Wildcats Rack up Five Event Wins in Spring Opener
ORLANDO, Fla. – The Kentucky track and field team, featuring in its second official meet of the 2025 outdoor season today, kicked off competition at the Black and Gold Invitational in Orlando, Fla., hosted by UCF.
Five different Wildcats came out on top in their respective events today, while four finishers moved into the top 10 marks in Kentucky program history in their events. Senior Payton Phillips started at the top of the day by winning the women’s pole vault event with a 4.15m final mark. Phillips enters outdoor competition coming off a bronze medal performance at the SEC Indoor Championships in College Station and a Third-Team All-SEC honor. In the same event, Kaitlyn Cain finished sixth with a 3.85m distance.
In the men’s edition of the pole vault event, two Wildcats placed inside the top five, including Shane Racey taking home first (5.28m) and Brayden Jackson taking fifth (5.08m).
During the evening slate, Janet Jepkemboi Amimo, Perri Bockrath and Jack Pendergast secured three more events wins for the Cats in the women’s 1500m, the women’s 5000m and the men’s 5000m finals, respectively. Both Jepkemboi Amimo’s and Bockrath’s times moved the pair into fifth and sixth place on the UK all-time list.
Other top finishers for the Cats included Logan Coles (Hammer), Shelby Winger (Shot Put), Grayson Brashear (Shot Put), Emmi Scales (400m), Jenna Schwinghamer (1500m) and Ed Bird (1500m).
All of today’s results, as well as the full schedule for tomorrow’s events, can be seen below.
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Event Schedule
| Black and Gold Invitational: Friday, March 21: ALL TIMES IN EASTERN TIME | |||
| Women’s Hammer | 10:30 a.m. | FINAL | 17. Shelby Wingler – 43.38m/142-4 |
| Men’s Hammer | 10:30 a.m. | FINAL | 4. Logan Coles – 62.70m/205-2 DaRoyce Flemons – Foul
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| Women’s Javelin | 12:00 p.m. | FINAL | 18. Julia Gunnell – 30.07m/98-8 |
| Women’s Long Jump | 1:00 p.m. | FINAL | 6. Morgan Davis – 6.00m/19-8.25 19. Sophie Galloway – 5.50m/18-0.5 22. Aliyah Adams – 5.34m/17-6.25
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| Women’s Pole Vault | 2:00 p.m. | FINAL | 1. Payton Phillips – 4.15m/13-7.25 6. Kaitlyn Cain – 3.85m/12-7.5 Annie Murphy – NH
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| Men’s Pole Vault | 2:00 p.m. | FINAL | 1. Shane Racey – 5.28m/17-3.75 (No. 4 UK All-Time) 5. Brayden Jackson – 5.08m/16-8
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| Women’s Shot Put | 5:00 p.m. | FINAL | 3. Shelby Wingler – 15.03m/49-3.75
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| Men’s Shot Put | 5:00 p.m. | FINAL | 3. Grayson Brashear – 17.42m/57-2
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| Women’s 400m Hurdles | 5:00 p.m. | FINAL | 3. Emmi Scales – 59.64 (PR) (No. 10 UK All-Time)
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| Men’s 400m | 5:00 p.m. | FINAL | 8. Anthony Waterman – 54.13 (PR)
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| Women’s 200m | 5:40 p.m. | FINAL | 2. Sharmelle Holmes – 23.32 (PR) 3. Oneika McAnnuff – 23.41 (PR) 5. Hannah Douglas – 23.56 11. Stacey Onyepunuka – 23.82 17. Morgan Davis – 24.06 79. Julia Gunnell – 25.30 (PR) 94. Camden Bentley – 25.72 Alexis Glasco – DNS Alysia Johnson – DNS A’Laji Bradley – DNS
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| Men’s 200m | 6:10 p.m. | FINAL | 4. Miles Jones – 20.93 (PR) 8. Shavique Bascus – 21.13 19. Clinton Muunga – 21.43 44. Brandon Miller – 21.88 55. Troy Lane – 22.03
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| Women’s 1500m | 6:35 p.m. | FINAL | 1. Janet Jepkemboi Amimo – 4:17.01 (PR) (No. 5 UK All-Time) 3. Jenna Schwinghamer – 4:19.94 (PR) 5. Ally Kruger – 4:21.50 (PR) 7. Mollie Roden – 4:30.32 (PR) 22. Phoebe McCowan – 4:40.27 27. Julz Williams – 4:42.25
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| Men’s 1500m | 7:00 p.m. | FINAL | 3. Ed Bird – 3:42.85 (PR) 9. Sami Hattab – 3:48.23
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| Women’s 5000m | 7:35 p.m. | FINAL | 1. Perri Bockrath – 16:12.57 (PR) (No. 6 UK All-Time) Phoebe McCowan – DNF Mollie Roden – DNF Jenna Schwinghamer – DNF Julz Williams – DNF Ally Kruger – DNF
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| Men’s 5000m | 7:55 p.m. | FINAL | 1. Jack Pendergast – 14:20.99 (PR) Sami Hattab – DNS |
| Black and Gold Invitational: Saturday, March 22: ALL TIMES IN EASTERN TIME | |||
| Men’s Discus | 10:00 a.m. | FINAL | Grayson Brashear
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| Women’s High Jump | 10:00 a.m. | FINAL | Julia Gunnell
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| Men’s 110m Hurdles | 11:00 a.m. | PRELIMS | Alex Chukwukelu, Anthony Waterman |
| Women’s 100m Hurdles | 11:20 a.m. | PRELIMS | Camden Bentley, Julia Gunnell, Kori Martin, Emmi Scales
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| Women’s Triple Jump | 12:00 p.m. | FINAL | Aliyah Adams, Sophie Galloway
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| Men’s Triple Jump | 12:00 p.m. | FINAL | Luke Brown
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| Women’s 4x100m | 12:00 p.m. | FINAL | Kentucky
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| Men’s 4x100m | 12:10 p.m. | FINAL | Kentucky
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| Men’s 800m | 12:45 p.m. | FINAL | Patrick Faust, Alex Justus
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| Women’s 100m Hurdles | 1:10 p.m. | FINAL | TBA
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| Men’s 110m Hurdles | 1:20 p.m. | FINAL | TBA |
| Women’s 400m | 1:30 p.m. | FINAL | Alysia Johnson, Cha’iel Johnson, Oneika McAnnuff, JahQueen McCellan
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| Men’s 400m | 1:55 p.m. | FINAL | Brandon Nyandoro, Anthony Waterman
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| Women’s 100m | 2:20 p.m. | FINAL | A’Laji Bradley, Morgan Davis, Kori Martin
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| Men’s 100m | 2:50 p.m. | FINAL | Shavique Basque, Miles Jones, Troy Lane, Clinton Muunga, Josh Onwunili, Carlie Makarawu
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| Women’s 2000m Steeplechase | 3:20 p.m. | FINAL | Noel Barlette |
| Men’s 2000m Steeplechase | 3:35 p.m. | FINAL | Alex Alston, Will Russell, Jackson Watts
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| Women’s 4x400m | 3:50 p.m. | FINAL | Kentucky |
| Men’s 4x400m | 4:15 p.m. | FINAL | Kentucky |
