Steiner Breaks Own 200m Collegiate Record at Tiger Paw Invitational

CLEMSON, S.C. — Abby Steiner of Kentucky track and field ran a collegiate record of 22.37 in the 200-meter dash, beating her previously shared record from 2021 NCAA Indoor Championships by .01 seconds on the second day of the Tiger Paw Invitational. 

Also, the women’s 4x400m relay team of Dajour Miles, Steiner, Karimah Davis and Alexis Holmes won the event with a time of 3:27.27 which is the current world-leading time, the fourth fastest in collegiate history, Clemson facility record and a new school record for the Wildcats. 

Overall, Kentucky track and field earned four school records and 16 Wildcats got personal bests that moved them up in the UKTF all-time top times/marks list. 

With Steiner’s new collegiate record in the women’s 200m, she remains: 

• Fifth fastest in the world all-time indoors 

• Second fastest in American history indoors 

• Fastest in NCAA indoor history 

• Fastest in SEC indoor history 

“Just to see the work she’s put in, the diligence, the excellence in which she operates and to see what the Lord has allowed Coach Hall to do with her as our sprint coach, I think she’s going to run faster. I think she’s going to run a whole lot faster,” said Head Coach Lonnie Greene. 

“This was her first 200m on a banked surface so when we get to the conference meet or the national championships, I could see her putting it to a point where it’s going to be there for 30 or 40 years.” 

Steiner also tied the fastest time in the NCAA this year with her school record 60m run of 7.12 on Friday. She shares the record with Dezerea Bryant. 

Holmes joined Steiner with her own record-setting performance in the 400m on day one. Holmes ran the facility record in the 400m with a time of 51.27, which is currently the leading time in the world this year and the second-fastest in UKTF history behind Sydney McLaughlin. Holmes is now less than a second from McLaughlin’s school record of 50.36 which is second in collegiate history. 

The two UKTF stars joined Miles and Davis in a record-setting 4x400m relay (3:27.27), which became the fourth-fastest in collegiate history. The women already owned the world leading time from their 3:29.06 performance at Texas Tech in January, but Saturday’s efforts topped that performance by nearly two seconds. 

Records were also set on the men’s side on Saturday with Kennedy Lightner’s new school record in the 200m (third, 20.45), becoming the third fastest 200m runner in the NCAA this year. The previous school record also belonged to Lightner: a 20.52 event win at Texas Tech. 

Coming just behind Lightner in fourth was Lance Lang, who also set a personal best in the 200m with a run of 20.59, becoming the second fastest 200m runner in UKTF history. 

Freshman Luke Brown broke the triple jump school record for the third time this season on Saturday, jumping 53’5″/16.28m and placing second. He broke it for the first time in December at Louisville and the second time at the McCravy. He was already ranked eighth in the NCAA this season from his jump at the McCravy but moves up to fifth after Saturday’s stellar jump. 

Masai Russell impressed in the 60m hurdles with a personal best 7.93, finally running under eight seconds for the first time in her career. She placed third in the event at the Tiger Paw and was the second fastest collegiate runner in the race. 

Just like the women’s 4x400m relay, the men’s team won as well. The team of Brian Faust, Lang, Jacob Smith and Lightner won the event with a 3:05.42, the fourth fastest in Kentucky history. 

DeAnna Martin ran a blazing 2:05.55 in the stacked 800m at Vanderbilt, becoming the second fastest runner in the event in Kentucky history. 

In the same race, Jenna Schwinghamer earned a personal best time of 2:05.96, becoming the fifth fastest all-time for UK while Bryanna Lucas did the same, running a personal best 2:06.41 and moving up to the seventh fastest all-time spot. 

Jenna Gearing ran the second fastest mile in UKTF history at Vanderbilt with her impressive 4:38.13 personal best on Friday. 

Joining Martin and Gearing in the top five in the big blue history books were Jade Gates in the weight throw and Payton Phillips in the pole vault. 

Gates improved on her personal best that was already third in UKTF history with Friday’s throw of 68’11.75″/21.02m. 

Phillips also moved up to third in UKTF history but in the pole vault, winning the unseeded women’s pole vault at Clemson (13’3″/4.04m). 

Logan Coles, Karimah Davis, Joseph Jardine, Perri Bockrath, Michael Browning and Dylan Allen all also earned personal bests in their respective events that moved them up Kentucky’s all-time top times/marks list. 

Next Up 

The Wildcats begin their indoor postseason with the SEC Championships on Friday, February 25 and Saturday, February 26 in College Station, Texas hosted by Texas A&M. 

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