May 2, 2011
LEXINGTON, Ky. – On the heels of senior Keenan Hall setting the school record in the triple jump Saturday, the Kentucky track and field team produced six individual personal-bests in addition to senior Sharif Webb’s top collegiate finish in the 800-meter run, Sunday at the Payton Jordan Invitational in Palo Alto, Calif.
Webb started things off for the Wildcats, collecting the top spot among his collegiate competitors in the 800m run with a time of 1:48.48. The senior was the only collegiate to run in the final, fastest heat, finishing sixth. The native of Paramus, N.J., holds the school record in the 800m run at 1:47.19, set at the Florida Relays on April 1. Freshman Robert Scharold set the first of five personal bests on the day for freshmen, running the 800m in 1:53.12. Scharold passed his previous-best mark of 1:54.35, which also came at the Florida Relays.
On the women’s side, sophomore Cally Macumber and freshman Allison Peare made a charge up the UK all-time top-times list in their respective events. Macumber finished seventh in her heat with a time of 16:19.13 moving up to fourth on UK’s all-time 5,000m run list, from seventh. The four-time All-SEC performer had a previous-best time of 16:43.61, which had been set at the Penn Relays in 2010. Peare, in her first season as Wildcat, ran a career-best time of 2:07.36 in the 800m run, approaching the freshman school record of 2:06.47 from 1986. The freshman made it into UK’s all-time 800m list in the 8th spot and continues to cut seconds off her time each week.
“We had some good performances today but everyone knows they can be better,” head coach Don Weber said. “Ally and Cally both ran substantial personal bests but are still learning how to race their events.”
Junior Louis Orta was hundredths-of-a-second away from equaling his career-best time in the 3,000m steeplechase, finishing 12th in the second heat in 8:52.62. Orta currently holds the third-fastest time in UK history with a time of 8:52.39, set in 2009 at the Florida Relays.
A pair of freshmen shaved several seconds off their previous personal bests, with Matt Hillenbrand (3:51.93) edging out teammate Adam Kahleifeh (3:55.72) in the 1,500m run. Hillenbrand entered the weekend with a career-best time of 3:53.01, while Kahleifeh had previously run 4:00.72, both at the Florida Relays.
“Matt Hillenbrand raced very well,” Weber said. “Unfortunately it was a very slow pace through 800m which negatively affected his overall time. I was very pleased with how he raced.”
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Payton Jordan Invitational – Sunday Results
Men’s 800m Run
Sharif Webb – 1:48.48
Robert Scharold – 1:53.12 (PR)
Trent Halasek – 2:03.07
Men’s 1,500m Run
Matt Hillenbrand – 3:51.93 (PR)
Adam Kahleifeh – 3:55.72 (PR)
Men’s 3,000m Steeplechase
Luis Orta – 8:52.62
Women’s 800m Run
Allison Peare – 2:07.36 (PR)
Women’s 5,000m Run
Cally Macumber – 16:19.13 (PR)
Taylor Wendler – 17:46.61 (PR)
