May 13, 2001
COLUMBIA, S.C. — Three University of Kentucky athletes earned NCAA provisional qualifying times and marks on Sunday, May 13, the final day of the Southeastern Conference Outdoor Track and Field Championships.
Sophomore Chad Johnson and freshman David Freeman each provisionally qualified for the NCAA Outdoor Championships with their finishes in the 800 meters. Johnson, who finished fifth at the 2000 SECs, claimed fourth place with a personal-best 1:48.10, just eight one-hundredths of a second off the UK outdoor record. Freeman, who also qualified for the NCAA Indoors in the 800, took sixth place with a UK freshman outdoor record 1:48.44, a record previously held by Johnson.
The Cats’ other NCAA qualifier was sophomore Simidele Adeagbo, who finished fifth in the women’s triple jump with a 42-00.75. Adeagbo, who finished ninth at the 2000 SECs, jumped a wind-aided 42-03.50 earlier this season at the Texas Relays.
Also competing well for the women’s side were freshman Molly Lonergan and senior Shevan Threats. Lonergan claimed third place in the discus with a heave of 163-05.00, while Threats garnered her best SEC outdoor finish with a third-place leap of 20-04.75. Adeagbo also gave UK points in the long jump with a sixth-place 20-02.25. Freshman Caity Phillips rounded out the women’s scorers with a time of 4:33.47 for eighth place in the 1,500 meters.
For the men, sophomore Hunter Spencer scored a fourth-place finish in the 1,500 meters in a time of 3:50.63, while sophomore Thomas Morgan’s time of 3:53.05 gave him seventh. In the men’s discus, freshman phenom Jeff Chakouian took sixth with a throw of 171-01.00, and junior Bill Powers finished eighth with a heave of 162-00.00.
In team scoring, the men came in ninth with 28 points, while the women finished 10th with 29 points. Tennessee won the men’s competition with 153 points, and Arkansas won the women’s title with 182 points.
The Cats return to action when they travel to the Georgia Tech Invitational in Atlanta on May 18-19 for a final opportunity to qualify for the NCAA Outdoor Championships to be held in Eugene, Ore., on May 30-June 2.
AGATE (First Place and UK Finishers)
Women’s 1,500 Meters (Finals)1. Tracy Robertson Arkansas 4:20.898. Caity Phillips Kentucky 4:33.47
Women’s Long Jump (Finals)1. Myra Combs LSU 20-07.75P3. Shevan Threats Kentucky 20-04.75P6. Simidele Adeagbo Kentucky 20-02.25
Women’s Triple Jump (Finals)1. Shelly-Ann Gallimore Auburn 43-04.50P5. Simidele Adeagbo Kentucky 42-00.75P13. Falana Greenwell Kentucky 39-01.00
Women’s Discus (Finals)1. Marie LeJour Arkansas 169-00.00P3. Molly Lonergan Kentucky 163-05.00
Women’s Final Team Scores1. Arkansas, 182, 2. Florida, 112, 3. South Carolina, 109,4. LSU, 103, 5. Auburn, 67, 6. Alabama, 63.50, 7. Georgia, 55,8. Ole Miss, 39, 9. Tennessee, 31, 10. Kentucky, 29,11. Vanderbilt, 15, 12. Mississippi State, 12.50.
Men’s 800 Meters (Finals)1. Otukile LekoteSouth Carolina 1:45.36A4. Chad Johnson Kentucky 1:48.10P!6. David Freeman Kentucky 1:48.44P$!
Men’s 1,500 Meters (Finals)1. David Kimani Alabama 3:49.824. Hunter Spencer Kentucky 3:50.637. Thomas Morgan Kentucky 3:53.05
Men’s 5,000 Meters (Finals)1. David Kimani Alabama 13:57.53P11. Thomas Morgan Kentucky 14:53.68
Men’s High Jump (Finals)1. Kenny Evans Arkansas 7-04.50A10. Andrew VanderWagen Kentucky 6-08.0011. Matt Smothermon Kentucky 6-08.00
Men’s Discus (Finals)1. Gabor Mate Auburn 205-05.00A6. Jeff Chakouian Kentucky 171-01.008. Bill Powers Kentucky 162-00.0010. Scott Theis Kentucky 156-07.00
Men’s Final Teams Scores1. Tennessee, 153, 2. Florida, 107.50, 3. Arkansas, 104,4. Alabama, 91.50, 5. Georgia, 78, 6. LSU, 77.50, 7. Auburn, 71,8. South Carolina, 68, 9. Kentucky, 28, 10. Mississippi State, 19.50,11. Ole Miss, 18.
P = NCAA Provisional Qualifying mark/timeA = NCAA Automatic Qualifying mark/time@ = UK Record$ = UK Freshman Record! = Personal Best
