Women's Track & Field
Sha'Keela Saunders - Women's Track & Field - University of Kentucky Athletics

Sha'KeelaSaunders

  • class Senior
  • High school Nansemond River

Personal Bests
LJ: 22’7.75″/6.90m | TJ: 43’8.5″/13.32m

• NCAA Champion – 2017 Indoor Long Jump
• Two-Time SEC Champion – 2015 and 2017 Indoor Long Jump
• Fourth place at 2016 U.S. Olympic Trials
• Three-time NCAA Silver Medalist – Long Jump (2014 outdoor, 2015 indoor, 2016 indoor)
• NCAA Bronze Medalist – 2015 Outdoor Long Jump
• 12-time All-America (six in long jump, four in triple jump, twoin 4x400m relay)

2017 (senior)
NCAA Indoor Champion in the long jump, scoring 10 points to contribute to UK’s sixth place team finish … SEC Indoor Long Jump Champion … SEC Outdoor Long Jump Silver Medal … Fifth in the 2017 NCAA outdoor long jump adding four valuable points to UK’s NCAA Championships point total: 40, just enough to earn a fourth-place trophy … Season-best jump 22’7.75”/6.90m placed her in third on the all-time collegiate indoor list … First Team All-America in the indoor and outdoor long jump … Second Team All-America in the outdoor 4x400m relay and indoor triple jump … First Team All-SEC indoors and Second Team All-SEC outdoors … Scored at the SEC Indoor Championships in the long jump (10 points), triple jump (two points, seventh place) and 4x400m relay (A one-point share of four points for fifth place) helping UK place third as a team … undefeated in the long jump at four indoor competitions.

2016 (junior)
Outdoor – Came agonizingly close to claiming an Olympic berth on Team USA, placing fourth – one spot, and one inch and three quarters off the team – at the United States Olympic Team Trials … Second Team All-American in the triple jump… SEC silver medalist in the long jump … Fifth place in the SEC triple jump … Second Team All-SEC in the outdoor long jump … Her mark posted at Olympic Trials was the ninth best mark in the world in 2016.

Indoor —  First Team All-America in both indoor long jump and triple jump … NCAA Silver Medalist in the long jump … Eighth place in the NCAA triple jump … SEC Bronze Medalist in the indoor long jump

2015 (sophomore)
Outdoor – NCAA Bronze Medalist in the long jump, earning six vital points en route to Kentucky’s NCAA Runner-up team finish … Fifth in the long jump at the SEC Championships.

Indoor – Earned 11 points in two NCAA Championships events ranking in the top-10 points output by a single athlete at the 2015 NCAA Indoor Championships … NCAA Silver Medalist in the long jump, and placed sixth in the triple jump … SEC Long Jump Champion … Fourth in the SEC triple jump … Named Southeastern Region Indoor Field Athlete of the Year… Won the long jump at the McCravy Memorial, an NCAA leading mark and also posted a top 10 triple jump at the event … won the UK Invitational indoor long jump … set a personal indoor record at the Hoosier Open to win the  long jump event …  Her mark of 20-feet, 10 inches was her first indoor jump better than 20 feet, although the milestone mark became commonplace for her in the 2014 season as she won the NCAA Silver Medal Outdoors 

2014 (freshman)
Outdoor – Finished the year incredibly strong, breaking the school-record at NCAA Regionals and finishing as NCAA Runner-Up in the long jump … Broke Ola Sesay’s 15-year old school long jump record to win the NCAA East Preliminary Championship with a long jump of 21-1.25/6.43M … Finished as Runner-Up at NCAA Championships … Also competed at NCAA Championships in the 4x100M relay and 4x400M relay … Qualified for the NACAC Championships after she finished seventh overall and as the top collegian and amateur in the USATF Senior Long Jump Championships.

Indoor – Placed fourth in the long jump at the SEC Indoor Championships, with an indoor collegiate best jump of 21-4.25/6.20M … Earned second-team All-America status as part of UK’s 4x400M relay team at the NCAA Championships.

2013 
Did not compete

High School
Spent much of 2012 ranked No. 1 in the nation in the long jump … Won the Virginia State Indoor Championship in the triple jump (40-03.50) … 2012 season-best long jump of 19′ 5.00 came Virginia Eastern Indoor Regionals.

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