COLUMBIA, Mo. ? University of Kentucky track and field athletes are in their final day of competition on Saturday at the 2007 NCAA Mideast Regional hosted by the University of Missouri at the Audrey J. Walton Track and Field Stadium.
Live updates, along with a schedule of events, of Kentucky?s participation in the regionals will be posted throughout the day on this page. Keep hitting refresh for the latest live updates.
10:47 a.m. EDT – – Freshman thrower Emily Bernhardt (Marietta, Ga.) has just arrived at the track along with throws coach Doug Reynolds and head coach Don Weber . Bernhardt is preparing to participate in the women’s hammer throw, which begins at Noon EST.
10:52 a.m. EDT – – It is a much better day weather-wise, as the skies are completely clear and the sun is shining bright. The temperature is 76 degrees with 60 percent humidity. A 50-percent chance of scattered thunderstorms has been predicted, but there is no appearance of poor weather in sight at this time.
11:26 a.m. EDT – A big thanks to the meet’s media coordinator Tom Lewis from the University of Missouri. Tom has done a stellar job of putting on the meet and ensuring that all media and media relations operations are running smoothly.
11:37 a.m. EDT – On the way to Columbia on Wednesday, the team had a unique opportunity. When driving through St. Louis, the bus drove directly by the Gateway Arch, marking the first time that many members of the team had seen the attraction. At 630 feet, the Gateway Arch is the nation’s tallest man-made monument.
11:57 a.m. EDT – The hammer throwers are being introduced as Bernhardt prepares to participate in Kentucky’s opening event of the day.
12:02 p.m. EDT – Bernhardt is in the second flight of the hammer throw. The first flight has just commenced.
1:52 p.m. EDT – Bernhardt fails to qualify for the finals of the women’s hammer throw.
1:59 p.m. EDT – They have become quite innovative in their methods at the hammer throw. Instead of having a person retrieve the hammer from the sector after being thrown, the officials measuring the length of the throw put the thrown hammers into a remote-control vehicle and charter the vehicle and the hammer safely back to the participants.
2:11 p.m. EDT – Thrower Gavin Ball (Cottage Grove, Wisc.) is preparing to participate in the men’s shot put at 3 p.m. EDT.
2:17 p.m. EDT – We have just heard the first sounds of thunder today, as there is a 50 percent chance of thunder showers predicted for this afternoon.
2:32 p.m. EDT – The wind has really started to make its presence known. UKathletics.com is located in an open-air tent at the South end of the stadium. Several strong breezes have sent results and media guides flying in the air throughout the tent.
2:43 p.m. EDT – As Ball prepares for the shot put, here is a little information on the event. It involves throwing a metal ball into a sector, but involves much more technique. The throwers stand in a circle that is seven feet in diameter and must remain in that circle while throwing and completing their throws. There are two methods of throwing, the glide and the spin.
3:21 p.m. EDT Ball is in the third heat of the shot put. Another familiar name in his heat is standout Auburn thrower Cory Martin.
3:23 p.m. EDT – It has now really warmed up at the track. The grey skies that fell on Audrey J. Walton Stadium an hour ago are completely gone and the temperature has risen to 81 degrees.
3:55 p.m. EDT – They have just now conluded the second heat of the men’s shot put, so Ball is about ready to go with his tosses. He is the 10th of 11 throwers in his heat.
4:33 p.m. EDT – Sophomore thrower Ashley Muffet (North Canton, Ohio) is looking to recover from a difficult day on Friday as she prepares to participate in the women’s discus beginning imminently.
4:36 p.m. EDT – The skies are quickly beginning to darken as the chance of rain has increased to 60 percent.
4:41 p.m. – Ball advanced to the finals of the men’s shot put as he was fifith in the preliminaries. He threw a season-best toss of 58-5.75 in the prelims.
4:42 p.m. – It is now sprinkling on Audrey J. Walton Stadium. and it is not looking good weather-wise. Competition will continue as long as there is not the threat of lightning in the area.
5:12 p.m. EDT – Wind has really picked up on the track, which is giving the Javelin throwers near the media tent much difficulty in participating in their events.
5:16 p.m. EDT – The competition has been postponed for at least a half hour due to lightning in the area.
6:12 p.m. EDT – Athletes have returned to the track and competition will resume at 6:25 p.m. EDT. Senior mid-distance runner John Richardson (Ocean City, N.J.) is preparing to run in the men’s 1,500-meter finals. All events will now be delayed an hour and five minutes from their original start times.
6:15 p.m. EDT – Ball became UK’s first NCAA Championships automatic qualifier by finishing third in the shot put with a personal-best toss of 59-5.0. He ranks seventh in UK’s all-time shot put annals.
6:47 p.m. EDT – Richardson claimed the men’s 1,500-meter regional title after winning the SEC Championship in that event two weeks ago. Richardson finished in a time of 3:44.44 to punch his ticket to the upcoming NCAA Championships.
A comment from Richardson following the race: “It was really nerve-racking. I was fighting some demons there at the beginning of the race with the rain delay and then we were called off the line. I had some doubt in my mind as we started, but I knew I just had to push that doubt out. I knew that it was my race to lose. There was some stiff competition. I just knew that if I did my best, the chips would fall into place in the race.”
A comment from Head Coach Don Weber following Richardson’s race: “John ran a great race today. It’s incredible what a good racer he is and how he understands performance from every aspect. There is no question that that is what separates him from other runners. Every race is a challenge and you don’t get past that when you win a race. At every stage, every race has greater and greater significance and pressure. He did a good job of keeping his wits about him under the conditions today.”
7:25 p.m. EDT – Muffet rebounded from a difficult opening day at the NCAA Mideast Regional and advanced to the NCAA Championships with a fourth-place finish in the discus. She recorded a personal-best toss of 170-0, which puts her second all-time in school history.
7:37 p.m. EDT – Senior sprinter Luis Luna (Barquisimeto, Venezuela) advanced to the NCAA Championships by placing fourth in the men’s 400-meter dash. Luna just missed equaling his personal best that he recorded yesterday, by finishing in a time of 46.17. Yesterday, he ran a 46.15 in the prelims.
7:49 p.m. EDT – Rookie sprinter Jenna Martin (Nova Scotia, Canada) ran a stellar race in the women’s 400, finishing in a time of 53.05 to advance to the NCAA Championships.
8:04 p.m. EDT – Kentucky has a break in its action until sophomore distance runner Andrea Halasek (Georgetown, Ky.) competes in the women’s 3,000-meter steeplechase.
8:39 p.m. EDT – Some comments from throws coach Doug Reynolds on the performances by Gavin Ball and Ashley Muffet that allowed both to advance to the NCAA Championships. ?After a rough first day, I think there was a lot of disappointment for both Gavin and Ashley. They had a choice to make about whether they were done or whether they were going to come back and fight. They knew they had an opportunity to be successful and advance to nationals. They both did a great job and they both fought through adversity to perform at the top of their level. That was the best throw in outdoors for Gavin Ball and it was clutch. It was a lifetime PR for Ashley Muffet in a heated competition. She had some people pass her and she knew she had to come up with a big sixth throw to advance, and she came through. That says a lot about the character, integrity and the will to win that those two kids have. I think that also says a lot about the future of our program. We have some great leadership from young athletes like Ashley Muffet. And Gavin Ball was a senior that really closed out the year on a strong note.
9:18 p.m. EDT – Halasek ran a strong race in the steeplechase. She finished in under 11 minutes for the third time this season.
9:43 p.m. EDT – CHAMPIONS! The men’s 4×400 relay toppled No. 2 LSU for the first time in NCAA Mideast Regional history. The team which finished second in the nation at the 2007 NCAA Indoor Meet and second at last year?s Mideast Regional, finished in a time of 3:04.49. The Wildcats entered the meet ranked fourth in the nation according to Trackwire?s Dandy Dozen. Luna was trailing two competitors at the start of the anchor leg, but came on strong around the turn and ran a gutsy final 100 meters to take the win. Prior to Saturday evening, LSU had never lost in the 4×400 meter relay in the previous four years of the NCAA Mideast Regional.
9:52 p.m. EDT – Some comments from sprints coach Erin Tucker about the 4×400 relay win: “?We had two goals coming into today. We wanted to run a time of 3:01 and we wanted to win. We accomplished one of those goals and that was a big accomplishment. I tip my hat to LSU and Mississippi State. Just like last year we put on a show for the crowd. Races like that are why the fans come to track meets.?
10:02 p.m. – The women?s 4×400 relay team ran a valiant race and came up just short of the school record in the event. The relay team finished third in its heat with the second-fastest time in school history at 3:38.78. The school record was 3:38.45 that was run in 1996.
Kentucky?s Schedule/Results at the NCAA Mideast Regional (Saturday, May 26, 2007 ? Columbia, Mo.)
Women’s Hammer Throw
12. Emily Bernhardt – 182-2
Men’s Shot Put
3. Gavin Ball – 59-5.0
Women’s Discus
4. Ashley Muffet – 170-0
Men’s 1,500-Meter Run
1. John Richardson – 3:44.44
Men’s 400-Meter Dash
4. Luis Luna – 46.17
Women’s 400-Meter Dash
4. Jenna Martin – 53.05
Women’s 3,000-Meter Steeplechase
21. Andrea Halasek – 10:58.15
Men’s 4×400 Relay
1. Kentucky – 3:04.49
Women’s 4×400 Relay
10. Kentucky – 3:38.78
