March 7, 2010
LEXINGTON, Ky. — In the season’s final weekend before NCAA Indoor Championships the University of Kentucky track and field team exploded with two automatic and four provisional qualifying marks as the Wildcats competed Saturday at three separate venues across the country.
Ashley Muffet, in her final season as a Wildcat, established herself as one the greatest throwers in school history as she dismantled her own school record while acquiring an all-important NCAA automatic qualifying mark in the women’s shot put. Muffet saw the longest throw of her career land 17.46m/57-03.50 from the circle, eclipsing her previous mark of the season by an astonishing 3-04.25 to finish atop her collegiate competitors in the event.
The second of two NCAA automatic qualifying marks came from junior Sharif Webb in the men’s 800m run with a time of 1:47.86 moving him into second place all-time in the UK record books behind David Freeman. Webb’s previous best time of 1:49.84 was set at the Southeastern Conference Indoor Championships on the banked track of the Randal Tyson Track Complex.
The combination of Jenna Martin, Precious Nwokey, Jazmyn Shorter and Brittany Cabbler etched their names in the record books as the first Kentucky women’s 4×400-meter relay team to qualify for the NCAA Indoor Championships. The group snapped their own school record by two and a half seconds with a time of 3:35.40, set just one week ago at the SEC Indoor Championships.
“I have tinkered with the women’s order all year, after the SEC meet and setting the school record I sent the girls a text about the new order and they ran exactly the way I thought they would,” said Kentucky sprints coach Erin Tucker. “I am proud of them for being the first UK women’s 4×4 to run at the NCAA Indoor Championship but I am more proud of them stepping up to the challenge I gave them of carrying on the UK 4×4 legacy.”
Ashley Muffet was joined by her two counterpart shot putters Mary Angell and Jennifer Svoboda, who both claimed NCAA provisional qualifying marks. Angell threw 15.53m/50-11.50, her best throw of the year, and moved into the conversation to qualify for NCAAs. Svoboda was just behind the mark of Angell with a throw of 15.27m/50-01.25 but had a previous long throw of 15.66m/51-04.00 set in the first competition of the year. All of Kentucky’s women’s throwers, including Kristin Smith in the weight throw, have at least provisional qualifying marks.
Ke’Undra Bishop also made the impressive move to a provisional qualifier in the women’s triple jump with a mark of 12.70m/41-08.00. Bishop had a previous mark of 12.38m/40-07.50 also set last weekend in Fayetteville, Ark.
The Cats look to build on their record setting day at the NCAA Indoor Championships next weekend, March 12-14, at the Randal Tyson Track Complex in Fayetteville, Ark.
The final list of qualifiers who will make the trip back to Fayetteville for the NCAA Indoor Championship will be announced Monday at 7 p.m. ET and will be posted on the UK track and field page along with this seasons SEC award winners.
