Kentucky TF Wraps 2019 Florida Relays

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The Kentucky track and field teams wrapped the three-day 2019 Florida Relays on Saturday with a few individual event wins and a handful more fast early-season qualifying times.
 
The UK women’s 4x400m relay of Abby Steiner, Faith Ross, Masai Russell and Chloe Abbot ran 3:31.66, the No. 7 on UK outdoor all-time list to close the meet with a fourth-place finish.
 
Molly Leppelmeier was top collegian and overall runner-up in the women’s shot put with a mark at 52’1″/14.87m a 3.5-inch personal best that ranks No. 4 on UK outdoor all-time list. She improved her No. 3 mark on the UK all-time performers’ list with a 2’1″ hammer throw personal best 197’10″/60.31m to place seventh. She tossed a season best to place third in the discus on Friday.
 
Marie-Josée Ebwea-Excel was third in the women’s triple jump (No. 2 collegian) with a season best 44’10.75″/13.68m (+0.6).
 
Noah Castle placed fifth and Charles Lenford Jr. was sixth with respective discus marks of 180’11″/55.15m and 180’8″/55.70m.
 
Freshman Josh Sobota tossed an outdoor season best 60’10.75″/18.56m to place fifth in the men’s invitational shot put.
 
Matt Peare placed fourth in the men’s pole vault with an outdoor season best clearance: 17’1.5″/5.22m. Joseph Jardine was 15th with a clearance at 15’7.75″/4.77m.
 
UK’s women’s DMR of Perri Bockrath, Janie O’Connor, Emily Akin and Caitlin Shepard placed third in 11:57.35.
 
Nicole Fautsch was third in the shot put with a mark of 51’3″/15.62m.
 
UK’s men’s 4x400m relay of Jacob Smith, Nathaniel Bann, Dwight St. Hillaire and Cameron Council turned in a solid run for the second day in a row finishing in 3:07.60.
 
Friday Report
Ben Young and Ellen Ekholm won individual events and Daniel Roberts opened up with the second fastest 110-meter hurdles time in the world this year to indicate but a few Kentucky track and field highlights from the first days.
 
Roberts and fellow junior Grant Holloway (Florida) exhibited another hurdles-duel in their outdoor 110-meter hurdles opener. Holloway won in a world-leading 13.28 edging Roberts in 13.30 into a slight headwind.

The two ran the two fastest 60m hurdles times in collegiate history to go 1-2 at the NCAA Indoor Championships earlier this month.

Roberts’ time was .03 off his school-record PB, which he ran to take silver – to Holloway — at the Southeastern Conference Outdoor Championships last May.
 
Ellen Ekholm won the women’s high jump with an outdoor season best clearance 5’11.25″/1.81m. Carly Hinkle place sixth.
 
Ben Young won the men’s 1,500m in a slight PB 3:42.62 to improve his place as the No. 10 performer in UK history.
 
Brennan Fields ran a near-five-second PB to place third in the men’s 3k steeplechase with a time of 8:59.84.
 
UK’s men’s 4x400m relay of Jacob Smith, Nathaniel Bann, Dwight St. Hillaire and Cameron Council had the top time of the Friday preliminary heats – 3:07.50, a season best.
 
St. Hillaire placed third in the men’s 400m in 45.92. Chloe Abbott was runner-up in the women’s 400m running 51.61, .02 off the season best she ran to open up outdoors two weeks ago.
 
Molly Leppelmeier put up a season best in the discus reaching a mark of 168’9″/51.43m moving to No. 8 on the UK all-time list.
 
Masai Russell moved to No. 5 on the UK all-time 400m hurdles list with a second-place time of 57.57. Faith Ross was seventh. Ross was third in the 100m hurdles in 13.32w (+2.2) while Russell was 10th.
 
Rahman Minor was runner-up in the men’s high jump clearing 7’1″/2.16m.
 
Kianna Gray placed third in the women’s 100m in 11.25w (+2.3).
 
Abby Steiner was third in the women’s invitational 200m running 23.03 into a -1.2 wind. She placed seventh and Celera Barnes was eighth in the women’s 100m.

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