UKTF Finishes 2019 Edition of the McCravy with Nine Event Wins

LEXINGTON, Ky. – The Kentucky track and field teams wrapped the Annual Rod McCravy Memorial Meet with nine individual-event wins plus two top-collegian finishers over two days of competition inside Nutter Field House on the UK campus.

The meet itself featured 17 marks that rank in the NCAA Division I top-25 this season at press time on Saturday night. Wildcats recorded seven of those marks.
 

Saturday event winners
Junior Daniel Roberts did the vaunted McCravy 60-meter dash and hurdles double with personal bests in both events.

He lowered his school record in the 60H with a time of 7.67, which ranks No. 4 in the nation. He won the 60m in 6.63, moving to No. 3 on the UK all-time list and ranking No. 11 in DI at publication time.
 
Senior Kianna Gray and freshman Abby Steiner pushed each other in both the women’s 60m prelims and final with the final coming down to a photo finish with the clock stopping at 7.30 – a season best for Gray and a personal best for Steiner. The veteran Wildcat edged the rookie in the photo with a .002 difference when measured to the thousands place. The 7.30s rank No. 17 in DI.
 
Noah Castle won the McCravy men’s shot for the second year in a row with a mark of 63’00.25″/19.21m, while Charles Lenford Jr. and Josh Sobota gave UK a 1-2-3 result.

UK’s women’s 4x400m relay of Ross, Steiner, Masai Russell and Chloe Abbott won in 3:34.44.
 
Russell was top collegian in the women’s 60m hurdles, second overall in 8.33.
 
Saturday notables
Caleb Wilt ran a PB 7.90 to place second to Roberts in the 60H, moving into a tie with freshman teammate Tai Brown for No. 5 on the UK all-time list.
 
Brennan Fields ran a mile PB 4:04.65 to place second. Gabriel Szalay (fifth), Trevor Warren (eighth) and Dylan Allen (11th) also ran PBs, while Kendall Muhammad was seventh.
 
Micaela Hazlewood took second place in the women’s shot put with a mark of 53’8.25″/16.36m.
 
Matthew Peare placed second in the men’s pole vault clearing 17’00.75″/5.20m.

Ross ran a season best in the open 400m to place third – 54.82.
 
William Walker ran a 400m PB 48.94 to place 17th.
 
Kelli Walsh placed third in the women’s 3k with a PB time 10:03.29, with Mallory Liggett one place behind with a PB 10:14.67. Madisyn Peeples also ran a PB.
 
Patrick Schaefer placed second in the men’s 3k.

UK’s men’s 4x400m relay of Jacob Smith, Dwight St. Hillaire, William Walker and Cameron Council concluded the meet with a third-place time of 3:12.05.

Lenford Jr’s second-place shot put of 62’2.5″/18.96m was an indoor PB, which ranks No. 21 in the nation.
 
Friday winners
Minor won the high jump with a season best and indoor personal record clearance 7’3″/2.21m, which ranks No. 10 in DI at the moment. The mark moved him to No. 2 on the UK indoor all-time list and also matched his overall previous best which he did at the Louisville Invitational last outdoor season while competing for Purdue.
 
Lenford Jr. dominated in the weight throw, as his implement reached 60’05.25″/18.42m.
 
Marie-Josée Ebwea-Bile Excel’s long jump of 19’09.75″/6.04m was enough to propel her into first, winning her first LJ title of the indoor season. Ebwea-Bile Excel entered the weekend with the top triple jump in Division I this season.
 
Sarah Michels won the 5k in a PB 17:40.12.
 
Friday notables
Molly Leppelmeier passed her personal best by 2’1.25″/19.65m, as she finished third in weight throw at 64’05.75″. Micaela Hazlewood hit the 61’08.25″/18.80m mark to finish fourth.
 
Gray (23.21) placed second in the women’s 200m. Gray’s time ranks No. 8 in DI this season.
 
Nicole Bagby was second overall and top collegian in the women’s pole vault clearing 12’01.50″/3.70m.
 
Meet Primer
Alabama State, Ashland, EKU, Georgia State, Indiana Tech, UK, Lee (Tennessee), Murray State, Ohio State, Southern Miss and WKU were the teams at the meet.
 
The UK women’s team entered the weekend ranked No. 10 and Ohio State was ranked No. 21 in this week’s USTFCCCA top-25.

Held annually since 1993, the meet honors Kentucky Wildcat Rod McCravy who suffered an untimely death as a freshman at UK.
 
The meet concluded UK’s home slate of indoor meets, with the Kentucky Open on April 20 UK’s lone outdoor home competition.

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