One National Qualifier, Nine First Round Qualifiers Fall on Day Two of NCAA East First Round
LEXINGTON, Ky. – The Kentucky Wildcats totaled one national qualifier, nine first round qualifiers and four top 10 program marks on the opening day of the women’s events for the NCAA East First Round.
In the final field event of the day for the Cats, senior Sarah Ferguson became the fourth Wildcat to punch a ticket to Eugene for the NCAA Championships in the women’s pole vault semifinals. Her final mark of 4.27m/14-0 finished as the 10th-best qualifying mark and the fourth-best in Kentucky program history. Fellow senior Annie Murphy missed a NCAA qualifying spot in heartbreaking fashion in a tiebreaking jump off. Her final mark of 4.22m/13-10 featured as a career-best and the fifth-best in school history.
To kick off the track events for day two in Lexington, all three Wildcats qualified for the second round of the women’s 100m hurdles, including the No. 1-ranked NCAA hurdler Emmi Scales earning the top qualifying time of the event at 12.69. Camden Bentley and Rukia Nusra Omulisia also advanced to Saturday’s national quarterfinal, both posting career-best times of 12.93 and 12.96, respectively.
Ally Kruger and Doricah Minsari Isoe both advanced to the second round of the women’s 1500m event, with Kruger running a career-best and 17th-fastest qualifying mark of 4:13.94, the third-fastest time in Kentucky history. Kentucky record holder Minsari Isoe qualified for the second round with a time of 4:15.42.
In the first round of the women’s 400m, Hannah Douglas and A’Laji Bradley secured a pair of qualifying times to advance to Saturday’s national quarterfinal. Douglas claimed the ninth-fastest time in the prelim event at 51.22 and Bradley with the 15th-best time of the first round at 51.55.
For the second consecutive season, Janet Jepkemboi Amimo advanced to the women’s 800m national quarterfinal with the second-fastest qualifying time of the event at 2:01.08.
To cap off the opening round of track events, Vanice Kerubo Nyagisera featured as the final prelim qualifier of the day for the Wildcats in the first round of the women’s 400m hurdles, claiming the second-fastest qualifying time at 55.42.
Day three of the NCAA East First Round will continue tomorrow from Lexington, starting with Grayson Brashear, who qualified for the NCAA Championships in men’s shot put during yesterday’s events, competing in the discus semifinal at 1 p.m. ET.
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Event Schedule
| NCAA East First Round: Wednesday, May 27: ALL TIMES IN EASTERN TIME | |||
| Men’s Hammer | 10:00 a.m. | SEMIFINAL | 27. Brock Conrad – 62.18m
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| Men’s Long Jump | 6:00 p.m. | SEMIFINAL | 9. Kingi McNair – 7.72m (PR) (No. 4 UK All-Time) (National Qualifier)
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| Men’s 110m Hurdles | 6:00 p.m. | FIRST ROUND | 8. Anthony Waterman – 13.43 (Q) (PR) (No. 2 UK All-Time)
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| Men’s Shot Put | 6:30 p.m. | SEMIFINAL | 7. Grayson Brashear – 18.91m (PR) (National Qualifier)
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| Men’s Pole Vault | 6:30 p.m. | SEMIFINAL | 33. Grant Harrison – 5.05m
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| Men’s 100m | 7:00 p.m. | FIRST ROUND | 11. Miles Jones – 10.13 (Q)
14. Denzel Simusialela – 10.16 (Q)
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| Men’s 400m | 7:25 p.m. | FIRST ROUND | 20. TK Pahuwa – 45.72 (Q)
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| Men’s 400m Hurdles | 8:20 p.m. | FIRST ROUND | 8. Anthony Waterman – 49.89 (Q)
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| Men’s 200m | 8:45 p.m. | FIRST ROUND | Denzel Simusialela – DNF
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| NCAA East First Round: Thursday, May 28: ALL TIMES IN EASTERN TIME | |||
| Women’s Hammer | 10:00 a.m. | SEMIFINAL | 18. Kate Powers – 60.33m
30. Meagan Ewers – 58.15m
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| Women’s 100m Hurdles | 6:00 p.m. | FIRST ROUND | 1. Emmi Scales – 12.69 (Q)
7. Camden Bentley – 12.93 (Q) (PR) (T-No. 6 UK All-Time) 8. Rukia Nusra Omulisia – 12.96 (Q) (PR) (No. 8 UK All-Time)
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| Women’s 1500m | 6:30 p.m. | FIRST ROUND | 17. Ally Kruger – 4:13.94 (Q) (PR)
21. Doricah Minsari Isoe – 4:15.42 (Q)
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| Women’s Pole Vault | 6:30 p.m. | SEMIFINAL | 10. Sarah Ferguson – 4.27m (PR) (No. 4 UK All-Time) (National Qualifier)
13. Annie Murphy – 4.22m (PR) (No. 5 UK All-Time) 33. Chelsea Wetzel – 3.92m 33. Kaylee Daniel – 3.92m
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| Women’s 400m | 7:25 p.m. | FIRST ROUND | 9. Hannah Douglas – 51.22 (Q)
15. A’Laji Bradley – 51.55 (Q)
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| Women’s 800m | 7:50 p.m. | FIRST ROUND | 2. Janet Jepkemboi Amimo – 2:01.08 (Q)
30. Lyric Olson – 2:06.26
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| Women’s 400m Hurdles | 8:20 p.m. | FIRST ROUND | 2. Vanice Kerubo Nyagisera – 55.42 (Q)
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| NCAA East First Round: Friday, May 29: ALL TIMES IN EASTERN TIME | |||
| Men’s Discus | 1:00 p.m. | SEMIFINAL | Grayson Brashear
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| Men’s 4x100m | 5:00 p.m. | SEMIFINAL | Kentucky
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| Men’s 3000m Steeplechase | 5:40 p.m. | SEMIFINAL | Collins Kiprop Kipngok
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| Men’s Triple Jump | 6:00 p.m. | SEMIFINAL | Theo Mudzengerere |
| Men’s 110m Hurdles | 6:15 p.m. | QUARTERFINAL | Anthony Waterman |
| Men’s 100m | 6:25 p.m. | QUARTERFINAL | Denzel Simusialela, Miles Jones
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| Men’s 400m | 6:50 p.m. | QUARTERFINAL | TK Pahuwa
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| Men’s 400m Hurdles | 7:25 p.m. | QUARTERFINAL | Anthony Waterman
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| Men’s 5000m | 8:10 p.m. | SEMIFINAL | Ed Bird
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| Men’s 4x400m | 8:45 p.m. | QUARTERFINAL | Kentucky
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| NCAA East First Round: Saturday, May 30: ALL TIMES IN EASTERN TIME | |||
| Women’s High Jump | 2:00 p.m. | SEMIFINAL | Kemarah Howard
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| Women’s 1500m | 5:15 p.m. | QUARTERFINAL | Ally Kruger, Doricah Minsari Isoe
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| Women’s 100m Hurdles | 6:15 p.m. | QUARTERFINAL | Emmi Scales, Camden Bentley, Rukia Nusra Omulisia
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| Women’s 400m | 6:50 p.m. | QUARTERFINAL | Hannah Douglas, A’Laji Bradley
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| Women’s 800m | 7:05 p.m. | QUARTERFINAL | Janet Jepkemboi Amimo
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| Women’s 400m Hurdles | 7:25 p.m. | QUARTERFINAL | Vanice Kerubo Nyagisera |
| Women’s 5000m | 8:10 p.m. | QUARTERFINAL | Ann Lemirisho
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| Women’s 4x400m | 8:45 p.m. | QUARTERFINAL | Kentucky |