June 27, 2014

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Matt Hillenbrand got Kentucky off to a strong start at the U.S. Track and Field Outdoor Championships on Thursday at Sacramento State’s Hornet Stadium.

Matt Hillenbrand advanced to the USATF Outdoor Championships 1,500m Final with the No. 4 qualifying time, 3:42.72.

That final will take place on Saturday at 5:14 p.m. ET.

Also on Thursday, Allison Peare ran a 800m prelim time of 2:04.79, .66 off her personal-best time, finishing sixth in her prelim and 19th overall. She did not advance.

The action will ramp up on Friday in Sacramento, as five Wildcats are scheduled to compete.

Andrew Evans, the top-seed based on best performances this season, will compete in the second flight of the men’s discus to start things off. The first flight is scheduled to begin at 6:15 p.m. ET.

Leah Nugent will take the track for the 400m hurdles prelims at 7 p.m. ET.

Kendra Harrison and Kayla Parker will be in the first round of the 100m hurdles at 8:25 p.m., and Peare will race in the first round of the 1,500m (her signature event) at 10:03 p.m.

On Friday, the men’s discus and 400m and 100m hurdles prelims will be broadcast on USATF.tv, while Peare’s 1,500m prelim is scheduled to air on NBCSN with the full broadcast beginning at 10 p.m. ET.

A schedule for the meet can be found here, while the broadcast schedule for the meet can be found here. The meet can be viewed on USATF.tv, NBC Sports Network and Universal Sports at various points throughout the week. Full meet entries can be found here.