LEXINGTON, Ky. ? University of Kentucky track and field athletes concluded competition over the weekend at Nutter Field House during the team?s annual Fall Intra-squad Track Meet.
The UK 4×400-meter relay teams were showcased at the close of the meet. Two teams on the women?s side took part while three men?s squads competed.
For the women, the blue team of junior Kleo Mack, newcomer Brittany Cabbler, freshman Ke?Undra Bishop and sophomore Jenna Martin claimed the top time of 3:42. Martin?s final leg of 52.88 helped the quartet edge out the white team at the finish line. The final mark is just over four seconds off of the UK varsity record of 3:38 set in 1996.
?I was very impressed with the women?s relays,? said Erin Tucker, assistant coach for sprints. ?The blue team ran just 0.2 seconds slower than our best time last year and the white team was only one second slower. So the sky?s the limit for the women. I loved what I saw.?
On the men?s side, last year?s UK 4×400-meter relay record-holding squad was split among two teams. The first two legs of the record relay team, senior Justin Harrison and classmate Nathan Browning, were placed on the white team while the final two legs, junior Jose Acevedo and graduate Luis Luna, ran with the blue team.
The blue squad won with a time of 3:11. Junior Mikel Thomas ran the first leg and handed off to sophomore Kwasi Obeng before Acevedo and Luna made their exchange. The white team slightly closed the gap in the anchor leg as freshman Kendrick Maiden debuted in the relay with the best split among all of the men at 47.38.
?The men?s relays have run at least a second faster every year, so we are right where we need to be,? said Tucker.
Maiden also impressed onlookers at the long jump. The freshman was part of a rookie trio including Danielle Sampley and Brendan Ames that set personal bests at the meet.
?I was extremely pleased with the effort and execution of the men and women jumpers,? said James Thomas, assistant coach for jumps, vault and multi-events. ?In some cases, my expectations were exceeded. I have to mention Sampley, Ames, and Maiden?s performances because setting personal bests are always great achievements, but to do it in an intra-squad meet in December is a sign of their hard work and strong, competitive nature.?
Junior Maggie Tincher impressed Thomas as well, clearing multiple attempts in the pole vault that would have set a UK indoor school record.
?Overall, I am happy with the jumpers effort over the two-day meet,? said Thomas . ?I hope this gives them some motivation to continue the hard work over the Christmas break in order to begin the indoor season in January.?
Kentucky opens that indoor season by hosting the annual Kentucky Invitational, Jan. 11-12 at Nutter Field House.
