LEXINGTON, Ky. ?The Wildcats get their first big test of the indoor track and field season this weekend when UK travels to Bloomington, Ind., to take part in the SEC ? Big Ten Challenge on the campus of Indiana University.
Competition begins Saturday at 11 a.m. against a tough field. On the men?s side two top-five teams will participate in No. 3 Tennessee and No. 4 Florida. The women?s side features two squads in the top-15: No. 9 Arkansas and No. 13 Florida.
This weekend gives the Wildcats a chance to see how they measure up against teams from two track and field power conferences. Besides Kentucky and Florida two Big Ten schools, Purdue and the host Hoosiers, are fielding both men?s and women?s squads. The Cats will see the women?s squads from Vanderbilt and Ohio State for a second straight week and face the men of Illinois for the first time this season.
UK hopes to earn as many top times and high marks as it did hosting the Kentucky Invitational last weekend.
Kentucky freshman Brendan Ames entered his name into the school record books with an 8.04 performance in the 60m Hurdles. Ames also won the men?s long jump with a leap of 23-20.75.
Three Wildcats earned NCAA provisional marks that are used to gain at-large entry into the NCAA Indoor Championships in March.
UK freshman Grant Lindsey earned one of those marks in the men?s high jump, clearing a height of 7-00.25. Wildcat Rashaud Scott clinched another provisional mark in the men?s weight throw with a toss of 64-10.75. UK junior Ashley Muffet earned the Cats? third mark, finishing second in the women?s shot put with a throw of 53-03.50.
Scott clinched the shot put title with a winning toss of 57-05.50. He also smashed the men?s discus Nutter Field House collegiate record with a throw of 203-04.
The junior hailing from Bronx, N.Y., earned the SEC Male Field Athlete of the Week for his three-win performance.
Junior Maggie Tincher claimed a fourth title for the Cats with her victory in the pole vault. Tincher cleared a mark of 11-11.75 just missing the UK all-time record.
In the 4x400m relays, UK?s women?s squad held off Tennessee in the final stretch to earn the relay title with a time of 3:40.07, just 0.07 off of a provisional mark. The Wildcat men battled Western Kentucky for the better of three legs before UK took the lead for good just before the final baton exchange. With a time of 3:10.62, and like the women?s squad just missed their provisional mark by 0.22.
Look for a complete recap of the Wildcat performances in Bloomington released Saturday evening on UKathletics.com.
