Charles Lenford Jr., Keaton Daniel, Men’s 4x400 Relay Win Gold at SEC Track and Field Championships

BRYAN-COLLEGE STATION, Texas – It was a show of strength at the start and a fantastic finish for Kentucky track and field Saturday at the Southeastern Conference Outdoor Championships at E. B. Cushing Stadium on the campus of Texas A&M.   
 
The strength came in the opening event of the day, the discus throw.  Charles Lenford Jr. earned the first SEC medal of his career, muscling his way to gold as he slung the platter 195’6″/59.58 meters. It is a personal best and improved his standing at No. 7 on the UK career list.
 
“It’s been a long time coming honestly,” Lenford Jr. said. “I’ve been in the SEC for five years and it feels really good for this to be my last SEC Championships winning the Gold … I put in so much work. I feel like I worked the hardest I ever could have.
 
“Obviously, I worked hard all five years I’ve been here, but I feel like this year especially was really hard. I had to lock in every single day and really try to do my best every single time I came out to the track. It feels good to know all those times I was sweating in the gym, I finally came out with something to be happy about.”
 
Lenford only slightly outdid teammate Josh Sobota, who claimed the bronze medal by hurling the disc 188’9″/57.55m. It is the second consecutive meet that Sobota notched a personal best in the event as he solidified his standing in the No. 10 spot in UK history. It is the second bronze of his collegiate career, joining his shot-put effort at the 2020 SEC Indoors.

Charles Lenford Jr.

The fantastic finish was provided by the 4×400-meter relay in the final men’s event of the night.  It was a tight race during the first leg with Kenroy Williams running well, but separation appeared after Lance Lang received the first handoff.  Having already finished fourth in three races on the day (100, 200, 4×100), he was determined to leave the track with a medal and he zoomed into the lead.
 
Lang stuck the stick into the capable hand of Dwight St. Hillaire, and the swift senior maintained the advantage.  St. Hillaire bestowed the baton to anchor Kennedy Lightner, who held off a furious charge from Texas A&M for the victory. The total time of 3:01.71 is a school record and also broke the facility record by 1.63 seconds. It is the fourth-fastest time in the nation during the outdoor season.
 
It has been quite a year for the 4×400 unit, which now has a gold medal after earning silver at the NCAA and SEC Indoor Championships.
 
Between the brawny beginning and thrilling ending, Daniel joined Lenford and the relay in the winner’s circle.  A redshirt freshman from Henderson, Nevada, Daniel won the pole vault as he cleared 18’8.25″/5.70m, eclipsing his own school record by an astonishing 7.75 inches. He also erased the facility record of 18″6.5″ set just one week ago by Clayton Fritsch of Sam Houston State. Daniel’s effort ties for the third-best in the nation during the outdoor season.
 
“Today was crazy,” Daniel said. “Ryan (Lipe) from Alabama (and I) were neck and neck, kept passing. In the end I was able to go with my coach (Kris Grimes), trust his training and come out with the win — pretty nice!
 
“It was definitely nice getting these high bars. I’ve been chasing three high bars, but it just hadn’t lined up in past meets. Today it lined up perfect.”
 
The triple gold sparked the men’s team to 70 total points and a fifth-place finish – highest for the UK men at the SEC outdoor meet in more than a quarter-century, since the 1995 squad placed fourth in what was then a 12-team league.
 

Keaton Daniel, Coach Kris Grimes

Moments after Daniel’s triumph, Masai Russell gained her first SEC individual medal by earning the bronze in the women’s 400m hurdles. Her personal-best time of 56.75 seconds improved her No. 5 time in school history.
 
Another notable effort was by Lang, who broke the school record in the 200m dash in 20.08 seconds, but the speed and depth of the SEC sprinters only allowed him to finish in fourth place.   
 
The top eight finishers in each event earned points. In addition to the medalists, these Wildcats also scored points on Saturday:
 
Fourth place
Men’s 4x100m relay (Kennedy Lightner, Lance Lang, Rodney Heath Jr., Dwight St. Hillaire), 39.29, tied for No. 6 on the UK all-time list
Dwight St. Hillaire, 400m, 45.12
Lance Lang, 100m, 10.07w (+3.2)
Lance Lang, 200m, 20.08 – school record
 
Fifth place
Faith Ross, 100m hurdles, 12.92w (+3.6)
Kenroy Williams, 400m hurdles, 50.86
Dalton Shepler, pole vault, 16’8.75″/5.10m – No. 9 on UK all-time list
Joseph Jardine, pole vault, 16’8.75″/5.10m – No. 9 on UK all-time list
 
Sixth place
Masai Russell, 100m hurdles, 12.93w (+3.6)
Women’s 4x400m relay (Faith Ross, Dajour Miles, Masai Russell, Megan Moss), 3:33.26
 
Seventh place
Tai Brown, 110m hurdles, 13.57w (+2.7)
 
Eighth place
Molly Leppelmeier, discus throw, 166’8″/50.81m
Tori Herman, 1500m, 4:20.06 
Faith Ross, 400m hurdles, 58.22
 
As a team, the Wildcat women totaled 28 points to finish 11th.
 
Following this meet, Wildcats who qualify will prepare for the NCAA East Preliminary Championships on May 27-29 in Jacksonville, Fla.
 
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