Annie Murphy Wins Bronze on Opening Day of SEC Championships
COLLEGE STATION, Texas. – The Kentucky Wildcats began postseason competition today with the start of the 2026 SEC Indoor Championships in College Station, Texas, combining for a bronze medal, a freshman record and five top 10 program marks.
Junior Julia Gunnell kicked off the opening day of the championships in the women’s pentathlon, starting with a sixth-place finish and a career-best time of 8.48 seconds in the 60m hurdles event. She would also post personal best marks in the shot put and 800m events with a 13.00m mark and 2:14.49 time, respectively.
Gunnell later finished sixth in the overall pentathlon standings with 4,155 total points, her career-best mark and the fourth-highest total in UK program history.
Annie Murphy claimed the first medal of the 2026 Indoor Championships for the Wildcats, and the first of her career, in the women’s pole vault event, finishing third to earn bronze with a final mark of 4.15m/13-7.25.
In the women’s 200m, Sharmelle Holmes moved into No. 8 on the all-time Kentucky leaderboard, posting a time of 23.16. In the men’s half of the 200m, junior Denzel Simusialela placed third to advance to the men’s 200m final on Saturday night with the fourth-fastest time in program history at 20.50.
In her first collegiate race in the event, Ann Lemirisho broke the Kentucky women’s 5000m freshman record, placing 16th in the final with a time of 16:11.62. That mark also gives her the third-fastest time in program history.
In the final event of the day, the women’s distance medley relay team ran the sixth-fastest time in school history with a time of 11:00.49, placing sixth.
Friday’s event schedule will consist of the remainder of the preliminary rounds for the track events, as well as the men’s and women’s weight throw and the women’s high jump.
Day two of the 2026 SEC Indoor Championships will open tomorrow at noon ET with the women’s weight throw final where junior Kate Powers will look to defend her conference title from 2025.
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Event Schedule
| SEC Indoor Championships: Thursday, February 26: ALL TIMES IN EASTERN TIME | |||
| Women’s 60m Hurdles | 12:30 p.m. | PENTATHLON | 6. Julia Gunnell – 8.48 (PR) |
| Women’s High Jump | 1:30 p.m. | PENTATHLON | 10. Julia Gunnell – 1.65m (T-PR)
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| Women’s Shot Put | 3:15 p.m. | PENTATHLON | 2. Julia Gunnell – 13.00m (PR)
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| Women’s Long Jump | 4:15 p.m. | PENTATHLON | 15. Julia Gunnell – 5.54m |
| Women’s Pole Vault | 5:00 p.m. | FINAL | 3. Annie Murphy – 4.15m (Bronze Medal)
Kaylee Daniel – NH
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| Women’s 800m | 5:45 p.m. | PENTATHLON | 3. Julia Gunnell – 2:14.49 (PR)
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| Men’s Long Jump | 6:00 p.m. | FINAL | Kingi McNair – X
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| Women’s 200m | 6:00 p.m. | PRELIMS | 16. Sharmelle Holmes – 23.16 (PR) (T-No. 8 UK All-Time)
22. Briana St. Louis – 23.48 (PR) 24. Stacey Onyepunuka – 23.53 (PR) 38. Naseera Eufa Quansah – 24.17 (PR)
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| Men’s 200m | 6:35 p.m. | PRELIMS | 3. Denzel Simusialela – 20.50 (Q) (PR) (No. 4 UK All-Time)
25. Miles Jones – 21.23 36. Oscar Baltan Vivero – 21.60 39. Coy Hyre – 21.94
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| Women’s 5000m | 7:05 p.m. | FINAL | 16. Ann Lemirisho – 16:11.62 (PR) (Freshman Record) (No. 3 UK All-Time)
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| Women’s DMR | 7:50 p.m. | FINAL | 6. Kentucky – 11:00.49 (No. 6 UK All-Time)
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| Men’s DMR | 8:20 p.m. | FINAL | 8. Kentucky – 9:38.30
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| Women’s Pentathlon | FINAL | 6. Julia Gunnell – 4155 pts (PR) (No. 4 UK All-Time) | |
| SEC Indoor Championships: Friday, February 27: ALL TIMES IN EASTERN TIME | |||
| Women’s Weight Throw | 12:00 p.m. | FINAL | Kate Powers, Gwyn Lori, Meagan Ewers, Addison Stadsholt
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| Men’s Weight Throw | 2:30 p.m. | FINAL | Grayson Brashear, Brock Conrad |
| Women’s High Jump | 3:00 p.m. | FINAL | Kemarah Howard |
| Women’s Mile | 5:00 p.m. | PRELIMS | Doricah Minsari Isoe, Lyric Olson |
| Men’s Mile | 5:25 p.m. | PRELIMS | Tony Anania, Nicola Baiocchi, Jackson Wyatt, Levi Kipkurui Bichii
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| Women’s 60m | 5:50 p.m. | PRELIMS | Naseera Eufa Quansah, Sharmelle Holmes
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| Men’s 60m | 6:10 p.m. | PRELIMS | Miles Jones, Coy Hyre
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| Women’s 400m | 6:25 p.m. | PRELIMS | Stacey Onyepunuka, Cha’iel Johnson, A’Laji Bradley, Hannah Douglas, JahQueen McClellan
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| Men’s 400m | 7:00 p.m. | PRELIMS | Tyrique Johnson, TK Pahuwa
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| Women’s 800m | 7:40 p.m. | PRELIMS | Vanice Kerubo Nyagisera
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| Men’s 800m | 7:55 p.m. | PRELIMS | Patrick Faust
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| Women’s 60m Hurdles | 8:10 p.m. | PRELIMS | Emmi Scales, Kori Martin, Rukia Nusra Omulisia, Camden Bentley
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| Men’s 60m Hurdles | 8:25 p.m. | PRELIMS | Anthony Waterman |
| SEC Indoor Championships: Saturday, February 28: ALL TIMES IN EASTERN TIME | |||
| Men’s High Jump | 3:00 p.m. | FINAL | Devin Sealey
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| Women’s Shot Put | 3:00 p.m. | FINAL | Gwyn Lori, Meagan Ewers
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| Men’s Pole Vault | 4:30 p.m. | FINAL | Grant Harrison
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| Women’s Mile | 5:05 p.m. | FINAL | TBA
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| Men’s Mile | 5:15 p.m. | FINAL | TBA
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| Women’s 60m | 5:25 p.m. | FINAL | TBA
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| Men’s Triple Jump | 5:30 p.m. | FINAL | Theo Mudzengerere
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| Men’s 60m | 5:32 p.m. | FINAL | TBA
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| Women’s 400m | 5:40 p.m. | FINAL | TBA
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| Men’s Shot Put | 5:45 p.m. | FINAL | Grason Brashear |
| Men’s 400m | 5:50 p.m. | FINAL | TBA
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| Women’s 800m | 6:00 p.m. | FINAL | TBA
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| Men’s 800m | 6:07 p.m. | FINAL | TBA
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| Women’s 60m Hurdles | 6:15 p.m. | FINAL | TBA
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| Men’s 60m Hurdles | 6:22 p.m. | FINAL | TBA
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| Men’s 200m | 6:40 p.m. | FINAL | Denzel Simusialela
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| Women’s 3000m | 6:50 p.m. | FINAL | TBA
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| Men’s 3000m | 7:20 p.m. | FINAL | TBA
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| Women’s 4x400m | 7:45 p.m. | FINAL | Kentucky |
| Men’s 4x400m | 8:05 p.m. | FINAL | Kentucky |
