BEIJING, China ? Kentucky sophomore Gordon McKenzie (Queens, N.Y./Holy Cross) and the U.S. Junior National Team finished first in their heat in the 4×100 meter relay late Friday evening and advanced to Sunday?s final at the 2006 IAAF Track and Field World Junior Championships.

With McKenzie running the second leg, the U.S. Junior National team posted a time of 39.50 ? the third-fastest 4×100 m time in the three heats. The top two teams in each of the three heats, plus the two fastest times advanced to the finals.

McKenzie?s 4×100 m team will participate in Sunday?s final that begins at 6:55 a.m. ET. Live results of the World Junior Championships are available at: http://www.iaaf.org/WJC06/index.html.

Complete information on McKenzie?s progress with the US Junior National Team will be available at ukathletics.com.