April 24, 2015
GAINESVILLE, Fla. and SAN DIEGO – Kendra Harrison took the NCAA lead in the 100-meter hurdles with a winning time of 12.62 (+0.9) at Florida’s Tom Jones Memorial Invitational on Friday.
Harrison became the sixth fastest collegian ever, with a time, which tied for the ninth fastest in NCAA history.
Harrison’s personal-best time is the third fastest wind-legal performance by anyone in the world this season, including professionals. The performance broke her school record.
With Friday’s performance, Harrison is now the NCAA leader in the 100 and 400m hurdles, as she ran 54.94 on the same track at the Florida Relays earlier this month.
While Harrison carried for the banner for UK – as she has many times before – on Friday, plenty of Wildcats turned in nationally significant performances themselves.
For example Harrison wasn’t Kentucky’s only elite hurdler on display. Leah Nugent ran personal bests in the 100m hurdles (13.11) and 400m hurdles (56.46). The short hurdles time ranks 10th and the 400m hurdles time ranks fifth nationally.
Daje Pugh ran a PR 59.51 in the 400m hurdles.
Keffri Neal won the 800m with a time of 1:49.32.
Another school record went down in the 3k steeplechase as Caroline McCaslin ran a PR 10:31.63. Katy Kunc also had a PR of 10:33.06.
Kentucky’s 4x100m relay of Dezerea Bryant, Dominique Booker, Kenyattia Hackworth and Keilah Tyson ran 43.69, a season best, to place second. The time ranks seventh in the nation.
UK’s 4x400m relay of Jasmine Mitchell, Morganne Phillips, Angelica Whaley and Kendra Harrison ran 3:33.82 to place third.
Nick Anderson finished as the top collegian in the 100m hurdles, eighth overall, with a time of 14.04 into a -1.1 wind.
Keilah Tyson ran a season-best 100m time of 11.56 into a -0.1 wind to place eighth.
In San Diego at the Triton Invitational, Rebecca Famurewa produced a PR hammer throw 208’0.825″/ 63.65m to finish third.
On Thursday Robert Sandlin used a monster kick down the stretch to win the 5,000 meters at the 121st running of the University of Pennsylvania Relays Carnival on Thursday at Franklin Field with a time of 13:51.69.
Thursday was also a day for season-best throws by Kentucky Wildcats competing at the Olympic Training Center’s Elite Meet in Chula Vista, California.
Famurewa reached the best discus mark since her freshman season, hitting 186 feet 9 inches 56.93 meters to place second. The mark ranks seventh in the nation this season.
Madison Jacobs threw her collegiate best in the discus, 184’2″/56.14m to finish third. That mark improved Jacobs season ranking to No. 9 nationally.
Bradley Szypka threw a season-best 63’0.75″/19.22m in the shot put to place second
Thousands of miles away and in sub-40-degree weather, Mackay Wilson placed third in The Penn Relays steeplechase, running 9:03.70. Spencer Hrycay placed fifth in the (9:04.83), and James Brown was ninth (9:07.55).
Six athletes will run at the Bellarmine Classic in Louisville on Saturday.
