Kentucky rising track sophomore Liliane Sparkes placed fourth in the 3,000 meters at the Canadian Junior National Championships this weekend in Montreal, Quebec to earn a spot on the Canadian Junior National Team. Sparkes, a native of Courtice, Ontario, will compete in the Can-Am Championships, July 28-31, in Windsor Ontario in the 5,000-meter race.

Sparkes competed in the 3,000-meter race Friday, finishing with a personal-best time of 9:46.57. The top four finishers in the race were named to the Canadian Junior National Team, with the top two moving on to compete in the 3,000 meters at the Can-Am Games. The third- and fourth-place finishers earned spots in the 5,000-meter race later this month.

This marked Sparkes’ second consecutive year competing at the CJNC. Last summer she finished third in the 1,500-meter race at the event. The Canadian Junior National Championships are comprised of the top Candian athletes age 19 and under.

Sparkes’ freshman year at Kentucky was capped off by a third-place finish in the 1,500 meters at the SEC Outdoor Championships in May.