Collins Kiprop Kipngok, Kemarah Howard Win Second Career SEC Gold Medals
AUBURN, Ala. – Following a thrilling opening day on Thursday, the Kentucky Wildcats totaled one gold medal, eight qualifiers and six top 10 program marks on day two at the 2026 SEC Outdoor Championships in Auburn, Ala.
Kemarah Howard earned the first medal of the day for the Wildcats by earning her second career SEC Women’s High Jump Title. The Wildcat freshman previously won the 2026 SEC Indoor Championship in the women’s high jump in College Station in February. Today, she defended her title by clearing a personal-best height of 1.90m/6-2.75, the second-best mark in program history.
In the final event of the day, Collins Kiprop Kipngok solidified himself as a repeat SEC Champion. The Wildcat sophomore earned a gold medal in the men’s 3000m steeplechase final with a time of 8:29.50. In 2025, Kiprop Kipngok won his first career collegiate gold medal on home turf in Lexington, finishing with a SEC Championship meet record time of 8:26.33.
Julia Gunnell and Dahlia concluded the final three events in the women’s heptathlon, with Gunnell finishing fifth with the second highest point-total in Kentucky history with 5,626. Beasley also set a new personal best mark of 5,367 points, the sixth-highest total in program history, to place ninth in the final standings.
Emmi Scales and Camden Bentley, the current No. 2 and No. 9 ranked women’s hurdlers in the NCAA respectively, qualified for tomorrow’s women’s 100m hurdles final. Scales placed atop the leaderboard with the fastest qualifying time at 12.73 and Bentley placed fifth with a time of 13.01.
Doricah Minsari Isoe and Ally Kruger both advanced to the women’s 1500m final, with Minsari Isoe placing sixth with a time of 4:15.92 and Kruger placing 10th with a time of 4:17.54.
In the men’s half of the opening round of the 1500m, Ed Bird featured as the lone qualifier for the Wildcats, advancing to the final with the sixth-fastest qualifying time at 3:46.58.
Hannah Douglas and A’Laji Bradley both added their names to the list of Wildcat qualifiers on the day in the women’s 400m prelims. Douglas won her heat and placed fourth to secure an automatic bid to the final, running the third-fastest time in Kentucky history at 50.81. Bradley earned the ninth-fastest qualifying time with a mark of 51.40.
Denzel Simusialela featured as the final prelim qualifier on the day in the men’s 100m event. Yesterday, Simusialela advanced to the men’s 200m final with a time of 20.65. Today, he ran the second fastest qualifying time in the 100m at 10.16 to secure the automatic bid to the final.
The 2026 SEC Outdoor Championships will conclude tomorrow, starting with the women’s discus throw final at 2:30 p.m. ET and finishing with the men’s and women’s 4x400m relay at 9:30 p.m. and 9:40 p.m. ET.
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Event Schedule
| SEC Outdoor Championships: Thursday, May 14: ALL TIMES IN EASTERN TIME | |||
| Women’s Hammer | 1:00 p.m. | FINAL | 7. Kate Powers – 62.30m
10. Meagan Ewers – 60.11m (PR) (No. 6 UK All-Time) 14. Addison Stadsholt – 57.03m (PR) (No. 10 UK All-Time)
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| Women’s 100m Hurdles | 1:00 p.m. | HEPTATHLON | 3. Julia Gunnell – 13.75 (PR)
10. Dahlia Beasley – 14.16 (PR)
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| Women’s High Jump | 1:45 p.m. | HEPTATHLON | 2. Dahlia Beasley – 1.71m (PR)
7. Julia Gunnell – 1.65m
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| Men’s Hammer | 3:15 p.m. | FINAL | 12. Brock Conrad – 61.08m
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| Women’s Shot Put | 3:45 p.m. | HEPTATHLON | 9. Julia Gunnell – 12.32m
14. Dahlia Beasley – 9.27m
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| Women’s 200m | 5:00 p.m. | HEPTATHLON | 1. Dahlia Beasley – 24.08
2. Julia Gunnell – 24.59
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| Women’s 800m | 6:30 p.m. | PRELIMS | 1. Janet Jepkemboi Amimo – 2:02.18 (Q) (Facility Record)
9. Lyric Olson – 2:03.95 (Q) (PR) (No. 6 UK All-Time)
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| Men’s 800m | 6:50 p.m. | PRELIMS | 28. Patrick Faust – 1:51.41
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| Women’s 200m | 7:10 p.m. | PRELIMS | 35. Stacey Onyepunuka – 23.85
47. Briana St. Louis – 24.43
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| Men’s 200m | 7:35 p.m. | PRELIMS | 4. Denzel Simusialela – 20.65 (Q)
29. Oscar Baltan Vivero – 21.23
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| Women’s 400m Hurdles | 8:00 p.m. | PRELIMS | 5. Vanice Kerubo Nyagisera – 56.21 (Q)
18. Kashia Hoo – 1:02.63
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| Men’s 400m Hurdles | 8:20 p.m. | PRELIMS | 8. Anthony Waterman – 49.85 (Q) (PR) (Kentucky Record)
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| SEC Outdoor Championships: Friday, May 15: ALL TIMES IN EASTERN TIME | |||
| Women’s Long Jump | 12:45 p.m. | HEPTATHLON | 5. Dahlia Beasley – 5.88m (PR)
10. Julia Gunnell – 5.69m (PR)
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| Women’s Javelin | 2:00 p.m. | HEPTATHLON | 9. Julia Gunnell – 33.78m
14. Dahlia Beasley – 26.22m
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| Women’s 800m | 3:10 p.m. | HEPTATHLON | 2. Julia Gunnell – 2:14.09 (PR)
5. Dahlia Beasley – 2:16.55
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| Women’s Shot Put | 4:30 p.m. | FINAL | 15. Gwyn Lori – 14.38m
18. Meagan Ewers – 13.54m
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| Women’s High Jump | 5:30 p.m. | FINAL | 1. Kemarah Howard – 1.90m (PR) (No. 2 UK All-Time) (Gold Medal)
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| Men’s Pole Vault | 6:00 p.m. | FINAL | 13. Grant Harrison – 5.25m (PR) (T-No. 5 UK All-Time)
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| Women’s 100m Hurdles | 6:15 p.m. | PRELIMS | 1. Emmi Scales – 12.73 (Q)
5. Camden Bentley – 13.01 (Q) 20. Rukia Nusra Omulisia – 13.53
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| Men’s 110m Hurdles | 6:30 p.m. | PRELIMS | 13. Anthony Waterman – 13.82
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| Women’s 1500m | 6:45 p.m. | PRELIMS | 6. Doricah Minsari Isoe – 4:15.92 (Q)
10. Ally Kruger – 4:17.54 (Q)
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| Men’s Shot Put | 6:45 p.m. | FINAL | 6. Grayson Brashear – 18.58m (PR)
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| Men’s 1500m | 7:05 p.m. | PRELIMS | 8. Ed Bird – 3:46.58 (Q)
21. Jackson Wyatt – 3:48.83 23. Levi Kipkurui Bichii – 3:49.43 Tony Anania – DNS
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| Women’s 400m | 7:25 p.m. | PRELIMS | 4. Hannah Douglas – 50.81 (Q) (PR) (No. 3 UK All-Time)
9. A’Laji Bradley – 51.40 (Q) 37. JahQueen McClellan – 54.27 42. Cha’iel Johnson – 57.01
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| Men’s 400m | 7:45 p.m. | PRELIMS | 13. TK Pahuwa – 45.64 (PR) (No. 3 UK All-Time)
48. Brandon Nyandoro – 49.08
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| Men’s Long Jump | 7:45 p.m. | FINAL | 11. Kingi McNair – 7.31m
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| Women’s 100m | 8:10 p.m. | PRELIMS | 22. Sharmelle Holmes – 11.42
38. Naseera Efua Quansah – 11.71
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| Men’s 100m | 8:25 p.m. | PRELIMS | 2. Denzel Simusialela – 10.16 (Q)
27. Miles Jones – 10.43
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| Men’s 3000m Steeplechase | 9:15 p.m. | FINAL | 1. Collins Kiprop Kipngok – 8:29.50 (Gold Medal)
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| Women’s Heptathlon | FINAL | 5. Julia Gunnell – 5626 pts (PR) (No. 2 UK All-Time)
9. Dahlia Beasley – 5367 pts (PR) (No. 6 UK All-Time) |
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| SEC Outdoor Championships: Saturday, May 16: ALL TIMES IN EASTERN TIME | |||
| Women’s Discus | 2:30 p.m. | FINAL | Kate Powers, Gwyn Lori
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| Women’s Pole Vault | 5:00 p.m. | FINAL | Annie Murphy, Chelsea Wetzel, Kaylee Daniel, Sarah Ferguson
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| Men’s Discus | 5:15 p.m. | FINAL | Grayson Brashear, Brock Conrad
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| Men’s Triple Jump | 6:00 p.m. | FINAL | Theo Mudzengerere |
| Women’s 4x100m | 6:05 p.m. | FINAL | Kentucky |
| Men’s 4x100m | 6:15 p.m. | FINAL | Kentucky
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| Women’s 1500m | 6:25 p.m. | FINAL | Doricah Minsari Isoe, Ally Kruger
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| Men’s 1500m | 6:35 p.m. | FINAL | Ed Bird
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| Women’s 100m Hurdles | 6:45 p.m. | FINAL | Emmi Scales, Camden Bentley
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| Women’s 400m | 7:05 p.m. | FINAL | Hannah Douglas, A’Laji Bradley
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| Men’s 100m | 7:35 p.m. | FINAL | Denzel Simusialela
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| Women’s 800m | 7:45 p.m. | FINAL | Janet Jepkemboi Amimo, Lyric Olson
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| Women’s 400m Hurdles | 8:05 p.m. | FINAL | Vanice Kerubo Nyagisera |
| Men’s 400m Hurdles | 8:15 p.m. | FINAL | Anthony Waterman |
| Men’s 200m | 8:35 p.m. | FINAL | Denzel Simusialela
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| Women’s 5000m | 8:45 p.m. | FINAL | Ally Kruger, Ann Lemirisho
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| Men’s 5000m | 9:05 p.m. | FINAL | Ed Bird, Miles Brush, Eyan Turk
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| Women’s 4x400m | 9:30 p.m. | FINAL | Kentucky |
| Men’s 4x400m | 9:40 p.m. | FINAL | Kentucky |
