UKTF Earns Five Event Wins, Sweeps Men’s 200m on Day One of Black and Gold Invite

ORLANDO, Fla. — Kentucky track & field ran for five event wins and swept the men’s 200-meter dash among collegiate competitors at the University of Central Florida’s Black and Gold Invitational on the first of two days of competition at the UCF Soccer & Track Complex. 

Four Wildcats either improved their current standing or made it onto the UK all-time top times/marks list. 

Due to inclement weather, the women’s high jump, men’s and women’s shot put, men’s and women’s 2000m steeplechase and men’s and women’s 5000m all did not start. The Black and Gold Invitational will resume at 8:30 a.m. on Saturday. 

The men’s 1500m ran one heat in which three Wildcats competed but did not finish all heats due to the weather delay. Two more Wildcats have yet to compete in that event. 

Day One 

The Wildcats earned event wins in the men’s pole vault, men’s discus, men’s and women’s 400m hurdles and the men’s 200m on day one. 

Dwight St. Hillaire ran for first in the men’s 200m with an outdoor personal best of 20.24 seconds, improving upon his already second fastest time in UKTF history. An unattached competitor finished second while UKTF swept third through sixth. 

Keaton Daniel tied his best vault of the year (18’0.5″/5.50m) for an event win. Daniel is the school record holder in the event both indoors and outdoors and is the reigning 2021 NCAA Outdoor Championships silver medalist in the pole vault. 

Josh Sobota won the discus with a personal best throw of 191’8″/58.44m. He now ranks ninth for UK all-time in the event. 

Masai Russell ran a speedy 56.52 in the 400H for the win, only .34 off her personal best from 2021 outdoor NCAAs. 

Kenroy Williams won his best event, the 400H, with a time of 50.30 which is only .12 off his personal best. 

Siobhan Szerencsits placed second in the women’s pole vault (13’5.25″/4.10m), as did Phoebe McCowan in the 1500m (4:27.29). 

Beck O’Daniel placed second in the men’s 400H (52.27). 

The third-place finisher in the men’s 200m was Jacob Smith (20.86). Tai Brown earned fourth (20.89), Brian Faust placed fifth (20.90) and Myles Anders finished sixth (21.03). Only Brown’s time was wind legal. 

Also earning third place was Robbie Springfield III in the long jump with a personal best 24’10″/7.57m jump that earned him a spot on the UK all-time list at 10th. 

Matt Peare vaulted for third in the men’s pole vault (16’9.25″/5.11m), followed by Jacob Sobota in fourth (16’5.25″/5.01m) 

Freshmen Areti Fillipidou and Sophie Galloway impressed in their debut as Wildcats. Fillipidou placed fourth in the women’s discus (161’7″/49.26m while Galloway, who will be a Heptathlon competitor, finished seventh in the women’s javelin (123’11″/37.79m). 

Shadajah Ballard was the top UK finisher in the 200m, placing sixth with a time of 23.70. 

Payton Phillips became the 10th best women’s vaulter all-time for UK all-time with her 11th place finish and 12’1.5″/3.70m vault. 

Meet Information 

The meet will be split up into a field event session and running event session each day. The women’s hammer throw kicks off Saturday’s events at 10 a.m. and the final field event is the men’s triple jump around noon. 

The first running event on Saturday is the women’s 4x100m relay at noon while the men’s 4x400m relay closes out the meet at 3:35 p.m. 

Live results can be found on Half-Mile Timing. There will be no live stream. 

The teams that will be competing are Alabama State, Albany, Bethune-Cookman, Connecticut, Dartmouth, Embry-Riddle, Flagler, Florida Atlantic, Florida Gulf Coast, Florida Memorial, Florida Tech, Kentucky, Marshall, Mercer, Michigan, Minnesota, NC State, North Florida, NYU, Rhode Island, Rutgers, Saint Leo, Southeastern U., Stetson, Tampa, Temple, UCF, UMass Amherst, University of The Bahamas, Vanderbilt and VCU. 

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