x300m Relay |
1. Kentucky (Faith Ross, Darci Khan, Shadajah Ballard, Megan Moss), 2:35.17 |
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Men’s 3000m Steeplechase |
1. McLean Griffin, 9:35.84 |
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Women’s 5000m |
5. Sarah Michels, 17:55.96 |
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Men’s 5000m |
1. Jonah Mitchell, 14:47.37 2. Shane Williams, 14:53.28 |
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