April 22, 2009
PHILADELPHIA and SAN DIEGO – This weekend the Kentucky track and field teams will compete on opposite coasts when the Wildcats take the track at the Penn Relays in Philadelphia and the Triton Invitational in San Diego beginning Thursday.
Wildcat runners begin competition at the Relays beginning at 10:00 a.m. ET Thursday. UK resumes competition Friday at 9:00 a.m. and concludes events Saturday. Live results can be found at UKathletics.com. At the Invitational, UK throwers and jumpers kick off competition at 1:00 p.m. Friday and wrap up the event Saturday beginning at the same hour.
The prestigious Penn Relays are annually contested at the University of Pennsylvania’s historic football stadium – Franklin Field. The 115th year of the nation’s oldest relay event provides a strong field that includes athletes from 26 teams in the latest men’s and women’s United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) rankings.
The ninth-ranked Kentucky men are one of eight top-10 squads represented in the City of Brotherly Love. The other teams include No. 2 Texas A&M, No. 3 Arkansas, No. 4 Florida, No. 5 Florida State, No. 6 LSU, No. 8 South Carolina and No. 10 Texas. On the women’s side, the five top-10 squads competing are No. 1 Texas A&M, No. 3 LSU, No. 4 Virginia Tech, No. 7 Penn State and No. 8 Tennessee.
The meet will be the first of the outdoor season for senior hurdler Mikel Thomas. Also on display will be the UK men’s 4x400m and 4x100m relay teams that have traditionally advanced to the NCAA Championships. Senior Jose Acevedo is an integral member of those squads. Currently he ranks 17th nationally among the 200m dash times turned in during 2009. On the women’s side, senior Ashley Trimble will compete in both the 100m and 400m hurdles. She ranks seventh nationally in the heptathlon this season.
On the left coast, Kentucky field event specialists will take part in the University of California at San Diego’s Triton Invitational. Other teams represented include Arizona, Nebraska, Tennessee, UCLA and USC.
Several Wildcat throwers rank among the top 20 nationally, led by defending National Champion in men’s discus senior Rashaud Scott. He tops the country in the event this season and his throw of 212-9 ranks fourth in the world according to the latest IAAF outdoor rankings. Scott also stands 14th nationally in the shot put.
Classmate Chase Madison ranks fourth in the country in the discus.
Senior Ashley Muffet claims two top-eight spots in the latest women’s event rankings. She ranks eighth overall in the shot put and stands seventh in the discus.
Emilee Strot also ranks in the discus at 14th nationally while junior Kristin Smith holds the 17th slot in the hammer.
A recap of the Cats’ performances will be available on UKathletics.com after each day of competition.
