Kentucky Women’s Team Sweeps Tennessee Relays

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – The Kentucky women’s track and field team swept the 4×100 and 4×400-meter relays and Marie-Josee Ebwea-Excel added a triple jump victory as the Tennessee Relays concluded on Saturday.
 
In all for the two day meet, Wildcats won nine events and got a bunch more top marks and personal bests at the Tennessee Relays.
 
Some of UK throwers seemed to catch the ideal Pacific winds needed to post the solid marks they traveled to the Triton Invitational in Southern California in search of.

Marie-Josee Ebwea-Bile Excel

Back in Knoxville, the UK women’s 4x400m relay of Faith Ross, Abby Steiner, Masai Russell and Chloe Abbott concluded the Tennessee Relays with a winning, season-best time of 3:30.81, coming in at No. 6 on the UK outdoor all-time list.
 
Celera Barnes, Steiner, Foss and Kianna Gray won the 4×1 in 43.93.
 
Marie-Josée Ebwea-Bile Excel won the women’s triple jump with a leap of 44’5.5″/13.55m.
 
The UK men’s 4×1 of Daniel Roberts, Dwight St. Hillaire, Jacob Smith and Cameron Council ran 39.84, a season best by .01 to place third.
 

Faith Ross, Abby Steiner | UK 4×1

Triton Invitational throws dispatch
Charles Lenford Jr. posted a 1’4.75″ personal best to place fourth in the men’s shot put – second amongst collegians – with a mark of 64’3.25″/19.59m to move to No. 5 on the UK outdoor all-time performers’ list. Noah Castle was fifth with an outdoor season-best mark of 63’10.5″/19.47m.
 
Nicole Fautsch and Molly Leppelmeier went 6-7 in the women’s shot put with a pair of PBs. Fautsch’s mark of 53’1.75″/16.20m was an 11.25″ PB, moving to No. 3 on the UK all-time list.

Leppelmeier’s 52’10″/16.10m was a 9″ PB moving to No. 4 on the UK all-time list.
 
Elijah Marta placed fourth in the men’s javelin with a season-best 230’1″/70.13m. He was the No. 2 collegian in the field.
 

Jacob Smith, Dwight St. Hillaire

Friday report
Wildcat women’s sprinters swept the podium places with fast, albeit windy times in the 100m and 200m.
 
Abby Steiner won the women’s 200m in 22.81w (+2.2), ranking No. 2 on the NCAA Outdoor Preliminary Championships list – which accepts spring times with tailwinds below 4 meters/second.
 
Kianna Gray was second in 22.87w and Chloe Abbot was third in 23.12w. Celera Barnes also posted a wind-legal 23.31 (+1.9) to place eighth.
 
Gray won the 100m in 11.12w (+4.5), Steiner was second in 11.23w and Celera Barnes was third in 11.27w (+4.5).
 
Daniel Roberts won the men’s 110m hurdles maintaining his sporting form with a 13.34w (+4.1). Tai Brown was runner-up in 13.56w, another sporty time for him that it’s a shame won’t count given the gusts.  Caleb Wilt was fifth in 13.97w.
 
Faith Ross won the women’s 100m hurdles in 12.89w (+2.5) and Masai Russell was third in 13.02w (+2.6).

Russell won the 400m hurdles in 57.95.
 
Ellen Ekholm won the women’s high jump, clearing 5’10″/1.78m and Carly Hinkle placed sixth.
 
Zhane Smith posted a PB to move to No. 6 on the UK all-time list in the long jump. Her mark of 20’9″/6.32m (+2.0) placed third. Tatiana Aholou was fifth with a mark of 20’0.5″/6.11mw (+2.4).
 
Abbott was runner-up in the women’s 400m with a time of 53.19.
 
Jacob Smith was third in the men’ 200m with a time of 20.68w (+3.8). Dwight St. Hillaire was sixth in 20.76w (+3.8).
 
Freshman Jaci Bickett was runner-up in the women’s pole vault clearing PB 12’9.5″/3.90m, which moved her to No. 3 on the UK outdoor all-time list, placing second in the event. Nicole Bagby was fifth and Alison D’Alessandro was eighth.
 
Nathaniel Bann ran a season best to pace eighth in the men’s 400m in 47.49.
 
Lincoln Young placed eighth in the men’s pole vault with a PB clearance at 15’7″/4.75m.
 
Triton Invitational Friday dispatch
The UK corps of throwers looked to catch ideal pacific winds at the Triton Invitational in La Jolla, California.
 
Nicole Fautsch tossed a 8’4″ PB in the open discus. Her mark of 172’11″/52.72m placed third and moved to No. 8 on the UK all-time list.

Molly Leppelmeier placed 10th in the women’s hammer throw and 18th in the invitational discus.

Weekend primer
The Kentucky track and field teams competed at their first meets of April this weekend with 47 athletes at the Tennessee Relays and the UK corps of throwers headed to San Diego for the Triton Invitational.
 
The Wildcats competed after enjoying their first bye weekend of the outdoor regular season after a strong showing at the Florida Relays in late March.
 
UK will host the Kentucky Open at home next weekend, before one last regular-season push at the Drake Relays at the end of the month. The postseason starts at the Southeastern Conference Championships in Arkansas in May.