DES MOINES, Iowa ? University of Kentucky track and field thrower Rashaud Scott won the men?s discus National Title Friday with a throw of 199-8 to become the first Wildcat crowned an NCAA National Champion since 1996. Meanwhile, freshman Grant Lindsey set a UK varsity record in the high jump tying for second in the nation by clearing 7-5. Senior Andy Fryman also scored to lead the UK men to their highest point total of 18 points in meet history, going into the final day of the NCAA Outdoor Championships at Drake University Track in Des Moines, Iowa.
Scott is the first UK athlete in a dozen years to win an NCAA title since former Olympian sprinter Tim Harden won an Indoor National Championship for the Cats in the 55 meter dash.
Scott became the first Wildcat man to win an NCAA Outdoor field event and just the second UK Outdoor Men’s Event Champion overall joining Harden who won the 100 meter dash in 1995.
Scott threw the winning distance on his first attempt of the finals to jump from eighth place to first and was able to maintain the lead through the final two throws of competition. Earlier Scott qualified for the final three throws of the day in seventh place overall. The Bronx, N.Y., native?s distance was just two inches off his personal-best throw of 199-10 that earned Scott the Mideast Regional Championship last month. Scott earned the Cats 10 points with the win.
?I am so proud of (Scott) today,? UK throws coach Doug Reynolds said. ?I felt when we recruited Rashaud he had the ability and the tools to win. He has had an up-and-down season, but we knew that one throw could change the face of the meet and he did it today. We have to get ready for the Olympic trials and carry this into the next year. Now he has to regroup for the shot put final tomorrow and throw with the same energy.
?When he made the winning throw, I jumped out of my seat. I was just looking for one technical aspect on his throw and when I saw him complete it, I stood straight up because I knew that could be the winning throw. I yelled a couple times for him to hold it so he didn?t foul. For him to do that under the pressure at the Championships, I was ecstatic.?
Lindsey placed second in a back-and-forth affair between the three final jumpers of the evening. Lindsey was the first to clear 7-3.75 on his initial attempt to set a personal record. At the next height of 7-5, the rookie cleared the bar on his first-ever attempt at the height in competition to break the UK varsity record of 7-4.50 set by Eugene Grundy in 1997. When the next bar raise went to 7-6, Lindsey got the crowd involved leading a rhythmic clap, but could not clear the bar on three attempts. The second-place tie by Lindsey in the high jump gave the Cats seven points.
?As a freshman, on a big stage and in a high-pressure situation (Lindsey) stepped up big,? said UK jumps coach James Thomas. ?I couldn?t be more pleased with his effort. He has had an uphill battle this season and he has now achieved elite-level status. He stamped his name on the collegiate high jump today. He jumped the best I have ever seen ? it was phenomenal. Hopefully this will motivate him for years to come because the other two finalists are graduating seniors. It was great to see him contribute.?
Fryman finished eighth nationally in the men’s hammer throw after placing tenth in the discus earlier in the day. Fryman’s personal-best hammer throw toss of 216-8 on his third attempt ranks second all-time at UK and placed him seventh going into the event final but he was unable to top it on his final three attempts.
?I was ecstatic for Fryman,? Reynolds said. ?For a guy who started as a shot putter, he battled some injuries that led him to pick up the (discus and hammer throw) and focused on those events. He had made it to Nationals twice in the shot but never advanced. To come here in his first year in both the discus and hammer and advance in both events while setting a personal record and scoring in the hammer throw is amazing. He will finish his career as an All-American at Kentucky.?
Fryman’s eighth-place finish added another point for the Cats to give UK 18 tallies ? the most in school history after the 21 meets since 1921 where the Blue and White scored points. UK sits in third after 11 events with opportunities to score Saturday in the men?s shot put and men?s 4x400m relay. The best previous finish for the Cats was 13th in 1994.
In the men’s 110 meter hurdles semis, junior Mikel Thomas finished fifth in his heat and tenth nationally in a time of 13.74. Thomas, the UK varsity record holder in the event will now prepare for the Olympic trials in his home country of Trinidad and Tobago.
Sophomore Jenna Martin placed sixth in her heat and 13th nationally in the women’s 400 meter dash semifinals with a time of 53.25. Martin will prepare to compete in the Olympic trials for Canada later this month.
Freshman Danielle Sampley used two top-three event finishes to stand 20th overall going into the final day of the women?s heptathlon. The rookie ran a time of 13.69 in the 100m hurdles to finish third. Sampley later finished second in the women’s 200m dash portion of the heptathlon in a time of 23.86. Sampley will compete in the final three events scheduled for Saturday morning: the long jump, javelin and 800 meter run starting at noon ET.
On Saturday, Big Blue fans can watch the men?s 4x400m relay team compete on national network CBS as it broadcasts running event finals live from 4:00 p.m. until 6:00 p.m. ET. The relay will be the final event of the Championships.
Live results are available from the UKathletics.com homepage and the track and field schedule page.
A meet recap of Wildcat performances will be available after the final day of competition on UKathletics.com.
Kentucky NCAA Championship Meet Participation Schedule
Women?s Heptathlon Day Two ? Saturday Noon ET
Danielle Sampley
Men?s Shot Put Final ? Saturday 4:00 p.m. ET
Rashaud Scott
Men?s 4×400 Meter Relay Final ? Saturday 5:48 p.m. ET
Kentucky
1) Nathan Browning 2) Justin Harrison
3) Kwasi Obeng 4) Jose Acevedo
