Track & Field
March 1, 2020 - 12:38 AM

Ekholm, Holmes and Steiner Win Individual SEC Indoor Titles

by Jake Most

COLLEGE STATION, Texas – A trio of Kentucky Wildcats won Southeastern Conference Indoor Track and Field individual titles to provide signature results at the nation’s best conference meet, which concluded on Saturday inside Texas A&M’s Gilliam Indoor Stadium.

Senior Ellen Ekholm won the high jump, while sophomores Alexis Holmes (400m) and Abby Steiner (200m) won sprint titles. Matt Peare won the men’s pole vault on Friday.

The UK women’s team finished fifth with 63 points, a spot and 12 points better than a year ago. The UK men’s squad was sixth on 55.5 points, three positions and 24.5 points improved from 2019.

Saturday winners
Ekholm celebrated Leap Day by winning her first SEC indoor high jump title after she claimed the outdoor gold last year. The senior tied the meet record, clearing 6-3¼ (1.91m) on her first attempt. With four clearances through 6-0 ¾ (1.85m), she missed on her first try at 6-2 (1.88m) before passing up to the winning height and clearing it on her first attempt.

The clearance improved upon her school record, which led the nation going into the weekend.

Holmes earned gold in her debut in the SEC. The transfer won the 400m in 52.08 out of the so-called slower section. The time was an indoor PB, which scored 10 points and threw down a gauntlet to the rest of the conference, moving to No. 3 on the national list based on times recorded ahead of this weekend. Her time ranks No. 2 on the UK all-time performers’ list.

“I definitely knew what the competition was going to be like so I just tried to put the best time forward that I could and I did,” Holmes said. “Just coming to practice every day with a positive mentality. Working hard, giving 110 percent – that’s really all it is.”

Steiner turned in perhaps the performance of the Championships to win her first SEC gold. She matched the 15th best performer in collegiate history with a PB 22.57 to win the women’s 200m.

Steiner broke Sydney McLaughlin’s school record for the indoor 200m by .11 – recorded on the same track two years ago.

“Me and my coaches talked about coming out here, making sure I’m patient out of the blocks,” Steiner said on the SEC Network broadcast. “Then just catching lane six and running smooth off the back stretch … I knew how great the coaches are at Kentucky and what I could do. So when it came down to it, this is where my heart is.”

The trio of winners gave the Wildcats 30 points from three events, nearly half their haul for the meet.

Saturday medalists
The women’s 4x400m relay team of Megan Moss, Chloe Abbott, Dajour Miles and Holmes claimed a hard-fought silver with a time of 3:30.42.

Freshman Lance Lang turned heads by claiming silver in the men’s 60m, with a time of 6.66 to score eight points.

Rahman Minor claimed an impressive bronze in the high jump in this his second year in the conference since transferring a year ago. Minor leapt over the bar 7’2.5″ (2.20m) to score six points.

Saturday scorers
Lang’s fellow freshman Langston Jackson was fourth in the men’s 60m (6.70) to score five points.

UK’s men’s 4x400m relay won the second section and placed fifth overall in the 4x400m relay with a time of 3:07.33 to score four points.

Steiner, Shadajah Ballard and Celera Barnes went 6-7-8 in the women’s 60m.

Barnes was sixth and Miles was eighth in the women’s 200m.

Khance Meyers and Cameron Council went 7-8 in the men’s 200m.

Dwight St. Hillaire placed sixth in the men’s 400m with a time of 46.58.

Sophomore Tai Brown was sixth in the men’s 60m hurdles in 7.90.

Molly Leppelmeier scored two points in the women’s weight throw 67-1.5 (20.46m).

Brennan Fields was eighth in the men’s mile (4:18.63).

Joe Jardine scored a point in his debut in the SEC heptathlon. He scored 5,107.

Trey Causey III cleared 6-9 (2.06m) to score a point in the men’s HJ.

Day One Report
Kentucky earned three medals on the first day of the 2020 SEC Indoor Championships, headlined by Matthew Peare winning the men’s pole vault with a mark of 17-11.00 (5.46m), which is a school record.

Nicole Fautsch finished second in the women’s shot put with a mark of 53-6.25 (16.31m) while Joshua Sobota took third in the men’s shot put with a 64-5.75 (19.65m) which earned the Wildcats three medals on day one.

Molly Leppelmeier and Charles Lenford Jr. scored in the women’s and men’s shot put competitions as Leppelmeier finished fifth with a mark of 52-3.75 (15.94m) to score four, while Lenford Jr. finished eighth with a mark of 59-8.25 (18.19m) to pick up a point.

Meet format
The name of the game at the Championships was scoring points by virtue of top-eight finishes. First place scores 10 points in each event, and the point correlations reduce down to one point for eight place.

The team that’s accrued the most points at the end of the meet wins.

Peripherally, this weekend served as the last chance for individuals and relay teams to record marks that will rank inside NCAA Championships-qualifying positions on individual-event Division I rankings lists (top-16 for individuals and top-12 for relay teams that will qualify for the NCAA Indoor Championships in two weeks.

Saturday results
Men’s 60m
2. Lance Lang: 6.66 – 8 points
4. Langston Jackson: 6.70 – 5 points

Women’s 60m
6. Abby Steiner: 7.38 – 3 points
7. Shadajah Ballard: 7.39 – 2 points
8. Celera Barnes: 7.39 – 1 points

Women’s 200m
1. Abby Steiner: 22.57 – 10 points
6. Celera Barnes: 23.37 – 3 points
8. Dajour Miles:: 23.64 – 1 point

Men’s 200m
5. Langston Jackson: 20.82 – 4 points
7. Khance Meyers: 21.22 – 2 points
8. Cameron Council: 21.39 – 1 point

Men’s 400m
6. Dwight St. Hillaire: 46.58 – 3 points

Women’s 400m
1. Alexis Holmes: 52.08 – 10 points (indoor PB)

Men’s Mile
8. Brennan Fields: 4:18.63 – 1 point

Men’s 60H
6. Tai Brown: 7.90

Women’s Weight throw
7. Molly Leppelmeier: 67-1.5 (20.46m) – 2 points

Men’s 4x400m Relay
5. Kentucky (3:07.33) – 4 points

Women’s High Jump
1. Ellen Ekholm: 6-3.25 (1.91m) – 10 points

Men’s High Jump
3. Rahman Minor: 7-2.5 (2.20m)
8. Trey Causey III: 6-9 (2.06m)

Men’s Heptathlon
8. Joe Jardine: 5,107 – 1 point