Dwight St. Hillaire, Keaton Daniel Set School Records at Weems Baskin

COLUMBIA, S.C. – Dwight St. Hilliare and Keaton Daniel set school records for the University of Kentucky track and field teams Saturday at the outdoor season opener, the Weems Baskin in Columbia, S.C. 

Hillaire ran 20.25 seconds in the 200-meter dash, besting NCAA champion Rondel Sorrillo’s 11-year-old mark of 20.29. Keaton Daniel took the men’s pole vault, clearing 17’6.5″/5.35m, which is the outdoor record and freshman record. The all-conditions pole vault record is held by current Wildcat Matthew Peare, who cleared 18’0.5″/5.5m while winning the Southeastern Conference indoor championship last month.

Additional winners on Saturday included:

• The men’s 4x100m relay of Rodney Heath, Dwight St. Hillaire, Jacob Smith and Lance Lang clocked a season-opening time of 39.52 seconds.
• The women’s 4x100m relay of Celera Barnes, Dajour Miles, Shadajah Ballard and Abby Steiner won in 44.36.
• It was a big day for Barnes, won also won the 100m dash (11.29) and was the top collegian, second overall with independent entries included, with a 23.36 mark in the 200m dash
• Megan Moss posted 52.94 seconds in winning the 400m dash, No. 9 in Kentucky history
• UK swept the high jump – Carly Hinkle at 5’7.75″/1.72m for the women and Rahman Minor leaping 6’9.5″/2.07m on the men’s side
• Nicole Fautsch’s 2021 debut was a good one, winning the shot put with 54’3.25″/16.54m, and was the top collegian, second overall with independents included, with 167’6″/51.06m in the discus throw
• UK’s men’s 4x400m relay of Kenroy Williams, St. Hillaire, Lang, and Tai Brown won with a 3:07.97 mark

Kentucky’s women pole vaulters also got off a good start, at Siobhan Szerencsits and Nicole Bagby each made 12’8″/3.86m, tying for second overall and first among collegians at the meet.  That height also is No. 4 in Kentucky history.

Masai Russell timed at 13.14 seconds in the women’s 100m hurdles, the top collegian at the meet, second overall, and No. 6 on the UK’s elite all-time list.

Tai Brown ran a personal best 13.50 seconds in the 110m hurdles, improving his No. 3 mark on the all-time UK list. He was disqualified for a false start in the final, but that time will establish him as a national contender in 2021.

“I thought it was a great start,” head coach Lonnie Greene said. “I thought the kids competed well. To top it off, Molly Leppelmeier starting the day (Friday) with a 207, throwing 207′(05″/63.22m), that was phenomenal. The 4×3 (4×300-meter relay) running a unique event in track and field, they have the fastest time in the country, in the world, because it’s very unique. The young women hurdlers ran very, very well. Tai Brown had the second-fastest prelim time in the nation in the 110m hurdles. We had Dwight St. Hillaire run the fastest time in the nation, I think one of the top two times in the world (this year), 20.25, which was a school record. Celera Barnes sprinted very well in the 200m. It’s so great to have her back. And then we had the 4×1 (relays) on both men’s and women’s sides just run exceedingly well. I thought the kids performed very, very well. It was an excellent start. 

“We always knew Dwight always had that type of performance in him. When Dwight starts to believe in Dwight, I think the sky’s the limit for him … Just to see the 20.25 and to set a new school record and have the nation’s leader. Man, he was moving the last 80 meters. He was moving exceedingly well into almost a negative headwind, which was a great thing.  

“And look at Rahman Minor; to use Jake’s words (social media director Jake Most), coming from the depths of nowhere for the win. We’re going to continue to get better. We’ve got the right pieces on campus. We’ve got the right pieces on our team. We’ve just got to get everybody healthy and moving in the right direction. I really believe we’re going to be ok.”  

Kentucky returns to action Friday and Saturday, April 2-3, at the Florida Relays.

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