LEXINGTON, Ky. ? The Kentucky track and field teams begin the second half of their outdoor slate this weekend when they travel to Knoxville, Tenn., to participate in the 41st annual Sea Ray Relays. The two-day event, hosted by the University of Tennessee, will take place at the Tom Black Track.
Activities in the Sea Ray Relays begin Friday at 8:45 a.m. EDT and continue Saturday at 9:15 a.m. EDT. Live results for the event will be available at http://utsports.cstv.com/sports/m-track/sea-relays/07/index.html. The meet is the fourth of six outdoor regular-season events for the Wildcats as they gear up for the upcoming Southeastern Conference Championships to be held May 10-13 in Tuscaloosa, Ala.
Teams participating in the Sea Ray Relays include: Central Michigan, Cornell, East Tennessee State, Georgetown, Louisville, Memphis, Michigan, Michigan State, Middle Tennessee State, N.C State, Ohio State, Tennessee, Penn, Penn State, Pittsburgh, Seton Hall, Southern Illinois, UConn, Vanderbilt, Villanova, Virginia Tech, Wake Forest, West Virginia and Wisconsin.
The Wildcats are coming off a strong showing at the Auburn Tiger Track Classic last weekend where three Kentucky men finished first in their respective events. Junior Jonathan Thomas (Frankfort, Ky.) captured the men?s 5,000 meter run with a Kentucky-best time of 14:43.94, while sophomore Jose Acevedo (Caracas, Venezuela) claimed the men?s 200 meter dash. Junior Andre? Silva (Centereach, N.Y.) won the men?s 3,000 meter steeplechase with a Hutsell-Rosen Track record of 9:16.89, just short of the all-time Kentucky top 10 in that event.
UK enters the Sea Ray Relays with the nation?s fourth-ranked men?s 4×400 meter relay squad, as announced by Trackshark.com. The quartet, consisting of Acevedo, Nathan Browning (Petersburg, Ill.), Justin Harrison (Wheaton, Ill.) and Luis Luna (Barquisimeto, Venezuela) posted its best mark of the season at the Yellow Jacket Invitational with a time of 3:06.27.
Junior distance runner Lavera Morris (Orlando, Fla.), who last season was an All-America selection in the 800 meters, holds the nation?s 14th-fastest 800-meter time this year. Last weekend, Morris had a strong showing in both the 800 and 1,500 meter runs. Morris finished second in the 800 meter with a regional-qualifying time of 2:07.41, the eighth-best mark in school history. She also was third in the 1,500 meter, finishing in 4:28.53.
Complete results and a recap of this weekend?s action will be available at ukathletics.com.
