Top Marks Rampant for UKTF Friday at Clemson, ISU

 
CLEMSON, S.C. and Ames, Iowa – Jacob Thomson quickened his men’s 5,000-meter school record, Ben Young broke four minutes in the men’s mile, alumna Kendra Harrison set the American record (7.72 seconds) in the women’s 60m hurdles, Jasmine Camacho-Quinn ran an NCAA-leading personal best 7.95 in the same race, Michelle McKinney won the women’s mile, and that didn’t even scratch the surface of impressive Kentucky track and field performances on Friday at the Iowa State Classic and Tiger Paw Invitational.
 
Report from Iowa State
Thomson finished seventh in the Iowa State Classic 5k with an absolute (indoor and outdoor) personal best 13:41.33. He already owned the UK school records indoors and out. Thomson now ranks ninth in the nation in the 5k this year. He also ranks ninth in the 3k. The other Wildcat to run at Iowa State was Katy Kunc who finished 17th in the women’s 5k with a time of 16:19.65.
 
Report from Clemson
Young ran 3:59.59 to place second in the Tiger Paw men’s mile. He became the 507th American to join the sub-four-minute mile club, and the fifth Wildcat to do so.

Michelle McKinney ran a mile PB 4:47.08 to win the women’s mile.
 
Celera Barnes finished third in the women’s 60m final with a time of 7.25, a personal best that moved her to No. 3 on the UK all-time performers’ list behind only 2014 NCAA 60m silver medalist Dezerea Bryant and last year’s NCAA 60m silver medalist Javianne Oliver.

Daniel Roberts came close to his PR in the 60m hurdles, placing fifth in 7.73. In that race UK volunteer assistant, Olympic and twice World Champion and Arkansas alum Omar McLeod ran 7.53 for second to Grant Holloway.
 
Jacklyn Howell tied her personal best of 8.15 in the lightning fast 60m hurdles final. That time ranks 11th in the NCAA qualifying list as of publication time on Friday. In that race, Camacho-Quinn improved her No. 2 mark on the UK all-time performers’ list to Harrison’s school record of 7.87.

For her part, Harrison now has the indoor 60m hurdles American record to go along with her outdoor 100m hurdles world record. The 7.72 ranks No. 3 on the all-time world indoor list. Friday marked Harrison’s second competition of the season.

Noah Castle improved his shot put personal best for the second week in a row, and third time this year, tossing a mark of 61’0″/18.59m to place seventh.

Daniel Southard ran a 5k PR 14:38.39, continuing an indoor season that’s seen him run faster and faster.
 
EJ Floréal ran a 400m PR 47.63 to place 17th. Jelani Walker was 34th.

Weekend primer
Two weeks away from the start of the indoor track and field postseason, the Kentucky track and field program is at two meets this weekend. The majority of the team is in Clemson for the Tiger Paw Invitational, while elite distance performers Jacob Thomson and Katy Kunc ran on the oversized track at Iowa State.
 
The Kentucky women’s team is up to a season-high No. 5 in this week’s U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) rankings. The UK men’s team is No. 18 this week.
 
The two-day Tiger Paw Invitational features nine SEC teams (Alabama, Auburn, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi State, Tennessee, Texas A&M and South Carolina), eight ACC teams (Duke, Georgia Tech, Miami, North Carolina, NC State, Virginia and Virginia Tech), and Pac-12 power Southern California.

The Iowa State Classic features an impressive gathering of top distance runners descending on Ames.
Teams head to Ames for the on-campus Lied Recreation Center’s oversized track hoping to run fast times in search of NCAA Championships qualifying times ahead of the typically more tactical (read: slower) races at conference championships.

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