KNOXVILLE, Tenn. ? The University of Kentucky track & field squads concluded the Gatorade Classic on a high note in Knoxville, Tenn., Saturday. The Cats captured twelve top-three finishes, 10 regional qualifying scores and broke one freshman school record to help the Southeastern Conference to a commanding lead over the Big Ten in the conference scoring clash. The SEC men annihilated the Big Ten by a score of 420-298, while the SEC women also claimed victory over the Big Ten by a score of 379-310.
Freshman Michael Mason broke the freshman men?s high jump record. Mason captured second with a regional-qualifying and season-best leap of 7-0 ?.
Continued success came as the UK men?s squad tallied an additional seven regional qualifying scores. The men?s 4×400-meter relay team took home top honors with a regional qualifying time of 3:08.99. The foursome was comprised of Dedrick Tillerson, Nathan Browning, Justin Harrison and Gabe McClaren.
Charting yet another first-place finish in the shot put for UK was senior Jeff Chakouian. Chakouian recorded his highest regional qualifying mark of the season with a toss of 66-02 1/2. Harrison recorded a personal-best and regional qualifying time in the men?s 400-meter dash with a mark of 46.82. Harrison was just shy of the freshman 400-meter record time of 46.80 with his third-place finish.
Also recording regional qualifying marks on the men?s side were Dan Hutson who crossed the finish line in second-place with a personal-best time of 1:50.24 and Gabe Mclaren, who added a regional qualifying and personal-best fourth-place mark of 1:50.36. In the men?s 400-meter hurdles Tillerson improved on his previous regional qualifying mark with a personal-best, third-place time of 52.32. Sophomore Andy Fryman also threw a regional qualifying toss in the men?s shot put with a fifth-place heave of 54-09 ?.
Continued success for the women came in the field events as Ildiko Varga and Gennessa Guzman finished second and third for the Cats, both recording regional qualifying marks. Varga and Guzman threw 162-09 and 157-06 in the women?s discus, respectively.
Senior Allison Grace and freshman Liliane Sparkes ran solid races in the women?s 1,500 meters, as the duo finished second and third. Both recorded personal-best times, as Grace crossed the finish-line with a time of 4:28.43 and Sparkes tallied a time of 4:28.82. Junior Rachel Kohler added to the top-three finishes, as she tied for third-place, tallying a leap of 5-05 in the women?s high jump.
The women?s distance squad faired well in the 800 meters, as freshman Lavera Morris? fourth-place season-best time of 2:10.05. Sophomore Georganne Way took fifth also in the 800 meters with a time of 2:11.28.
For the men?s team in the men?s 1,500 meter run senior Kris Landers took home medalist honors with a third-place finish. Landers crossed the finish line with a time of 3:51.94. Tillerson and Browning finished fifth and sixth, respectively in the men?s 400 meters. Tillerson tallied a season-best time of 47.69, while Browning recorded a personal-best time of 47.78.
– UK –
