BLOOMINGTON, Ind., and RICHMOND, Ky. ? University of Kentucky track and field throwers Andy Fryman and Emilee Strot each claimed two regional-qualifying marks, half of the eight collected by Wildcats, at the Indiana Invitational this weekend.
The Kentucky throws team members were the only Wildcats to make the trek north to Bloomington, Ind., but returned to Lexington with an impressive haul of UK top-ten and NCAA marks.
Fryman notched two top-three all-time marks at UK in the men?s hammer throw and discus. The senior improved on his second-best school mark by almost six feet in the hammer throw with a personal-best distance of 215-2, placing second this weekend. Fryman led a quartet of Wildcats that placed first through fourth in the discus with a personal-best throw of 192-1 that ranks third in school history. Both marks qualified the veteran for regional competition next month.
Strot won the discus on the women?s side with a throw of 174-7, her best as a Wildcat and second-best all-time in the UK annals. The junior also finished third in the shot put with another top performance at UK measuring 47-9, improving her top-ten school mark that ranks seventh all-time. As a result, Strot nabbed two regional-qualifying marks.
Teammate Jennifer Svoboda won the shot put with a personal-best throw of 48-6, also making the regional cut. Her mark is a season-best for Kentucky this season and ranks fifth all-time. The freshman also threw a personal-best mark in the discus finishing third with a distance of 148-8.
Rounding out spots two through four in the men?s discus were juniors Chase Madison and Rashaud Scott along with freshman Colin Boevers. Madison placed second with a regional-qualifying throw of 189-10, just short of his mark that stands fourth all-time at UK. In third, Scott threw 185-1 his best as a Wildcat in outdoor competition, qualifying him for the regional. Boever?s distance of 168-4 just missed the regional-cut but was a personal-best for the rookie.
Boever also posted the top Wildcat finish in the shot put with a personal-best heave of 53-8.25, placing third overall.
Kristin Smith notched a regional-qualifying performance in the hammer throw. The sophomore pitched the weight 179-7, just short of her all-time mark that stands fifth at UK. Teammate Heather Smith posted a personal-best throw of 152-4, improving her ninth-place standing all-time in the Kentucky record books.
Several other bests were achieved by UK runners a little closer to home at the Eastern Kentucky Open in Richmond, Ky., with several top-five performances.
Freshman Brittany Cabbler won the women?s 400 meter dash crossing the finish in 57.30, her best time as a Wildcat.
Senior Andre Silva placed second in the men?s 1500 meter run clocking in at 3:52.16, the second-best time for the Cats this season. Sophomore Will Rover placed fourth in the event at 3:59.36.
Junior Taylor Miller took home two third-place finishes after running the women?s 1500 and 3000 meter runs for the first time this season finishing at 4:51.96 and 10:23.85, respectively.
Senior John Thompson placed third in the men?s steeplechase with a time of 9:30.50 while freshman J.D Horton finished fifth at 9:37.90.
Three other Cats achieved personal-bests at the Open. In the men?s 800 meter run, freshmen Matt Frawley and Matt Wagner both ran their best times of their college careers, while senior Zach Wilder improved his men?s steeplechase time this season.
The Cats send split squads next week to the Drake Relays and Triton Invitational. A full recap from both meets will be available after competition on UKathletics.com.
