ATLANTA ? The University of Kentucky track and field teams battled poor weather conditions Saturday during Georgia Tech?s Yellow Jacket Invitational at the George C. Griffin track. The meet was called due to lightning two-thirds of the way through but not before UK freshman Brendan Ames shattered UK?s freshman record in the 110 meter hurdles.
With a time of 14.34, Ames destroyed the old UK freshman 110 hurdles mark set by Melvin Gentry in 1981 of 14.75. Ames? time is fourth all-time in the UK record books. The rookie finished seventh overall, sandwiched between two of his Wildcat teammates.
Junior Mikel Thomas finished sixth at 14.12 while Geoffrey Daley crossed the line eighth in 14.63 ? both setting personal bests. Thomas improved his third-best mark at UK all-time while Daley entered the school record books at seventh all-time.
Freshman Jennifer Svoboda posted two top-10 school marks in the women?s shot put and discus. The rookie placed fifth after throwing the shot 47-5 for the sixth best distance all-time at UK. In the discus, Svoboda finished fourth and threw 145-10 to enter the school?s list at 10th.
Junior Emilee Strot also entered the UK record books at tenth in the women?s shot put with a distance of 44-5.5.
On the men?s side junior Rashaud Scott won the men?s shot put by posting the sixth-best distance all-time at UK with a heave of 60-6.5. Senior Andy Fryman placed fifth (56-4.75) while freshman Colin Boevers was eighth (53-1.5).
In the women?s hammer throw, sophomore Kristin Smith made an incredible leap in distance from her best a year ago. Smith threw the sixth-best mark all-time at UK measuring at 181-00 ? just under a 30-foot improvement of her personal best. The Wildcat placed sixth overall while teammate Emily Bernhardt finished seventh (164-9).
In the men?s hammer throw Fryman finished sixth with a mark of 193-00.
Freshman Danielle Sampley continued to re-write UK?s record books with the tenth-best mark in the 100 meter hurdles, crossing the line at 14.15. Sampley finished third overall, while junior Ashley Trimble placed tenth (14.74).
Sophomore Jenna Martin won the women?s 400 meter dash in a time of 53.70.
On the men?s side, three Wildcats finished in the top-10 of the 400m dash: senior Nathan Browning (47.32 ? 3rd), junior Jose Acevedo (47.58 ? 5th) and senior Justin Harrison (47.85 ? 8th).
Freshman Zac Noel won the men?s 3000 meter steeplechase crossing the line at 9:30.45. Sophomore Will Rover finished fourth (9:48.02) just ahead of senior Zach Wilder in fifth (9:48.04).
On the women?s side, sophomore Claire Laverty placed second overall in a time of 11:12.39.
Running the last event of the rain-shortened meet, freshman Ben Miller crossed the finish in eighth in the men?s 800 meter run, clocking in at 1:56.63.
In the only relay action of the day, the women?s 4×100 meter relay finished fifth in a time of 45.57 while the men?s 4×100 squad placed sixth in 40.80.
Altogether the Cats earned eight regional qualifying marks at the first meet of the season. On the men’s side Fryman notched two (shot put and hammer throw) while Thomas (110 hurdles) and Scott (shot put) nabbed one. The women’s 4×100 meter relay team of Jazmyn Shorter, Bianca Tyson, Martin and Sampley took home a qualifying mark as did Svoboda (shot put), Smith (hammer throw) and Martin individually (400m dash).
The Cats will send split squads to three meets next weekend at the Stanford Invitational in Palo Alto, Calif., the Auburn Invitational in Auburn, Ala., and the Texas Relays in Austin, Texas.
