DES MOINES, Iowa – Kentucky Track and Field junior Daniel Roberts won a world-class 110-meter hurdles showdown to cap a run of Wildcats current and alumni dominating the straight hurdles races at the Drake Relays on Saturday.
Wildcats won six more events on Saturday including the men’s and women’s 4x200m relays as the weather deteriorated and temperatures dropped throughout the afternoon. UK elected not to run the 4×100 and 4x400m relays with the onset of postseason competitions coming into view.
Kentucky finished sixth with 15 points in the men’s standings of the Drake Relays team competition that scores five relays. The UK women’s team – ranked No. 2 in this week’s USTFCCCA rankings – finished 13th with six points. The HyVee Cup scores the 4×100, 4×4, 4×7, sprint medley and distance medley relays.
Roberts, running as the lone collegian in the “Elite World Showdown” invitational section of the men’s 110m hurdles, bested a field highlighted by his former training partner – reigning Olympic and World Champion Omar McLeod.
Roberts ran a slightly windy 13.28w (+2.3) to win in a time that throughout the collegiate ranks was only bettered on Saturday by his everlasting collegiate rival Grant Holloway (Florida) who ran 13.25 at home in Gainesville in warmer conditions. In any event, the two figure to run another historic race at the Southeastern Conference Championships in two weeks in Fayetteville Arkansas.
Faith Ross won the women’s collegiate 100m hurdles in 13.30w (+2.3). Tai Brown and Caleb Wilt went 1-2 in the men’s 110m hurdles collegiate final, running respective times of 13.98 and 14.10 (+2.0).
In the women’s 100m hurdles world showdown invitational, UK Class of 2015 alumna Kendra Harrison bettered UK Class of 2018 alumna Jasmine Camacho-Quinn 12.65w – 12.85w (+3.3) in a cold, rainy race that was called back to the starting line twice due to false starts.
Celera Barnes, Abby Steiner, Chloe Abbott and Kianna Gray won the women’s 4×2 in 1:33.70.
Dwight St. Hillaire, Jacob Smith, Roberts and Cameron Council won the men’s 4×2 in 1:23.90.
Marie-Josée Ebwea-Bile Excel won the women’s triple jump with a mark of 43’10.75”/13.38m (+0.7).
Ellen Ekholm claimed the women’s high jump for the third week in a row, clearing 5’9.25”/1.76m. Carly Hinkle was sixth.
Matt Peare was runner-up in the men’s collegiate pole vault, clearing 16’8.75”5.10m. Molly Leppelmeier was runner-up in the women’s hammer throw with a mark of 193’9”/59.70m.
Charles Lenford Jr. tossed a 3-foot, 2-inch personal best to place fourth in the men’s discus with a mark of 192’2”/58.58m, moving to No. 7 on the UK all-time performers’ list.
Friday report
Faith Ross picked up Kentucky’s first Drake Relays individual event win in 21 years, two 4×100-meter relays advanced to finals, seven Wildcats advanced to individual-event finals and a few more Wildcats turned in PRs during the first two days of the meet.
UK’s men’s 4x800m relay of Gabe Szalay, Brennan Fields, Matthew Thomas and Ben Young scored UK’s first five points of the meet’s team-relay competition with a fourth-place finish. The balance of the five scored relays will run on Saturday.
Ross won the women’s 400m hurdles with a time of 58.21. Masai Russell was third in 59.42. Ross became UK’s first event winner at the Drake Relays since UK Hall of Famer Sherri Hoover Bordner won the 1,500m in 1988 (as reported by veteran Iowa sports publicist Mike Mahon).
Ross won the women’s 400m hurdles with a time of 58.21. Masai Russell was third in 59.42. Ross became UK’s first event winner at the Drake Relays since UK Hall of Famer Sherri Hoover Bordner won the 1,500m in 1988 (as reported by veteran Iowa sports publicist Mike Mahon).
UK’s men’s and women’s 4x100m relay teams were each the top qualifiers out of the prelims. The women’s team of Celera Barnes, Abby Steiner, Faith Ross and Kianna Gray ran 44.13Q. The men’s team of Roberts, St. Hillaire, Smith and Council ran 39.90Q.
Jaci Bickett placed fourth in the women’s pole vault with a fourth-place clearance at 13’3.5”/4.05m, a PB, which moved her to No. 2 on the UK all-time outdoor performers’ list – only behind two-time defending NCAA Champion Oliva Gruver.
Nicole Fautsch tossed a shot-put PB for the third week in a row, placing third with a mark of 53’5.75”/16.30m improving her mark at No. 3 on the UK all-time outdoor list. Fautsch placed fourth in the women’s discus and Molly Leppelmeier was fifth.
Smith tied teammate St. Hillaire at No. 7 on the UK outdoor all-time list with a fourth-place 200m time of 20.76 (+0.3). St. Hillaire placed fifth in 20.82.
Janie O’Connor and Tatiana Aholou qualified out of the women’s 100m first round.
Janie O’Connor and Tatiana Aholou qualified out of the women’s 100m first round.
On Thursday, Mallory Liggett ran an eighth-place 3k steeplechase time of 10:45.38, a PB that improved her No. 8 mark on the UK all-time list.
The meet was UK’s last of the regular season, a fortnight before the SEC Championships.
|
2019 Drake Relays – UK entries
|
|||
|
Thursday, April 25
|
|||
|
Women
|
3000 Meter Steeplechase
|
Final
|
8. Mallory Liggett: 10:45.38 | PB
|
|
Women
|
5000 Meter Seeded
|
Final
|
12. Sophie Carrier: 17:48.86
|
|
Friday, April 26
|
|||
|
Women
|
Long Jump
|
Final
|
4. Tatiana Aholou: 19’11.75”/6.09mw (+3.5)
12. Zahne Smith: 19’4.75”/4.92mW (+4.7)
|
|
Men
|
Shot Put
|
Final
|
6. Josh Sobota: 60’9.5”/18.53m
8. Charles Lenford Jr.: 59’6.75”/18.15m
14. Noah Castle: 55’8.5”/16.98m
|
|
Men
|
4 x 1600 Meter Relay
|
Final
|
7. UK (Moulai, Thomas, Warren, Allen): 17:16.57
|
|
Women
|
100 Meter Hurdles
|
Prelim
|
3. Faith Ross: 13.24Qw (+2.3)
10. Masai Russell: 13.76w (+3.0)
|
|
Men
|
110 Meter Hurdles
|
Prelim
|
3. Tai Brown: 14.03q (+2.0)
4. Caleb Wilt: 14.05Q (+3.8)
|
|
Women
|
Pole Vault
|
Final
|
4. Jaci Bickett: 13’3.5”/4.05m | PB, No. 2 on UK all-time outdoor performers’ list
|
|
Men
|
High Jump
|
Final
|
3. Rahman Minor: 7’1”/2.16m
|
|
Women
|
Discus
|
Final
|
4. Nicole Fautsch: 168’0”/51.22m
5. Molly Leppelmeier: 167’7”/51.09m
|
|
Women
|
4 x 100 Meter Relay – University
|
Prelim
|
1. UK (Barnes, Steiner, Ross, Gray): 44.13Q
|
|
Men
|
4 x 100 Meter Relay – University
|
Prelim
|
1. UK (Roberts, St. Hillaire, Smith, Council): 39.90Q
|
|
Women
|
400 Meter Hurdles
|
Final
|
1. Faith Ross: 58.21
3. Masai Russell: 59.42
|
|
Men
|
400 Meter Hurdles
|
Final
|
11. William Walker: 53.30
|
|
Women
|
100 Meter
|
Prelim
|
3. Janie O’Connor: 11.67Q (+1.8)
8. Tatiana Aholou: 11.80q (+1.8)
|
|
Women
|
200 Meter
|
Final
|
4. Janie O’Connor: 24.14w (+2.4)
|
|
Men
|
200 Meter
|
Final
|
4. Jacob Smith: 20.76 (+0.3) | T-No. 7 on UK all-time list
5. Dwight St. Hillaire: 20.82 (+0.3)
|
|
Women
|
Shot Put
|
Final
|
3. Nicole Fautsch: 53’5.75”/16.30 | 2.25” PB, No. 3 on UK all-time outdoor list
6. Molly Leppelmeier: 50’4.75”/15.36m
|
|
Men
|
1500 Meter
|
Final
|
9. Trevor Warren: 3:52.46
|
|
Women
|
4 x 800 Meter
|
Final
|
4: UK (Szalay, Fields, Thomas, Young): 7:25.23 | 5 points
|
|
Men
|
4 x 800 Meter
|
Final
|
12: UK (Nohilly, Akin, Boice, Lacy): 8:58.95
|
|
Saturday, April 27
|
|||
|
Women
|
Hammer
|
Final
|
2. Molly Leppelmeier: 193’9”/59.07m
|
|
Women
|
Triple Jump
|
Final
|
1. Marie-Josee Ebwea-Excel: 43’10.75”/13.38m (+0.7)
|
|
Men
|
Pole Vault
|
Final
|
2. Matt Peare: 16’8.75”/5.10m
|
|
Women
|
4 x 200 Meter Relay – University
|
Final
|
1. UK (Barnes, Steiner, Abbott, Gray): 1:33.70
|
|
Men
|
4 x 200 Meter Relay – University
|
Final
|
1. UK (St. Hillaire, Smith, Roberts, Council): 1:23.90
|
|
Women
|
High Jump
|
Final
|
1. Ellen Ekholm: 5’9.25”/1.76m
6. Carly Hinkle: 5’5.25”/1.66m
|
|
Men
|
Discus
|
Final
|
4. Charles Lenford Jr.: 192’2”/58.58m | 3’2” PB, No. 7 on UK all-time list
9. Josh Sobota: 178’11”/54.55m
10. Noah Castle: 177’9”54.19m
|
|
Women
|
Distance Medley Relay
|
Final
|
14. UK (Bockrath, O’Connor, Nohilly, Boice): 12:05.31
|
|
Men
|
Distance Medley Relay
|
Final
|
7. UK (Szalay, Bann, Thomas, Fields): 9:59.75 | 2 points
|
|
Men
|
Long Jump
|
Final
|
5. Robbie Springfield: 23’2”/7.06m (+1.2)
|
|
Men
|
Hammer
|
Final
|
11. Charles Lenford Jr.: 193’8”/59.04m
|
|
Women
|
Sprint Medley Relay
|
Final
|
3. UK (Steiner, Gray, Abbott, Ross): 3:56.95 | 6 points
|
|
Men
|
Sprint Medley Relay
|
Final
|
2. UK (Smith, St. Hillaire, Bann, Young): 3:20.57 | 8 points
|
|
Women
|
100 Meter
|
Final
|
4. Tatiana Aholou: 11.90w (+3.6)
6. Janie O’Connor: 12.03w (+3.6)
|
|
Women
|
100 Meter Hurdles
|
Final
|
1. Faith Ross: 13.30w (+2.3)
|
|
Women
|
100 Meter Hurdles World Showdown
|
Final
|
1. Keni Harrison (UK Class of 2015): 12.65w (+3.3)
2. Jasmine Camacho-Quinn (UK Class of 2018): 12.85w (+3.3)
|
|
Men
|
110 Meter Hurdles
|
Final
|
1. Tai Brown: 13.98 (+2.0)
2. Caleb Wilt: 14.10 (+2.0)
|
|
Men
|
110 Hurdles World Showdown
|
Final
|
1. Daniel Roberts: 13.28w (+2.3)
|
—
For the most in-depth coverage of the UK cross country and track and field program follow the @KentuckyTrack social media channels on Instagram, Twitterand Facebookas well as on UKathletics.com.
