Feb. 26, 2011
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – The University of Kentucky track and field team ended day two of the 2011 Southeastern Conference Championships with its women’s squad squarely in the thick of things, totaling 24 points after scoring performances from four female student-athletes, Saturday at the Randal Tyson Track Center in Fayetteville, Ark.
Senior Heather Smith started things off with a season-best mark in the women’s weight throw at 60-02.50/18.91m to capture a fourth-place finish in the event. Smith came into the contest ranked sixth with a previous season-long toss of 59-04.75/18.10m set at the Akron Invitational on Feb. 12. The senior from Powell, Ohio earned five points for the Wildcats in her final SEC Indoor Championships, placing the women in second position after two events with 15 total points.
Next up for the Cats was a familiar face, Precious Nwokey, who after earning her first SEC championship in the pentathlon Friday, competed in two individual events Saturday, adding two more points to her total. Nwokey began the day in the 60m hurdles where she finished 15th with a time of 8.74. Then with almost zero turnaround time, the junior went back to work in the women’s long jump where she secured two points with a seventh-place performance. Nwokey completed a gutsy effort with long jump of 19-02.75/5.86m, which was almost a foot shy of her career-best mark of 20-03.50/6.18m set Friday during the pentathlon. Nwokey will compete in the 4x400m relay on Sunday at 5 p.m. ET for a chance to increase her individual point total of 12.
Other scoring for the Wildcats came from a career-tying performance in the high jump by junior Terri-Ann Grant. The transfer from Georgia Tech was one of five competitors to clear the bar at 5-08.00/1.73m and in doing so grabbed an important four points for the team. Grant had previously jumped 5-08.00 at the Tyson Invitational, in this very building, Feb. 12.
The final three points for the women were snatched in the last event of the day by sophomore Cally Macumber in the 3,000m run. Macumber finished in sixth position after 15 grueling laps around the track with a time of 9:35.00. The sophomore’s time is the second fastest of her career just behind the mark of 9:24.92 set Feb. 12 at the Husky Classic in Seattle.
The women will have several scoring opportunities Sunday including Mary Angell in the shot put, Samantha Stenzel and Shelby Kennard in the pole vault and the final event of the competition, the 4x400m relay. Kentucky’s SEC indoor point total a year ago after all events had been concluded was 39.
The men have collected two points through the first two days of competition but have qualified three individuals in the finals of events Sunday, including Sharif Webb. The native of Paramus, N.J., advanced to the finals in first place of the 800m run with a time of 1:50.64. Webb, an indoor All-America honoree last season, sits second on Kentucky’s all-time 800m list with a career-best time of 1:47.86, set last season at Notre Dame. The senior is also one of two Wildcats who have achieved an NCAA automatically qualifying mark this season, along with junior Precious Nwokey who accomplished that feat with an SEC championship in the pentathlon on Friday. Webb has a season-best time of 1:47.91 that currently ranks sixth in the nation and will need a similar performance tomorrow at 3:15 p.m. ET.
“Sharif seemed very encouraged so I am encouraged and excited to see him run tomorrow,” head coach Don Weber said. “I think he felt better than what I thought he looked but I think he was just being cautious in the prelims.”
The two points for the men came from All-American Colin Boevers, who claimed a seventh-place finish in the shot put with a long toss of 54-06.50/16.62m. Those points put the Wildcat men in tenth position moving into the final day of competition.
Junior Keith Hayes will help improve the Cats position, competing in his first SEC Indoor Championships after transferring from Kansas this season, with a finals appearance in the 60m hurdles after a third-place finish in prelims with a time of 7.82. Hayes ran the third-fastest time in the event and has a career-best time of 7.80, which he set earlier this year at the Rod McCravy Memorial Meet in Lexington. Eddie Lovett of Florida turned in the top time of 7.79 followed by the SEC leader in the event Barrett Nugent of LSU with a time of 7.80. The 60m hurdles final will begin tomorrow at 1:35 p.m. ET.
The men’s mile, also produced a finalist for UK in Josh Nadzam who finished fourth in the preliminary round with a time of 4:08.87. The senior will compete tomorrow at 2:15 p.m. ET for a chance to capture more points for the men.
Also in action tomorrow for the men will be David Banks, Steve Crouse and Keenan Hall in the triple jump at 12:30 p.m. ET, the men’s distance medley relay at 4:15 p.m. ET and the 4x400m relay at 4:45 p.m. ET.
Sunday’s action of the 2011 SEC Indoor Championships can be seen live at Arkansasrazorbacks.com via Razor Vision.
For continuous updates and everything UK track and field follow @KentuckyTrack and at UKathletics.com.
Women’s Team Standings After Day Two
1. Tennessee – 36
2. LSU – 29
3. Arkansas – 25
4. Kentucky – 24
5. Georgia – 21
6. Alabama – 17
7. Florida – 16
8. Auburn – 13
9. Mississippi – 10
10. Mississippi State – 4
Men’s Team Standings After Day Two
1. Florida – 41
2. Arkansas – 39
3. LSU – 30
T4. Auburn – 22.33
T4. Georgia – 22.33
6. Tennessee – 16.33
7. Alabama – 12
8. South Carolina – 7
9. Mississippi – 3
10. Kentucky – 2
Women’s Point Scorers (Days 1-2)
Heather Smith – 5 points (4th – Weight Throw)
Precious Nwokey – 12 points (1st – Pentathlon, 7th Long Jump)
Terri-Ann Grant – 4 points (5th – High Jump)
Cally Macumber – 3 points (6th – 3,000m Run)
Men’s Point Scorers (Days 1-2)
Colin Boevers – 2 points (7th – Shot Put)
Men’s Sunday Qualifiers
Keith Hayes – 60m Hurdles (Sunday: 1:35 p.m. ET)
Josh Nadzam – Mile (Sunday: 2:15 p.m. ET)
Sharif Webb – 800m (Sunday: 3:15 p.m. ET)
Women’s Results (Saturday)
Women’s Weight throw (Auto: 21.00m)
4. Heather Smith – 62-00.50/18.91m (5 points)
Women’s Long Jump (Auto: 6.38m)
7. Precious Nwokey – 19-02.75/5.86m (2 points)
16. Kayla Parker – 18-01.00/5.51m
24. Michelle Canterna – 16-08.00/5.08m
Women’s High Jump (Auto: 1.85m)
5. Terri-Ann Grant – 1.73m/5-08.00 (4 points)
Women’s 60-Meter Hurdles Prelims (Auto: 8.14)
12. Kayla Parker – 8.57
15. Precious Nwokey – 8.74
Women’s 400-Meter Dash (Auto: 52.60)
17. Shiara Robinson – 55.37
25. Jazmyn Shorter – 56.27
Women’s 800-Meter Run (Auto: 2:05.00)
12. Allison Peare – 2:13.59
Women’s Mile Run (Auto: 4:37.00)
18. Anna Bostrom – 5:10.06
Women’s 3,000-Meter Run (Auto: 9:13.00)
6. Cally Macumber – 9:35.00
16. Taylor Wendler – 10:03.30
Men’s Results (Saturday)
Men’s Long Jump (Auto: 25-11/7.90m)
15. Keenan Hall – 22-11.00/6.98m
Men’s Shot Put (Auto: 19.30m)
7. Colin Boevers – 54-06.50/16.62m (2 points)
16. Isiah Kent – 49-05.00/15.06m
Men’s 60-Meter Hurdles Prelims (Auto: 7.70)
3. Keith Hayes – 7.82Q
11. Brandon Bagley – 8.32
Men’s 60-Meter Dash Prelims (Auto: 6.60)
10. Kyron Joseph – 6.79
16. Kadeem Kushimo – 6.89
Men’s 200-Meter Dash (Auto: 20.83)
15. Kyron Joseph – 21.56
20. Kadeem Kushimo – 21.85
Men’s 400-Meter Dash (Auto: 46.15)
18. Cody Miller – 48.74
22. Ben Mason – 49.52
Men’s 800-Meter Run (Auto: 1:48)
1. Sharif Webb – 1:50.64Q
15. Trent Halasek – 1:54.43
Men’s Mile Run (Auto: 3:59.00)
4. Josh Nadzam – 4:08.87Q
13. Adam Kahlefeih – 4:12.08
16. Matt Hillenbrand – 4:17.25
Men’s 3,000-Meter Run (Auto: 7:54.50)
10. Luis Orta – 8:20.33
16. Stacey Eden – 8:40.57
