Kendra Harrison Earns Second-Straight SEC Runner of the Week

By Jacob Most
April 8, 2014

LEXINGTON, Ky.– Kendra Harrison was named Southeastern Conference Co-Runner of the Week, the league office announced on Tuesday. Harrison earned the honor for the second week in a row after running the world-leading 400m hurdles time and breaking two school records at last weekend’s Florida Relays.

Harrison won the Florida Relays400-meter hurdles with a time of 56.60, which is tied with Déborah Rodriguez of Uruguay for the fastest in the world this season.

Harrison’s performance broke the school-record time by more than a second.

She now leads the nation in both the 400m hurdles and 100m hurdles (wind adjusted 12.68).

In addition to her stellar hurdling performance, Harrison also ran the leadoff leg on UK’s school-record 4x400m relay that ran a time which ranks No. 4 in the nation and second in the SEC, 3:31.19.

Harrison ran the second-fastest all-conditions time in the world this year, a wind-aided 12.64 seconds (2.1) to win the 100m hurdles championship at the 87th Clyde Littlefield Texas Relays in Mike A. Myers Stadium two weeks ago.

Only Australia’s Sally Pearson, the 2012 Olympic Gold Medalist in the event, has run a faster time than Harrison this season (12.59 -.02w).

Her time was a substantial amount better than her previous personal best of 12.88.

Harrison set the Kentucky school-record in the event during the preliminary round on Friday as she ran a wind-legal 12.94 to become the first Wildcat to break 13 seconds in the event.

Harrison’s qualifying time of 12.94 is the wind-legal American leader and the wind-aided 12.64 is the all-conditions American leader.

Harrison earned SEC Runner of the Week for the third time in this her debut season as she was also picked up the accolade once indoors.

The UK women’s team checked in at No. 5 in Tuesday’s United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) rankings. Additionally, the men’s team cracked the top 25 at No. 24 for the first time this year.