Kunc, Alumna Bryant Advance on Day One at USATF Outdoors

DES MOINES, Iowa – Kentucky track and field senior Katy Kunc advanced to her first United States 3,000-meter steeplechase final, and Class of 2015 alumna Dezerea Bryant ran a personal best to qualify for the 100m semifinal on Thursday, the first day of the 2018 USATF Outdoor Championships being held this weekend at Drake Stadium.
 
Kunc, who’s last collegiate race was the NCAA final earlier this month, moved on to the U.S. 3k steeplechase final, running within a quarter of a second of her PR, 9:55.76q to advance on time from the second heat, placing seventh. The final is Saturday at 4:20 p.m. ET/3:20 CT (local).

“I’m really excited,” Kunc said. “I tried to go out more aggressive than I did at NCAA’s. It worked out well. I was able to see the barriers a lot better. Had really good waters today. Once the group kind of separated I just tried to hang on as best I could. I knew I had to run under 10 minutes to get in the final so I’m excited.”

Bryant, a two-time NCAA 200m Champion at UK, advanced to the U.S. 100m semifinal with a PB 10.99Q. The semifinal is at 6:30 p.m. ET/5:30 CT (local) on Friday. It’ll be broadcast live on NBC Sports Gold subscription service. There’s a 11 p.m. – 1 a.m. ET delayed NBCSN window Friday too. The final will be at 8:22 p.m. ET.
 
Also on Thursday, senior Jacob Thomson was named to the 2018 Google Cloud Academic All-America Men’s Track & Field/Cross Country team, selected by CoSIDA.
 
Thomson will run in the U.S. 5k final on Sunday.

Sydney McLaughlin was entered to represent UK in the 400m, but after warming up, felt tightness in her quadriceps and elected to withdraw following an all-time great collegiate freshman season. McLaughlin announced after winning the NCAA 400m hurdles title and leading UK’s 4x400m relay to fourth place that she intends to turn professional.

She was named the first freshman finalist for The Bowerman on Wedesday. Fan voting for track and field’s highest individual honor is under way until Thursday, June 28.
 
Friday’s action at USATFoutdoors will feature defending 100m hurdles champion, UK Class of 2015 alumna Keni Harrison in the first round, and Bryant in the 100m.

Wildcats current and alumni alike are also competing at the Jamaican and Trinidad and Tobago Championships this weekend.
 
Whereas the other three years of every four-year Olympic cycle, the U.S. Championships serve as a qualifying meet for Americans seeking to compete at major championships, the IAAF World Championships occurring one year before, and one year after each quadrennial Summer Olympic Games, this year National Championships represent in some measure the most prestigious competition available to many athletes.

That said, for athletes who compete for European nations – notably NCAA heptathlon and decathlon champion Tim Duckworth, who represents Great Britain, and NCAA triple jump bronze medalist Marie-Josee Ebwea-Bile, who represents France, the biennial European Championships in athletics are likely the top target for this summer. The European Championships will be August 7-12 in Berlin’s OlympiaStadion.

The British Championships will be June 30-July 1, and the French Championships are July 5-8 in Albi Municipal Stadium.

For North America and Caribbean athletes the NACAC Championships – the track and field equivalent to soccer’s CONCACAF Gold Cup – will also be contested this summer.
 

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