FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. ? Three University of Kentucky track and field multi-event athletes took center stage for the Cats Friday at the Southeastern Conference Indoor Championships hosted by the University of Arkansas at the Tyson Track Complex in Fayetteville, Ark.
Seventeen women from seven SEC schools participated this evening in the multi-event women?s pentathlon. Three UK athletes, junior Ashley Trimble and freshmen Ashley Newby and Danielle Sampley, competed for the Cats. The UK men did not field any competitors in the heptathlon this season. The two multi-event contests were the only events held on the first night of competition.
The trio kicked off the meet in impressive fashion for the Wildcats. Sampley and Trimble finished one-two in the third and final heat of the 60m hurdles posting times of 8.46 and 8.55, respectively, placing them second and third after the first event. Newby ran a season-best time of 9.07 in the hurdles, placing her 11th.
In the high jump, the women?s second event, Newby and Sampley cleared the bar at a height of 5-0.5 to finish in a tie for ninth. Trimble cleared the next progressive height raise of 5-1.75 to finish tied for seventh overall. After two events, Trimble stood fourth, Sampley ranked fifth, while Newby maintained her position.
Next in the shot put, Trimble placed third with a toss of 39-4.5. Newby placed seventh at a distance of 36-0 while Sampley placed 10th with a heave of 33-4.75. After three events, Trimble remained in fourth, Sampley slipped two spots to seventh and Newby held firm in 11th place.
One of the stronger events for the Cats this season has been the long jump, the fourth event. Sampley led the Wildcat charge with a leap of 18-10 – good for fifth place. Trimble followed next in the sixth slot hitting the dirt at 18-1.75. Newby finished seventh with a jump of 17-9. Going into the final event, Trimble ranked fifth, Sampley moved up one spot to sixth and Newby moved up two notches to ninth.
In the final event, the 800 meter run, the UK trio took the starting line with all three having a chance to score points for the Cats. After keeping pace at the front the first two laps, Trimble took the lead halfway through the third and extended her lead by 50 meters to claim the heat in 2:23.18. Trimble placed second in the run overall, while Sampley finished fifth. Newby crossed the line in 13th.
After day one, the Kentucky women sit in second-place with nine points, trailing host Arkansas with 13. In the final pentathlon standings, Trimble picked up five points after placing fourth overall while Sampley took home fifth place and four tallies for the Cats. Newby finished 11th overall. The top eight finishers earn points toward their team?s total.
?I really have to tip my hat to Ashley Trimble,? said assistant coach for multi-events James Thomas. ?She really went out there with no fear and went after it. She did things tonight that she really hadn?t done all season.
?I think this is good for the program. Our goal was to get representation and become more diverse. We had two provisional qualifiers tonight and Trimble was knocking at the door of getting into the NCAA meet. It?s good to know we have some girls who are going to be here a while to keep competing in it.?
Competition resumes Saturday with field events at noon ET and running contests at 2:30 p.m. ET. The championships come to a close on Sunday with field events kicking off at 11 a.m. ET and running events beginning at 1:30 p.m. ET. Live results can be found at www.ladybacks.com or by clicking the live results link on the UK track schedule page.
The UK men enter the meet ranked 17th, while the Wildcat women stand 22nd in the latest U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association polls released Wednesday. Six SEC men?s squads and seven women?s teams, including the Wildcats, are ranked in their respective top-25 rankings.
Complete results and a recap of this weekend?s action will be available at UKathletics.com.
