UK Track & Field Announces Six Additions
May 23, 2014
LEXINGTON, Ky. – The UK track and field/cross country program announced six additions to its 2014-15 recruiting class on Friday.
Of the six newcomers announced on Friday, four are men and two are women.
The six additions bring UK’s total of newcomers for next season to 18 (9 men and 9 women).
The full group is made up of nine state champions who combined to win a total of 29 state championships.
Ten states are represented within the incoming class (Arizona, Georgia, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, New Jersey, North Carolina, Ohio, South Carolina and Virginia)
Fred Dorsey III – Horizontal Jumps, Sprints – Atlanta, Ga. – St Pius X
Personal Best – Long Jump: 7.23m/23-8.5 | 100m: 10.68 | Triple Jump: 46.75m/153-4
Fred Dorsey will have the chance to make an early impact on UK’s corps of horizontal jumpers and sprinters. He was the Georgia 3A State Champion having jumped the No. 19 mark in the country (7.23m/23-8.5) to win. Dorsey has also been a top-5 finisher in the 100 meters at his state meet as he was fourth this season. He has a 100m PR of 10.68. He competed at New Balance Indoor Nationals in the long jump and triple jump earlier this year. He is a two-time Georgia State Champion, having also won the triple jump in 2013. He won the long jump and triple jump at the 2014 UK High School Invitational.
Aundrea Busse – Distance – Springboro, Ohio – Springboro
Personal Best – 800m: 2:31.67 | 3,200m: 10:49.43 | 5k: 18:35.29
Busse comes to UK having experienced success in the Ohio prep ranks. She was recently the Greater Western Ohio Conference Divisional Champion in the 3,200m – an event in which her PR is 10:49.43. Her two-mile PR is 11:12.61, which came in a third-place performance at the UK High School Invitational. She won the Northmont Invitational with a 5k PR of 18:35.29.
Athena Carpenter – Hurdles – Marietta, Ga. – Pope
Personal best – 100H: 14.54
Carpenter joins UK’s having recently turned in a number of high finishes in the Georgia prep ranks. She is likely to focus on multi-events at UK. She was the 100m hurdles Region 7 Champion, and took home the Silver Medal at the State Championships. Her short hurdles PR is 14.54. She is a two-time Georgia State Championship Medalist in the short hurdles. Carpenter was fifth in the Georgia 300m hurdles Championship with a time of 45.09. She placed ran her 300H PR of 44.47 in a third-place performance at the Sectional Championships.
Ian Jones – Middle Distance –
Lenexa, Kansas – St. James Academy
Personal Best – 200m: 22.29 | 400m: 48.67 | 800m: 1:54.01
Jones will join UK having spent most of his time in athletics as a sprinter that recently shifted his focus to the half-mile. He has progressed as an 800m runner throughout his career. He has improved by more than five seconds in the event over the past two years, with a current PR of 1:54.01 having come in a win at the Shawnee Mission North Relays. The time is the top by a prep runner in Kansas this year. He has also proven to be a strong high school quarter-miler as he has the No. 55 high school indoor 400m time in the country this, a 49.35 at the Arkansas HS Invitational. His 400m PR of 48.61, which came in a second-place finish at the USA Youth Trials is the third-fastest in by a prep runner from Kansas this year.
Luke Sharkey – Distance – Fairfax, Va. – James Robinson Secondary
Personal Best: 1,600m: 4:22.10 | 3,200m: 9:17.43
Sharkey has been most successful as a two-miler as he recently ran a PR of 9:17.43 in a winning effort at the 2014 Northern Virginia Invitational. His mile PR of 4:22.10 came in a third-place finish at the Nike Spring Invitational in early May. He has performed well at state meets, as he was top-5 in the Virginia Indoor Championships mile in February.
John Spencer – Distance – Lexington, Ky. – Lafayette
Personal Best: Mile: 4:18.53 | 3,200m: 9:51.06 | 5k (XC): 15:19.80
Spencer is a local product who has emerged as one of the top distance/middle distance runners in the state. His career highlight in terms of time so far has been 4:18 mile at the 2013 Kentucky Dream Mile. He ran 4:19.73 for second at the 2013 Kentucky State Championships. Spencer won the mile at the 2014 Kentucky Relays, and was second at the Kentucky Region 6 Meet. He was second at the Tyson Gay Invitational 800m, an event in which his PR is 1:58.51. His 3,200m PR of 9:51.06 came in a win at the Tates Creek All-Comers meet. He has a 5k PR of 15:19 in cross country, and he placed second in the 2013 Fayette County Championships.
