UK Track & Field to send 16 Entries to NCAAs from East Prelims

By Jacob Most

May 30, 2015 –

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JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The Kentucky track and field program advanced 16 entries (13 women’s and three men’s) to the NCAA Championships over the past three days during the East Preliminary Championships at North Florida’s Hodges Stadium.

Six Wildcats earned spots on the trip to Eugene, Oregon, on Saturday.

Last season Kentucky advanced 16 women’s entries and four men’s entries to the NCAA Championships from the East Preliminary Championships.

Kendra Harrison set herself up to attempt a historic double in two weeks’ time with her performances over the weekend. She qualified as the top seed out of the east in both the 100-meter hurdles and 400m hurdles.

Harrison will arrive in Oregon as the NCAA-leader in the 100m hurdles, and she was the top finisher in Saturday’s NCAA quarterfinal, cruising to a time of 12.62 for the second day in a row. Harrison ran a PR 12.50 en route to the Southeastern Conference Championship two weeks ago.

Her 400m hurdles qualifying time of 55.82 on Friday was the fastest at any preliminary site, although Texas A&M’s Shamier Little — the defending NCAA Champion — ran 54.68 to defeat Harrison at the SEC Championships two weeks ago. The time is the collegiate leader.

Dezerea Bryant also heads to Oregon in strong form as she ran four individual races this weekend and ran personal bests in all of them.

Bryant broke her 200m school record with a time of 22.45 (+1.5) on Saturday, which was the second fastest qualifying time out of the east, behind reigning indoor NCAA 200m Champion Kyra Jefferson.

Three Wildcats qualified for the NCAA Championships in multiple individual events as Keilah Tyson ran a 200m PR of 23.10 qualify for Nationals automatically, after she also did so in the 100m on Friday.

She ran a 100m PR — also a school record — of 11.14 on Friday to earn the top qualifying spot out of the east.

Kentucky’s women’s 4x400m relay of Leah Nugent, Morganne Phillips, Jasmine Mitchell and Angelica Whaley concluded the East Prelims with the school record, 3:30.81, to earn a place in the NCAA Championships.

UK’s 4x100m relay of Bryant, Tyson, Kenyattia Hackworth and Dominique Booker won its quarterfinal heat in 43.43 to automatically move on to the NCAA semifinal, which will be contested in Eugene.

Bradley Szypka earned a measure of redemption by qualifying to Oregon in the shot put with a seventh-place mark of 62’7.25″/19.08m. Szypka did not advance from East Prelims last season, but he will be looking to score points when the action shifts to Hayward Field in two weeks.

Six more Wildcats qualified today. #UKTF will send 16 entries (13 women, three men) to the NCAA Championships. pic.twitter.com/EFSAC1sHIC

— UK Track and Field (@KentuckyTrack) May 31, 2015

Other Saturday results of note

Robert Sandlin ran 14:09.88 and placed eighth in his quarterfinal heat, to finish 14th overall. He didn’t advance.

Freshman Jacklyn Howell ran 13.37, and place eighth in her 100m hurdles quarterfinal heat. She didn’t advance.

Nick Anderson ran 14.37 into a head-wind for seventh in his 110m hurdles quarterfinal. He didn’t advance.

Rebecca Famurewa fouled on all three of her hammer throw attempts, missing out on qualification in that event. She did however, advance to NCAAs in the discus.

Michael Patterson Jr. produced a best mark of 49’1.75″/14.98m in the triple jump, and did not advance.

Kentucky’s NCAA East Preliminary Championships picture

In total, 28 Wildcats (15 women, 13 men) qualified for this week’s NCAA East Preliminary Championships. Texas’ Mike A. Myers Stadium is the host site for the NCAA West Preliminary Round, also being held this weekend.

For each individual event contested at each of the preliminary sites, the top 48 declared student-athletes were accepted into the competition. For each relay event, the top 24 declared relay teams were accepted into the competition.

Dezerea Bryant ran PRs in all four of her races this weekend.