June 16, 2009
LEXINGTON, Ky. –
Six Kentucky track and field athletes earned outdoor All-America honors from the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) for their performances last weekend at the NCAA Championships the organization announced from its home office in New Orleans, Monday.
In just his first season at Kentucky, sprinter Rondel Sorrillo became the first Wildcat man to earn five All-America honors in one year.
The junior earned three honors at nationals after having a hand in all 15 points scored by the Wildcat men in Fayetteville, Ark. He finished second in the country in the men’s 200m dash, crossing the finish line in 20.70 while running into a headwind. Two days earlier, Sorrillo broke his UK varsity record in the event that he set two weeks prior at the Mideast Regional, clocking in at 20.45. On the third day of the Championships, Sorrillo earned his other two outdoor honors. In the 100m dash final, the Trinidad and Tobago native ran the third-fastest time in UK history clocking in at 10.22 to finish fifth nationally. Earlier in the evening, he earned his first honor as the anchor leg of the UK men’s 4x100m relay team. The Wildcats placed sixth overall with the fourth-fastest time in school history, crossing the finish in 39.27.
In March at the 2009 NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships, the 2008 Olympian placed third nationally to set the UK indoor 200m dash record and earn All-America honors. His second top-five finish of the meet in the 60m dash final earned Sorrillo his second accolade of the competition.
Two of Sorrillo’s relay teammates added to their All-America collections, while another earned the first USTFCCCA honor of his career.
Sprinter Gordon McKenzie capped off his senior season with his first All-America award after running the opening leg of the UK men’s 4x100m relay. The senior from Queens, N.Y., helped the Cats improve upon the relay’s 13th-place national finish that he anchored a year ago. McKenzie ran in three NCAA events last season and already dots the UK record books with six top-seven performances all-time.
Fellow senior Jose Acevedo claimed his third All-America accolade in the 4x100m relay after earning two previous honors in the men’s 4x400m relays the past two seasons. The former 2008 Olympian from Venezuela was a member of the outdoor team that finished third nationally last season and also ran a leg on the 2007 indoor team that placed second in the country.
Junior Kwasi Obeng took home his second All-America award, this time in the 4x100m relay. Last season, the Bardstown, Ky., native ran a leg of the outdoor 4x400m relay with Acevedo. Obeng is a member of four top-five relay squads all-time at Kentucky and also ranks among the top 10 of the indoor men’s 100m dash.
UK senior Chase Madison achieved his second All-America honor as a Wildcat and the third of his career. Earlier this year the Newton, Iowa, native took home an award for the indoor shot put. In 2006, Madison also claimed an outdoor honor in men’s discus while competing at Iowa State.
Thrower Rashaud Scott was recognized by the USTFCCCA for the third time in his career after placing tenth in the men’s discus. The 2009 All-America honor follows Scott’s 2008 outdoor awards in the discus and shot put. Last season, the Bronx, N.Y., native became UK’s first men’s throwing event national champion for the discus.
Three Wildcats won All-America honors during the 2009 Indoor season bringing the total of UK awards won this year to 11.
The top eight finishers in each event at the NCAA Track and Field Championships obtain All-America status. In the individual (non-relay) events, if one or more of the top eight finishers is of another nationality, U.S.-born collegians are selected until there are eight total in addition to any foreign-born All-Americans.
Several Kentucky athletes will compete later this month at the USA Track and Field (USATF) Junior Championships in Eugene, Ore., Jun. 24-27.
Stay tuned to UKathletics.com for a complete recap of their performances.
Kentucky 2009 Outdoor All-America Selections
Jose Acevedo – 4x100m Relay
Chase Madison – Discus
Gordon McKenzie – 4x100m Relay
Kwasi Obeng – 4x100m Relay
Rashaud Scott – Discus
Rondel Sorrillo – 100m Dash, 200m Dash, 4x100m Relay
