March 13, 2009
COLLEGE STATION, Texas –
Kentucky sprinter Rondel Sorrillo placed third nationally in the 200 meter dash and broke the 15-year-old school varsity record in the event with a time of 20.72 on the first day of competition at the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships at Texas A&M University’s Gilliam Indoor Track Stadium in College Station, Texas, Friday.
Sorrillo made good on his first career NCAA Championship final appearance in the men’s 200m dash. The junior ran his personal-best time as a Wildcat, clocking in at 20.72 to break the school record of 20.73 set by Clyde Rudolph in 1994. His third-place finish earned the Cats six team points at the NCAA Championships.
In the 200m preliminaries, Sorrillo posted a time of 20.82 to improve his second-place mark all-time at UK before the record-breaking final run. The Trinidad and Tobago native finished fourth in the prelims to qualify for the event final.
The Wildcat also qualified for the 60m dash final with a preliminary time of 6.65. Sorrillo placed third in his heat and seventh overall to advance to the Saturday finale at 7:10 p.m. ET. Two weeks ago, he recorded a personal-best time of 6.60 recorded at the SEC Championships that ranks second all-time at Kentucky.
Senior Chase Madison finished sixth overall in the men’s shot put with a personal-best indoor throw of 62-1 in his final attempt to move up two spots in the final standings. The mark improves Madison’s seventh-best distance all-time at UK. Madison collected three team points the Cats.
The No. 15 UK men finished the first day with nine points to stand in eighth place overall. Oregon leads the men’s competition with 23 points.
Multi-event athlete Ashley Trimble broke the women’s pentathlon varsity record totaling 3,997 points to place 11th overall. Competing in her final career indoor meet, Trimble set the pentathlon top mark for the third time this season.
Trimble kicked off the meet in impressive fashion by finishing third overall in the 60m hurdles, the first of five events. The senior posted a time of 8.48 in the 60m hurdles – just 0.03 seconds shy of her personal best mark. In the second event, Trimble cleared a new personal-best high jump height of 5-4.25 on her third attempt. Earlier in the day, Trimble set a personal best at an earlier height of 5-3.
In the women’s shot put, Trimble threw a distance of 37-3.75 on her first attempt. The Wildcat notched a distance of 18-05.00 during her first long jump attempt. In the final event of the pentathlon, the 800m run, Trimble posted a time of 2:17.81 to finish second overall in her heat and push her over the point threshold for the new school record.
Hurdler Mikel Thomas placed seventh in his heat of the 60m hurdle preliminaries with a time of 7.89 to place 12th overall. The senior crossed the finish line gimpy with an injury incurred towards the end of the race and was escorted off of the track by medical personnel.
The men’s 4x400m relay team will make its Championship debut Saturday.
The UK foursome of Sorrillo, freshman Justin Austin; seniors Brandon Austin and Jose Acevedo ran a season-best time of 3:06.78 at the SEC Championships. The time ranks sixth in the nation and fourth all-time at UK.
Big Blue fans will have the opportunity to watch the Wildcats compete live and free of charge on the internet this weekend. The NCAA Championships will be streamed live on ESPN360.com; the live feed begins at 1:00 p.m. Saturday. Additionally, ESPN2 will air a 90-minute highlight show on Mar. 23 at 2:30 p.m. ET. Live UK results and text commentary will be available through ukathletics.com throughout the two-day event on the track and field page.
A full recap of the Cats’ performances will be available after competition on and Saturday at UKathletics.com.
Kentucky NCAA Championship Participant Finishes on Friday Mar. 13
Men’s 200 Meter Dash Finals
3. Rondel Sorrillo – 20.72 NEW UK VARISTY RECORD
Men’s Shot Put Trials and Final
6. Chase Madison – 62-1
Women’s Pentathlon
11. Ashley Trimble – 3,997 points
NEW UK VARISTY RECORD
Men’s 200 Meter Dash Preliminaries
4. Rondel Sorrillo – 20.82 QUALIFIED FOR EVENT FINAL
Men’s 60 Meter Dash Preliminaries
7. Rondel Sorrillo – 6.65 QUALIFIED FOR EVENT FINAL
Men’s 60 Meter Hurdles Preliminaries
12. Mikel Thomas – 7.89
Wildcat Scorers by Event – NCAA Indoor Championships
MEN (points earned) – 9
200m Dash
3. Rondel Sorrillo – 20.72 (6)
Shot Put
6. Chase Madison – 61-02.00 (3)
MEN’S TEAM STANDINGS AFTER SIX EVENTS
1) Oregon 23
2) Arizona State 15
3) Arkansas 14
Nebraska 14
5) Baylor 10
Rice 10
7) Virginia Tech 9.5
8) KENTUCKY 9
Kentucky NCAA Championship Participants Competing on Saturday Mar. 14
Men’s 60 Meter Dash Final – 7:10 p.m. ET
Rondel Sorrillo
Men’s 4×400 Meter Relay – 8:25 p.m. ET
Justin Austin, Rondel Sorrillo, Brandon Austin, Jose Acevedo
