AUBURN, Ala. ? After a two-hour delay due to rain showers, University of Kentucky track and field multi-event specialist Danielle Sampley capped off Thursday?s women?s heptathlon competition with a record-setting performance in the Southeastern Conference Outdoor Championships at Auburn University?s Hutsell-Rosen Track.
Sampley broke the UK freshman record in the women?s 200m dash with a time of 23.85 in the final scheduled event of the heptathlon while finishing first overall. The rookie?s personal-best mark also ranks fourth all-time in Kentucky history and earned her UK?s first regional-qualifying mark in the event this season. UK junior Ashley Trimble finished fifth overall in the event crossing the finish in 25.00, while freshman Ashley Newby placed 11th.
After four of seven events complete, Sampley is in third place, Trimble ranks fourth and Newby stands sixth overall.
Trimble started off the day in impressive fashion in the women?s 100m hurdles with a second-place finish. Trimble set a personal-best time of 13.40 in the event which ranks fourth all-time in UK history and earned her a regional-qualifying mark. Sampley finished sixth in the hurdles, crossing the line in 13.83 while Newby ran a personal-best mark finishing eighth overall with a time of 14.26.
All three Wildcats finished with personal best marks in the second event of the evening ? the women?s high jump. Newby placed second with a personal record height of 5-5.25. Sampley and Trimble both tied their personal best marks. Finishing fifth, Sampley cleared 5-3 while Trimble placed ninth at a height of 4-10.25.
Trimble bounced back in the shot put, the evening?s third event. The junior heaved the weight 37-10.5, a personal-best mark, to place third. Newby finished seventh in the event, while Sampley placed ninth.
The competition in the final three events will begin at 4:00 p.m. ET Friday. The day?s slate includes the men?s and women?s hammer throw and 10,000 meter run finals as well as the prelims in several short-distance running events.
The Kentucky squads enter the SEC Outdoor Championships looking to improve upon their finishes of last season. The Wildcat women finished eighth, while the UK men placed 10th.
This season the UK men are ranked at No. 17, one of eight SEC squads ranked nationally in the latest top-25 poll. Other conference teams in the rankings include No. 3 Florida, No. 4 LSU, No. 8 Auburn, No. 14 Tennessee, No. 15 Arkansas, No. 22 South Carolina and No. 24 Georgia.
The Cats? men?s squad has entered 17 new top-10 times/marks into the all-time UK record books this season, with two new varsity records and four updated freshman standards. Junior Mikel Thomas set the UK record in the 110m hurdles twice this year with his best finish at 13.85. Freshman Derrick Locke?s long jump of 25-3.25 set a new varsity and freshman record at UK. Other rookies setting new standards include Brendan Ames (110m hurdles ? 14.14), Colin Boevers (Discus ? 181-4) and Grant Lindsey (High Jump ? 7-3.25).
Senior John Richardson leads the conference in the 1500m run with a time of 3:41.87. In the high jump, freshman Grant Lindsey?s mark leads the SEC and ranks fifth nationally. The Wildcat men also own three of the top four conference spots in the discus led by Chase Madison at the top (202-9), with senior Andy Fryman third (192-1) and junior Rashaud Scott fourth (187-7). Madison?s discus mark ranks fourth in the nation and tops the Mideast Region. Kentucky has accumulated 23 regional-qualifying marks in 15 different outdoor events and won two weekly SEC honors so far this season.
On the women?s side, Kentucky will compete against six top-25 teams. No. 2 LSU leads the SEC pack, while No. 9 Florida, No. 13 Arkansas, No. 19 Ole Miss, No. 23 Tennessee and No. 25 Auburn will provide tough competition.
The Wildcat women?s squad has entered 21 new top-10 times/marks into the all-time UK record books this season, with three new varsity records and two updated freshman standard. Junior Jessica Ortman broke the school record in the steeplechase with a time of 10:40.88. In the women?s pole vault junior Maggie Tincher set the school record at a height of 12-1.50. Sampley broke the UK freshman long jump record hitting the dirt at 20-5, and also holds both heptathlon records. Kentucky has accumulated 22 regional-qualifying marks in 15 different outdoor events and won two weekly SEC honors so far this season.
Video coverage of the Championships will be on a tape-delayed basis aired by FSN South on Sat. May 24 at 7:00 p.m. ET. Live stats will be available via link on the track and field schedule page.
A full recap of the Cats? performances will be available after competition each day on UKathletics.com.
Kentucky SEC Outdoor Championship Participants Competing on Friday May 16
Women?s Hammer Throw ? 3:00 p.m. ET
Heather Smith
Kristin Smith
Women?s Heptathlon ? 4:00 p.m. ET
Ashley Newby
Danielle Sampley
Ashley Trimble
Men?s Hammer Throw ? 6:00 p.m. ET
Andy Fryman
Women?s 800 Meter Run ? 7:00 p.m. ET
Lavera Morris
Jessica Ortman
Men?s 800 Meter Run Prelims? 7:15 p.m. ET
Matthew Frawley
John Richardson
Women?s 200 Meter Run Prelims ? 7:35 p.m. ET
Jenna Martin
Jazmyn Shorter
Bianca Tyson
Men?s 200 Meter Run Prelims ? 7:50 p.m. ET
Jose Acevedo
Brandon Austin
Gordon McKenzie
Kwasi Obeng
Women?s 400 Meter Hurdles Prelims ? 8:20 p.m. ET
Ashley Trimble
Men?s 400 Meter Hurdles Prelims ? 8:35 p.m. ET
Geoffrey Daley
Mikel Thomas
Women?s 10000 Meter Run ? 8:50 p.m. ET
Taylor Miller
Katherine Peterson
