LEXINGTON, Ky. ?University of Kentucky track and field thrower Rashaud Scott tied the men?s weight throw record at the Tyson Invitational in Fayetteville, Ark., while senior John Richardson posted UK?s second-best 3000 meter run time at the Husky Classic in Seattle Saturday.
Scott tied the one-week old men?s weight throw mark set by senior Andy Fryman last weekend in New York with a throw of 65-6. The pair?s duplicate distance is third-best in the Southeastern Conference this season and an NCAA provisional mark. Scott and Fryman finished in second and third, respectively at the University of Arkansas? Tyson Track Complex.
Richardson continued his strong indoor season with an improvement of over 15 seconds in his personal-best 3000m run Saturday. His time of 7:59.26 is second-best in school history and second in the SEC this season. Richardson also earned a provisional mark for the effort at the University of Washington?s Dempsey Indoor Facility.
Sprinter Jose Acevedo climbed to third-place all-time at Kentucky in the 200m dash with his time of 21.08 in Fayetteville. The junior earned another provisional mark with the third-best time in the conference this year. Acevedo won the final bettering his time by 0.03 seconds from the prelims earlier in the day.
Also in Arkansas, two women?s shot put athletes threw personal bests erasing their current marks in the UK annals. Freshman Jennifer Svoboda replaced her fourth-place all-time mark with a distance of 51-2.75. Meanwhile, newcomer Emilee Strot supplanted her sixth-best mark at UK with a throw of 48-6.25.
Two more provisionals were awarded to Kentucky at the home of the Razorbacks. Junior Mikel Thomas narrowly missed tying his 60m hurdle record by 0.01 seconds, finishing at 7.80. Later in the day, the women?s 4x400m relay team earned its mark with a time of 3:39.12.
Out west, the women?s distance runners sparkled in the Emerald City. Senior Lavera Morris won the women?s 800m run with a time of 2:06.74. Her time ranks second in the SEC this season and earns the former All-American a provisional mark. Teammate Jessica Ortman finished seventh in the event with a time of 2:09.36 to move her up to the number seven slot all-time at Kentucky.
In the women?s 5000 meter run, two Wildcats recorded top-10 school times. Junior Andrea Halasek crossed the finish at 17:00.67 to pencil her name into the seventh position in the UK record books. Classmate Taylor Miller posted a personal-best mark of 17:04.24 to place eighth all-time at Kentucky.
Each race of the Husky Classic will be archived at www.flocasts.org/flotrack/coverage.php?c=178 starting Saturday evening. In addition, Tyson Invitational highlights will be broadcast on ESPN2 Sunday from 5-7 p.m. ET.
The UK men stand 10th, while the Wildcat women rank 21st in the latest U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association polls.
The Wildcats have a week off from competition before competing at the SEC Indoors in Fayetteville starting Friday, Feb. 29.
