March 28, 2009
ATLANTA – Due to severe weather in the metro Atlanta area, only one event was contested at Georgia Tech’s Yellow Jacket Invitational this weekend. Kentucky thrower Kristin Smith made the most of it, breaking the UK varsity record in the women’s hammer throw Friday night with a distance measuring 199-2 to earn an NCAA regional-qualifying mark and win the competition.
Smith achieved her personal-best distance on her second throw of the competition topping her former top mark by over eight feet. As a result, the junior moved up one spot on the UK all-time list in the event, passing former Wildcat Nicole Allyn’s mark of 194-7 set in 2006.
Senior Ashley Muffet finished fifth overall in the hammer with a mark of 177-2 and junior Heather Smith placed 13th with a throw of 152-5.
On the men’s side, senior Alek Grietens also threw a personal-best mark in the hammer to finish as the top collegiate in the competition. Grietens’ fifth throw measured a distance of 190-11 to increase his best mark by more than six feet. His distance improved his fourth-place standing on UK’s all-time list and earned Grietens an NCAA regional-qualifying mark.
Kentucky will send split squads next weekend to the Florida Relays in Gainesville, Fla., the Texas Relays in Austin, Texas and the Tiger Track Classic in Auburn, Ala.
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