Mark Maloney on Kentucky sports

The 10-person Bowerman Advisory Board, in conjunction with the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA), made the announcements. The Bowerman is the highest award given to collegiate track and field competitors in the United States.

The men’s finalists, announced Tuesday, are all seniors: Ashton Eaton and Andrew Wheating of Oregon, plus Ryan Whiting of Arizona State.

Women’s finalists, announced Monday, also are all seniors: Virginia Tech’s Queen Harrison, Iowa State’s Lisa Koll and Texas-El Paso’s Blessing Okagbare.

Finalists were chosen based on performances throughout the 2010 indoor and outdoor seasons. Only performances through the conclusion of the NCAA Outdoor competition were considered.

The Bowerman Voters will receive ballots listing each of the finalists and must rank them by first, second and third choice. First-place votes will receive three points, second place will notch two, and third will receive one point. The finalist with the highest point total will be declared the winner.

The Bowerman Voters consist of:

• The Bowerman Advisory Board, media personnel, statisticians, collegiate administrators
• Galen Rupp, 2009 men’s winner of The Bowerman
• Jenny Barringer, 2009 women’s winner of The Bowerman
• Online voting by the public will constitute one collective vote (ranking of choices will be made by order of total single votes)
• Online voting by USTFCCCA members will constitute one collective vote (ranking of choices will be made by order of total single votes)

Ashton Eaton

Paper balloting will conclude in August while online voting will begin in the coming weeks and will last until late August. Winners will be announced in a ceremony at the USTFCCCA Convention on Dec. 15 at San Antonio, Texas.

Eaton, from Bend, Ore., won his second consecutive NCAA Indoor heptathlon title and a third straight NCAA Outdoor decathlon championship. His title-winning score of 6,499 indoors broke the world record set 17 years earlier by Dan O’Brien. Outdoors, he topped 8,150 points three times, setting an NCAA Championships meet record. 

Andrew Wheating

Wheating, from Norwich, Vt., won NCAA outdoor crowns in the 800 and 1,500, becoming the fourth overall and first to accomplish the double win since 1984. Wheating also defended his outdoor 800-meter national crown with the win, the first American to do so since 1994. In the 1,500, Wheating led Oregon to a 1-2-3 national sweep. At the NCAA Indoor, Wheating anchored the distance medley relay to a second straight national title and was national runner-up in the 800.

Ryan Whiting

Whiting, from Harrisburg, Pa., produced a third straight NCAA Indoor crown with the shot put and a second-consecutive outdoor title. In addition, Whiting won his first NCAA crown with the discus and is only one of 11 to have notched national crowns with the shot and discus in the same championship. At the outdoor championships, Whiting’s final toss of 72-1 (21.97 meters) moved him into a tie for second on the all-time collegiate list and just three centimeters shy of the collegiate record. Overall, Whiting marked throws of over 70 feet on eight occasions during the year –- an all-time collegiate best. Whiting was also undefeated among collegians with the shot in 2010.

Queen Harrison

Harrision, a native of Richmond, Va., became the first female in NCAA history to win both 100- and 400-meter hurdle national titles. In addition, Harrison won the NCAA indoor crown in the 60-meter hurdles. She recorded the 2010 collegiate-best times in all three hurdle events spanning the indoor and outdoor seasons and went undefeated in every finals of those events. Harrison notched the fourth-best, all-time collegiate best 100-meter hurdle time in winning the Penn Relays title (12.61).

Lisa Koll

Koll, out of Fort Dodge, Iowa, swept NCAA crowns in the 5,000 and 10,000 meters at the NCAA Outdoor Championships, only the fourth female ever to do so. Koll won the 10k by over 23 seconds to claim her second national title in the event, while her 30-second victory in the 5,000 paired with her 2010 NCAA indoor title at the same distance. Koll opened the outdoor season with a collegiate record, clocking 31:18.07 in the 10k at the Stanford Invitational. In individual races, Koll only lost to a collegian once during the season.

Blessing Okagbare

Okagbare, from Umuahi, Nigeria, notched NCAA Outdoor crowns in the 100 meters and long jump, becoming the first in collegiate history to pull off such a feat. Indoors, Okagbare won national titles in the 60 and long jump, twice bettering the NCAA long-jump record. Okagbare was undefeated in all sprint and jump finals during the season and anchored the UTEP 4×100 to the NCAA Championships semifinals.

For the third time in four years, Eastern Kentucky has the Male Outdoor Track and Field Freshman of the Year in the Ohio Valley Conference.

Here’s a look at that item, along with EKU’s third-place finishes at the OVC Championships and what’s up with the University of Kentucky, which a conference Runner of the Week.

Track and field fans in the Lexington area will want to mark Thursday on the calendar. That’s when the public schools will gather at Paul Laurence Dunbar for the City High School Championships, starting at 6 p.m.

OVC Freshman of the Year

Soufiane Bouchikhi, from Antwerp, Belgium, is the OVC Male Freshman of the Year for the outdoor season, replicating what he achieved indoors.

Soufiane Bouchikhi

He follows in the footsteps of teammates Elkana Kurgat and Shannon Davis, who won OVC Male Freshman honors for the 2007 and 2008 seasons. The award was created in 2005.

Bouchikhi posted the fastest 5,000 meters in the conference this season, 14:01.74, to place second at the Penn Relays – a mere two-hundredths of a second behind Lewis Woodard of William & Mary.

The full list of OVC award winners: Megan Gingerich, Eastern Illinois (Female Track Athlete of the Year); Kandace Arnold, Eastern Illinois (Female Field Athlete); Elizabeth Bond, Jacksonville State, and Jerika Lewis, Southeast Missouri (Freshman Co-Athletes); Chris Gill, Southeast Missouri (Male Track Athlete); Brandon Colbert, Southeast Missouri (Male Field Athlete), and Bouchikhi. 

OVC Championships

EKU’s men and women both placed third in last weekend’s rain-shortened OVC Championships at Tennessee Tech, winning eight individual titles.

Heading the list was Bouchikhi, who took the 5,000 in 15:00.37.

Eastern Illinois won the men’s title with 261 points, followed by Southeast Missouri with 128, EKU with 106, Tennessee State with 61 and Morehead State with 22.

EKU’s other male champions were Christopher Rengifo in the 1,500 (3:54.19), Joseph Maina in the 10,000 (30:23.75) and David Mutuse in the 3,000-meter steeplechase (9:39.72).

Eastern Illinois’ women prevailed with 212 points, followed by SEMO (155 1/2), EKU (131), Jacksonville State (73 1/2), Tennessee Tech (67), Austin Peay (66 1/2), Tennessee State (42 1/2), Murray State (30) and Morehead State (1).

EKU winners were Diamond Benjamin in the 100 (11.94), Lydia Kosgei in the 1,500 (4:39.99), Kat Pagano in the 5,000 (17:29.35) and the 4-by-100-meter relay team of Benjamin, Lutisha Bowen, Jazzmin Jeter and DanHeisha Harding (46.65).

Sorrillo, Banks win at Ohio State

Victories by Rondel Sorrillo, David Banks, Kristin Smith and Ashley Muffet highlighted Kentucky’s showing in the Jesse Owens Track Classic at Ohio State.

Rondel Sorrillo

Sorrillo, an Olympian from Trinidad and Tobago, showed that his progress is continuing after suffering a hamstring injury late in the indoor season. His winning time of 10.33 for 100 meters — his first try at the distance this season — puts him among the top 20 collegiate performers this season. Yet, he had to recover after stumbling out of the starting blocks.

No wonder the senior was named Male Runner of the Week in the Southeastern Conference.

Banks eclipsed his school record in the triple jump by half an inch, winning the event with a distance of 51 feet, 5 1/2 inches.

Ashley Muffet

Smith notched the second-best mark in school history to win the hammer throw at 208-7. That moved her from 12th in the national rankings to No. 4.

Muffet uncorked her best effort in nearly four years to take shot-put honors at 53-11 1/4. That improved her national ranking from No 16 to No. 11.

Other top performers for UK including Josh Nazdam, fourth in the men’s 1,500 (3:47.07) and Samantha Stenzel, who matched her school record (12-7 1/2) to tie for third in the women’s pole vault.

Aggies on top

Texas A&M is No. 1 in both the men’s and women’s rankings compiled by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association. The Aggies are defending NCAA champions in each.

The SEC has eight of the top 25 men’s teams (3. Florida; 7. LSU; 8. Auburn; 12. Mississippi; 13. Mississippi State; 16. South Carolina; 23. Georgia; 25. Arkansas) and four of the top 25 women’s squads (2. LSU; 9. Arkansas; 10. Florida; 14. Auburn).

Among area men’s teams, Louisville is No. 29, Kentucky is No. 43 and Western Kentucky is No. 54

On the women’s side, UK is 30th, U of L 32nd and Western 131st.

In-state individuals with top 10 rankings are U of L men Matt Hughes (4. steeplechase), Steve Hnat (8. shot put) and Tone Belt (9. long jump) and woman Jere’ Summers (6. discus and hammer throw); UK men Sharif Webb (8. 800) and Colin Boevers (10. discus), and women Kristin Smith (4. hammer throw) and Ashley Muffet (5. discus); and WKU male Gavin Smellie (3. 200).

For more details, see: http://www.ustfccca.org/featured/dual-defending-champion-aggies-move-to-nation%e2%80%99s-top-spot-once-again

For team-by-team reports, see: http://www.ustfccca.org/rankings/division-i-rankings

Cally Macumber

Kentucky’s Cally Macumber is Female Freshman of the Week in Southeastern Conference track and field, while Eastern Kentucky’s Soufiane Bouchikhi and Kat Pagano have been honored by the Ohio Valley Conference. All three athletes competed at last weekend’s 116th Penn Relays.

Macumber, from Rochester Hills, Mich., lowered her personal best for 5,000 meters by more than 20 seconds, placing 14th in Penn’s college championship division with a time of 16:43.61. That boosts her to the top five in the SEC this season.

Soufiane Bouchikhi

Bouchikhi, a freshman from Antwerp, Belgium, is OVC Male Track Co-Athlete of the Week. Pagano, a junior from Hollis, Maine, is OVC Female Track Co-Athlete of the Week.

Bouchikhi placed second, nosed out at the finish by William and Mary’s Lewis Woodard, in the 5,000-meter run. Bouchikhi crossed the line in 14:01.71, two-hundredths of a second behind Woodard. That leads the OVC this season by nearly 40 seconds, trailed by teammate David Mutuse in 14:40.71.

Kat Pagano

Pagano set a school record of 36:06.00 for 10,000 meters, placing 14th. The time is the fastest of the season in the OVC by nearly two minutes. The former EKU record of 36:13.15 was set by Sarah Blossom in 1999.

Other SEC weekly award winners are: Tennessee senior Phoebe Wright (Female Runner); Florida senior Mariam Kevkhishvili (Female Field Athlete); LSU sophomore Barrett Nugent (Male Runner); LSU junior Walter Henning (Male Field Athlete), and Florida’s Omar Craddock (Male Freshman). All competed at the Penn Relays.

Wright (Signal Mountain, Tenn.) led Tennessee to wins in the distance medley (2:02.12 800-meter split), 4-by-1,500 (4:17.3 anchor) and 4-by-800 (meet-record 2:00.89 anchor) relays.

Kevkhishvili (Tbilisi, nation of Georgia) captured the shot put (59-7 1/2) with the third-best mark in meet history.

Nugent (Maurice, La.) won the 110-meter hurdles (13.58). His time is a personal best, fastest in the SEC this season and ranks third in the NCAA.

Henning (Kings Park, N.Y.) won his second straight Penn hammer throw (237-9) — by more than 22 feet — and was named College Men’s Individual Athlete of the Meet.

Craddock (Kileen, Texas) snared triple jump honors (53-3 1/2), defeating the nation’s top two ranked individuals (Alphonso Gordon of Georgia Tech and Zuheir Sharif of Texas A&M). 

Other OVC weekly award winners are Southeast Missouri seniors Chris Gill (Male Track Co-Athlete), Juli Koenegstein (Female Track Co-Athlete) and Brandon Colbert (Male Field Athlete), and Austin Peay senior Molly Bartkiewicz (Female Field Athlete).

Gill (O’Fallon, Mo.) placed first at 400 meters (OVC-leading 47.64) at the Southern Illinois-Edwardsville Twilight Meet.

Koenegstein (Chester, Ill.) placed ninth in the 3,000-meter steeplechase (OVC-leading 10:48.93) at the Drake Relays.

Colbert (Troy, Mo.) had three top 20 finishes at Drake — second in the discus (OVC-leading 175-0), ninth in the shot put (53-7 3/4) and 18th in the hammer throw (181-6).

Bartkiewicz (Westlake, Ohio) placed third at Penn, clearing 12-10 in the pole vault.

Lexington's Tyson Gay

Lexington native Tyson Gay has been named USA Track & Field’s Athlete of the Week for a second time this season.

Gay’s 9.69 ties Bolt’s winning time from the 2008 Beijing Olympics, matching the second-fastest “legal” time ever. Gay’s race Sunday had the maximum allowable wind, 2 meters per second (about 4 1/2 mph).

Former University of Kentucky standout and reigning world champion Dwight Phillips had the best long jump by an American during the week, 27 feet, 5 1/4 inches.

Dwight Phillips

LaShawn Merritt

Allyson Felix

Wurth-Thomas

 

 

 

 

 

Best American marks for the week ending Sept. 20. X — Sunday at Shanghai, China; Y — Tuesday at Szczecin, Poland; Z — Sunday at Talence, France.

MEN

100 — 9.69, Tyson Gay (adidas) X                        American record
200 — 20.21, Tyson Gay (adidas) Y
400 — 45.28, LaShawn Merritt (Nike) X
800 — 1:46.33, Nick Symmonds (Oregon TC Elite) Y
110 hurdles — 13.15, Terrence Trammell (TSA) X
High jump — 7-5 1/4, Andra Manson (Nike) X
Long jump — 27-5 1/4, Dwight Phillips (Nike) X
Shot put — 70-6 1/4, Christian Cantwell (Nike) Y
Decathlon — 8,189, Tom Pappas (Nike) Z

WOMEN

Photos courtesy of USA Track & Field

Rondel Sorrillo was Kentucky’s top performer Friday, the rain-delayed third day of the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships at Fayetteville, Ark.

Sorrillo ran the third-fastest 100 meters in UK history to place fifth in the country, timed in 10.22 seconds. LSU’s Trindon Holliday won in 10.00.

Sorrillo, a junior who competed for Trinidad and Tobago in the 200-meter dash at last summer’s Beijing Olympics, also anchored the Wildcats’ 4-by-100 relay Friday.

Rondel Sorrillo

The foursome of Gordon McKenzie, Jose Acevedo, Kwasi Obeng and Sorrillo clocked 39.27, good for sixth place. The time ranks fourth-best in school history.

Sorrillo is set to run the 200-meter finals Saturday, to be televised live by CBS. Also in the finals is Gavin Smellie of Western Kentucky.

The Southeastern Conference dominated the relay, placing 1-2-4-5-6-7. Clemson, from the Atlantic Coast Conference, broke up the pack by finishing third.

Florida won in 38.58. Holliday anchored LSU to second place in 38.67. After Clemson came Mississippi State, South Carolina, UK and Auburn.

Corey Thorne

Tone Belt

Louisville had two finalists Friday, both placing seventh.

Tone Belt cleared 7-1 1/2 in the high jump. Scott Sellers of Kansas State won at 7-5.

Cardinals steeplechaser Corey Thorne finished the 3,000-meter event in 8:45.86. Kyle Perry of Brigham Young took top honors in 8:29.24.

Janet Jesang

In women’s action, Western Kentucky’s Janet Jesang, a junior from Uganda, placed fifth in 16:32.59. Illinois junior Angela Bizzarri snared first place in 16:17.94. Runner-up Nicole Blood of Oregon was more than 8 1/2 seconds back in 16:26.58.

UK heptathlete Ashley Trimble began Friday in 19th place. She rallied to finish 14th with 5,459 points. Oregon’s Brianne Theisen was the only competitor to break 6,000 points, scoring 6,086.

Ashley Trimble

Trimble scored 680 points in the long jump (17-9 3/4), then finished with career bests in the final two events. Her javelin throw of 118-8 was worth 594 points, and her 800-meter time of 2:11.32 scored 945 more.

U of L’s Seidre Forde fell 8 1/4 inches shy of qualifying for finals of the women’s triple jump. Needing a top-12 finish, she finished 21st at 41-10.

Former University of Kentucky standout Dwight Phillips was named Tuesday as USA Track & Field’s Athlete of the Week.

Dwight Phillips

Phillips notched the eighth-best outdoor mark ever in the men’s long jump at Sunday’s Nike Prefontaine Classic, 28 feet, 8 1/4 inches, at Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore.

Phillips, 31, arrived at UK in 1997. His 400-meter time of 46.80 that season still stands as the Wildcats’ freshman record. He also competed in 1998 before transferring to Arizona State, following Darryl Anderson when the UK sprints coach was hired there.

Since then, Phillips has become a two-time World Outdoor champion in the long jump, as well as the 2004 Olympic gold-medalist. Sunday’s mark ties Phillips with Larry Myricks and Erick Walder for eighth on the all-time list of jumps, and fifth on the all-time list of performers. It was the longest jump in the world since Mike Powell’s world-record 29-4 1/2 in 1991.

Reese Hoffa

Jenny Barringer

Also at Eugene, Louisville native Reese Hoffa won the shot put with the world’s best performance of the season, 71 feet, 10 inches.

Colorado’s Jenny Barringer, the national record-holder in the steeplechase, became the third American ever to break four minutes in the women’s 1,500 meters. Her time at Eugene, 3:59.90, is a collegiate record.
 
BEST AMERICAN MARKS WEEK ENDING JUNE 7
 
MEN
 
100 – 9.94 Mike Rodgers (Nike) – Eugene, Ore., 6/7     U.S. leader
200 – 20.41 Thomas Hunter (unat) – Walnut, Calif., 6/6
400 – 45.48 Tavaris Tate (Mississippi HS) – Albuquerque, N.M., 6/6
800 – 1:45.86 Nick Symmonds (Oregon TC) – Eugene, 6/7
1500 – 3:37.19 Lopez Lomong (Nike) – Eugene, 6/7     U.S. leader
Mile – 3:53.47 Lopez Lomong (Nike) – Eugene, 6/7
3000 – 7:35.92 Bernard Lagat (Nike) – Eugene, 6/7     U.S. leader
3000SC – 8:26.55 Josh McAdams (New Balance) – Eugene, 6/7
10,000 – 28:16.81 Jorge Torres (Reebok) – Eugene, 6/6
110H – 13.29 Dexter Faulk (Nike) – Turin, Italy, 6/4
400H – 48.38 Bershawn Jackson (Nike) – Eugene, 6/7
HJ – 2.26/7-5 Jesse Williams (Nike) – Eugene, 6/7
PV – 5.52/18-1.25 Mark Hollis (unat) – St. Polten, Austria, 6/6
LJ – 8.74/28-8.25 Dwight Phillips (NIke) – Eugene, 6/7     World leader
TJ – 16.06/52-8.25 James Jenkins (unat) – Walnut, 6/6
SP – 21.89/71-10 Reese Hoffa (NYAC) – Eugene, 6/7     World leader
DT – 64.69/212-3 Adam Kuehl (unat) – Chula Vista, Calif., 6/6
HT – 75.28/247-0 Jake Freeman (Iron Ball AC) – West Point, N.Y., 6/5
JT – 75.96/249-2 Adam Montague (unat) – Walnut, 6/6
Dec – 7466 Curtis Beach (New Mexico HS) – Albuquerque, N.M., 6/5     HIGH SCHOOL RECORD
 
WOMEN
 
100 – 11.13 Stephanie Durst (unat) – Hengelo, Holland, 6/1
200 – 22.41 Shalonda Solomon (Reebok) – Walnut, 6/6
400 – 49.86 Sanya Richards (Nike) – Eugene, 6/7     World leader
800 – 2:00.18 Maggie Vessey (unat) – Eugene, 6/7
1500 – 3:59.90 Jenny Barringer (Colorado) – Eugene, 6/7     U.S. leader/COLLEGIATE RECORD
3000SC – 9:40.02 Lisa Galaviz (Nike) – Walnut, 6/6
100H – 12.74 Michelle Perry (Nike) – Eugene, 6/7
400H – 58.25 Jennifer Grossarth (unat) – Walnut, 6/6
PV – 4.45/14-7.25 Chelsea Johnson (Nike) – Walnut, 6/6
LJ – 6.74/22-1.5 Funmi Jimoh (Nike) – Hengelo, 6/1
TJ – 13.80/45-3.5 Crystal Manning (unat) – Walnut, 6/6
SP – 18.35/60-2.5 Michelle Carter (unat) – Walnut, 6/6
DT – 63.98/209-11 Stephanie Brown Trafton (Nike) – Eugene, 6/7
HT – 70.68/231-11 Jessica Cosby (Nike) – Eugene, 6/7
JT – 60.30/197-10 Kim Kreiner (Nike) – Walnut, 6/6     U.S. leader
Hept – 5619 Kasey Hill (unat) – Dallas, 6/7

Seven women and six men from Kentucky colleges were awarded at-large bids Tuesday to the NCAA Track & Field Championships, June 10-13, at Arkansas.

Joseph Maina (EKU photo)

From Eastern Kentucky, Joseph Maina was added to the men’s 5,000-meter field.

From Kentucky, Rondel Sorrillo made it in the men’s 100, Emily Strot in the women’s discus.

From Louisville, Steve Hnat was added in the men’s shot put; Josh Greenwald and Andrew Hackney in discus; Matt Hughes in the steeplechase. U of L additions to the women’s field are Chinwe Okoro and Khadija Abdullah in the shot put, Rachel Gehret in the high jump and Seidre Forde in the triple jump.

From Western Kentucky’s women’s team, Miaie Williams was added in the 100, Janet Jesang in the 5,000.

The at-large recipients will join automatic qualifiers at Arkansas. Automatic berths went to the top five in individual events and top three in relays at the Mideast Regional, held Saturday at U of L.

Here’s what the combined at-large and automatic lists from Kentucky schools look like, with NCAA seeding; a = at-large berth; q = automatic qualifier.

MEN

Rondel Sorrillo

Gavin Smellie

100 meters — 24 a, Rondel Sorrillo (UK).

200 — 3 q, Gavin Smellie (WKU); 5 q, Rondel Sorrillo (UK).

5,000 — 26 a, Joseph Maina (EKU).

3,000 steeplechase — 2 q, Cory Thorne (U of L); 14 a, Matt Hughes (U of L).

4-by-100 relay — 6 q, Kentucky.

4-by-400 relay — 11 q, Western Kentucky; 12 q, Kentucky.

Shot put — 8 q, Rashaud Scott (UK); 17 a, Steve Hnat (U of L).

Rashaud Scott

Chase Madison

Discus — 1 q, Rashaud Scott (UK); 7 q, Chase Madison (UK); 16 a, Josh Greenwald (U of L); 17 a, Andrew Hackney (U of L).

Long jump — 7 a, Mandhla Mgijima (WKU).

High jump — 9 q, Tone Belt (U of L).

Long jump — 16 q, Tone Belt (U of L).

WOMEN

Tarah McKay

Janet Jesang

100 — 19 a, Miaie Williams (WKU).

1,500 — 24 q, Tarah McKay (U of L).

5,000 — 6 a, Janet Jesang (WKU).

4-by-100 relay — 12 q, Western Kentucky.

Shot put — 10 q, Jere’ Summers (U of L); 20 a, Chinwe Okoro (U of L); 23 a, Khadija Abdullah (U of L).

Kristin Smith

Ashley Trimble

Discus — 4 q, Ashley Muffet (UK); 6 q, Jere’ Summers (U of L); 17 a, Emilee Strot (UK).

High jump — 19 a, Rachel Gehret (U of L).

Triple jump — 24 a, Seidre Forde (U of L).

Heptathlon (entries based on pre-regional results) — 11. Ashley Trimble (UK).

USA Track & Field Athlete of the Week: Tyson Gay

The third-fastest 200-meter dash of all time makes Tyson Gay the USA Track & Field choice for athlete of the week.

From Tyson Gay's facebook photo gallery

Gay, a Lafayette High School graduate who later starred for Arkansas, uncorked a 19.58-second 200 Saturday at the Reebok Grand Prix, in New York’s Icahn Stadium. Only a pair of Olympic champions have ever run faster: Michael Johnson (19.32) and Usain Bolt (19.30).

Gay swept the 2007 World Championships in the 100 and 200 meters, and also ran on the gold-medal 4-by-100 relay.

After winning the 100 in American-record time at last year’s U.S. Olympic Trials, Gay suffered a severe hamstring injury during preliminaries of the 200. He went on to run the 200 at the Beijing Olympics, but the missed practice time left him far off his usual form. A dropped baton in the 4-by-100 put a disappointing end to his Olympic experience.

Saturday’s result, his first 200 since the Olympics, means Gay now has the third- and fourth-fastest 200s ever. No. 4 is 19.62, his winning effort at the 2007 USA Outdoor Championships.

Saturday’s runner-up, Gay’s former training partner and Arkansas teammate Wallace Spearmon, finished in 19.98. Former LSU standout Xavier Carter was third in 20.27.

“It made me very, very happy; 19.5 had been one of the goals I had, but to do that in the first race is very pleasing,” Gay told reporters. “I wanted to work on my reaction and my start. Then I just ran. I ran for my life. When I came toward the finish line, I got kind of tight and I just wanted to bring it on in. I tried to push all the way through, just to see where my body is at.”

Several of the week’s leading national marks were turned in on Louisville’s Cardinal Park facility, site of the NCAA Mideast Regional.

Cory Thorne

Louisville’s Cory Thorne had the fastest 3,000-meter steeplechase of the week (8:36.98).

Three winners in men’s field events ranked No. 1 for the week: Kentucky’s Rashaud Scott in the discus (216-2); LSU’s Walter Henning in the hammer throw (231-6), and Arkansas’ Mychael Stewart in the long jump (25-10 3/4).

And two of the women’s field event champions at Louisville led the nation: Purdue’s Kara Patterson in the javelin (192-1), and Indiana State’s Lauren Martin in the triple jump (44-4 3/4).

BEST MARKS BY AMERICANS FOR WEEK ENDING MAY 31
 
MEN
 
100 – 10.04 Jacoby Ford (Clemson) – Greensboro, N.C. 5/30
200 – 19.58 Tyson Gay (adidas) – New York, 5/30     World leader
400 – 44.75 LaShawn Merritt (Nike) – New York, 5/30
800 – 1:46.00 Khadevis Robinson (Nike) – New York, 5/30
1500 – 3:34.14 Leo Manzano (Nike) – New York, 5/30     U.S. leader
3000SC – 8:36.98 Cory Thorne (Louisville) – Louisville, 5/30
5000 – 13:03.06 Bernard Lagat (Nike) – New York, 5/30    U.S. leader
110H – 13.12 Terrence Trammell (TSA) – New York, 5/30
400H – 48.52 Bershawn Jackson (Nike) – New York, 5/30
HJ – 2.25/7-4.5 Scott Sellers (Kansas State) – Norman, Okla., 5/29
PV – 5.56/18-3 Jason Colwick (Rice) & Maston Wallace (Texas) – Norman, Okla., 5/30
LJ – 7.89/25-10.75 Mychael Stewart (Arkansas) – Louisville, 5/29
TJ – 16.81/55-2 Will Claye (Oklahoma) – Norman, Okla., 5/30
SP – 20.99/68-10.5 Ryan Whiting (Arizona State) – Eugene, Ore., 5/29
DT – 65.90/216-2 Rashaud Scott (Kentucky) – Louisville, 5/30
HT – 70.56/231-6 Walter Henning (LSU) – Louisville, 5/30
JT – 80.34/263-7 Chris Hill (Georgia) – Greensboro, N.C., 5/29
Dec – 8516 Trey Hardee (Nike) – Gotzis, Austria, 5/31     U.S. leader
  
WOMEN
 
100 – 11.04 Shalonda Solomon (Reebok) – New York, 5/30
200 – 22.34 Lauryn Williams (Nike) – New York, 5/30     World leader
400 – 50.50 Allyson Felix (adidas) – New York, 5/30     World leader
800 – 1:59.29 Anna Willard (Nike) – New York, 5/30     World leader
1500 – 4:03.96 Christin Wurth-Thomas (Nike) – New York, 5/30     U.S. leader
3000SC – 9:26.20 Jenny Barringer (Colorado) – Norman, Okla., 5/30     World leader
5000 – 15:32.39 Jen Rhines (adidas) – New York, 5/30
100H – 12.88 Seun Adigun (Houston) – Norman, Okla., 5/30
400H – 55.44 Tiffany Williams (Reebok) – New York, 5/30
HJ – 1.93/6-4 Sharon Day (Asics) – Havana, Cuba, 5/29
PV – 4.81/15-9.25 Jenn Stuczynski (adidas) – New York, 5/30     World leader
LJ – 6.72/22-0.75 Funmi Jimoh (Nike) – Belgrade, Serbia, 5/29 & Brianna Glenn (adidas) – New York, 5/30
TJ – 13.53/44-4.75 Lauren Martin (Indiana State) – Louisville, 5/30
SP – 18.43/60-5.75 Michelle Carter (unat) – New York, 5/30
DT – 63.97/209-10 Stephanie Brown Trafton (Nike) – New York, 5/30
HT – 69.76/228-10 Amber Campbell (Mjolnir) – Havana, Cuba, 5/30
JT – 58.56/192-1 Kara Patterson (Purdue) – Louisville, 5/30
Hept – 6,063 Sharon Day (Asics) – Havana, Cuba 5/30     U.S. leader

… And a clarification

However, a later check of UK’s meet notes, as well as the media guide listings of “top 10 marks” in each event, showed that Buncic threw 217-4.

And now …

You’ve got to love how the Kentucky men stepped up to take third place in the team standings. The top five in individual events, as well as the top three relays, automatically qualify for the NCAA Championships, June 10-13, at Arkansas.

The 20th-ranked Wildcats have been snake-bitten with injuries for most of the outdoor season, particularly in the sprints.

But there was Rondel Sorrillo, who didn’t even compete outdoors until the Southeastern Conference meet because of injuries, taking third place in the 200 meters and anchoring the second-place 4-by-100-meter relay.

Rondel Sorrillo

“Better than SEC, but it still hurts,” said Sorrillo, who ran the 200 for Trinidad and Tobago at last summer’s Beijing Olympics — beating eventual gold-medal winner Usain Bolt in the first round. “It hurts, but I’m back.”

What hurts?

“My butt, my hamstrings, my calves,” he said. “Both legs.”

Jose Acevedo

There was Jose Acevedo, who also ran the 200 at Beijing, representing Venezuela.

He ran second on the 4-by-100 relay, then anchored the third-place 4-by-400 relay. That despite a foot injury that, Coach Don Weber said, would have kept a less-determined sprinter out of the meet.

When Justin Austin went down at the Penn Relays, the Cats had to plug holes on both relays.

Also missing was Mikel Thomas, a 2008 Olympian for Trinidad and Tobago in the 110-meter hurdles. He suffered a broken collarbone during practice, a week-and-a-half ago.

Kwasi Obeng

Stephan Smith

Saturday, Kwasi Obeng did the job on the relays, running the third leg on the quick relay and leading off the 4-by-4.

Stephan Smith, a half-miler, filled in on the second leg of the 4-by-4.

“Considering the way we’ve been for most of the outdoor season, especially in our sprint group — hurt and banged up as much as we have been — it’s a great day,” Weber said. “Especially for those guys.”

Now, being off next weekend, the Cats will try to “maintain” fitness and continue the healing process.

Erin Tucker

Don Weber

“We can get a little bit better,” Weber said, “so that’s encouraging.”

In the 4-by-100, UK led through three legs. Obeng’s handoff to Sorrillo didn’t go too well, though, allowing 100-meter champion Trindon Holliday of LSU to be first out of the final exchange zone.

“Trindon … had the baton first because (Sorrillo) had to wait on Kwasi to get the baton,” said Erin Tucker, UK’s sprints and hurdles coach. “Anytime, the four-by-one, when you have to wait a little bit, you lose that acceleration and then you’ve got to start back up from square one. … You want to get the baton going full speed.”

The good news is that the problem was due in part to Sorrillo accelerating, finally, through the zone. By his own admission, Sorrillo had been deficient in that area during practice. And now Obeng and Sorrillo have nearly two weeks to work on the final exchange.

Gordon McKenzie

Tucker said Gordon McKenzie “ran an awesome leadoff leg. … Jose built off it. … Kwasi just looked like a superstar because he’s out in front. And then we had the little thing with Rondel.”

As good as the sprint results were, UK came out best in the weights.

Rashaud Scott, who won the shot put on Friday, added the discus title Saturday. Having successfully defended his regional title, Scott will try to repeat as national champion at Arkansas.

And consider this: all six of his throws Saturday were better than second-place finisher Greg Pilling of Central Michigan.

Pilling threw 197-2, two feet ahead of UK’s Chase Madison.

Rashaud Scott

Madison, a senior who transferred in 2007 from Iowa State, can relate to UK’s sprinters.

At Iowa State, he broke a bone in his left foot. A titanium screw was inserted to fix the bone. It didn’t work.

Chase Madison

When he arrived at UK for his entrance physical, “they said, ‘well, you’re either going to have to have another surgery on that thing to fix it because they did it totally incorrect, or you’re never going to throw again,’” Madison said when interviewed before last winter’s SEC Indoor Championships.

He opted for surgery, which involved taking bone from his ankle and grafting the bone to his foot. Oh, and four screws and a plate.

He went from June 2006 until April 2008 without throwing a disc in competition.

Now, he throws in pain. Look at his foot and you can actually see the plate and a screw sticking out from the bone. Pain limits his practice time, but he’s a believer in quality workouts over quantity. When he does throw, he throws with purpose.

Saturday, he said his pain was controlled as well as could be expected: “I had quite a bit of Aleve in me.”

“It’s nice to be back to a national meet. I haven’t been since 2006, since I’ve been hurt,” he said. “It was a decent day, I guess. Could have expected a lot more, could have been a lot worse. So, regroup and get ready for two weeks.”

U of L: A crown of Thorne’s

Corey Thorne

Louisville’s highlight Saturday came from Corey Thorne, who outkicked Eastern Michigan’s Josh Karanja to win the 3,000-meter steeplechase in a stadium-record 8:36.98. Karanja finished in 8:37.20.

“It’s going to be just like that at nationals,” Thorne said. “Whether it goes fast or slow, it’s going to come down to who has the best kick. So coming out here, it’s kind of like a trial.”

Ron Mann

Head coach Ron Mann and distance coach Brice Allen prepared Thorne well.

“One of the things that Coach Allen and I have done over the last 10 days is doing a lot of speed work over the barriers, preparing for that last quarter,” Mann said. “Those barriers come up very quickly and you’ve got to be ready for it. He did a nice job of executing that.”

Tarah McKay

Jere' Summers

U of L also had two automatic qualifiers in women’s events.

Tarah McKay ran fourth at 1,500 meters. Jeré Summers, the surprise winner of Friday’s discus, took second in Saturday’s shot put.

McKay, a junior from St. Clements, Ontario, Canada, improved one spot from her regional finish of a year ago.

Summers, a junior from Oakland, Calif., is a two-time Most Outstanding Field Event Performer in the Big East.  She transferred to U of L after competing two indoor seasons and one outdoor season at Cal State Northridge.

WKU: Smellie is good

Gavin Smellie

Western Kentucky senior Gavin Smellie won the men’s 200 meters, tying the Cardinal Park record of 20.45 seconds. (Auburn freshman Marcus Rowland was runner-up, followed by Sorrillo. Earlier, Rowland false-started out of the 100 meters, an event in which he was ranked No. 2 in the region and No. 4 in the nation.) 

Smellie, a Canadian, also led off the Hilltoppers’ second-place 4-by-400 relay and anchored the eighth-place 4-by-100 relay. The first seven spots in the quick relay went to Southeastern Conference schools, led by LSU and Kentucky.

Western’s women placed third in the 4-by-100 relay.

EKU: I go, you go, we all go for Mugo

Stanley Mugo

Eastern Kentucky’s top finish of the day came from Stanley Mugo in the 3,000-meter steeplechase.

 

A junior from Kenya and the Ohio Valley Conference’s Co-Male Track Athlete of the Year, Mugo placed 10th.

By placing among the top 12 in the region, he still has a chance of receiving an at-large bid to the NCAA Championships (bids to be announced Tuesday). His time Saturday was 9:00.89. However, he ran 8:52.07 in April at the Penn Relays.

Regions and records

The Mideast, one of four regionals, is comprised of 167 teams from 12 states (Kentucky, Alabama, Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Ohio, Tennessee and Wisconsin).

Cardinal Park records were set in 22 of Saturday’s 28 events. Two others were tied, and another was negated because it was wind-aided.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

UK’s Scott was among five athletes setting regional records, and the only male.  

Phoebe Wright

Women’s meet records went to: 

* U.S. Olympic Trials champion Kara Patterson of Purdue, who won javelin for the fourth year in a row, this time at 192-1.

* Two-time defending NCAA champ Tiffany Ofili of Michigan, 12.96 in the 100-meter hurdles.

* Tennessee former walk-on and now top-ranked Phoebe Wright, 2:02.20 in the 800.

* Middle Tennessee State’s Sarah Nambawa, ranked second nationally, with a triple jump of 45-9.

Fort Campbell’s boys and Newport Central Catholic’s girls took the team championships Saturday in the KHSAA State Track & Field Meet at Louisville.

Fort Campbell totaled 83 points to top Bardstown (70). Ballard Memorial and St. Henry tied for third (46), two points ahead of Lexington Christian.

Will Mullett became LCA’s first-ever individual male champion, taking the 3,200 meters. The Eagles also won the 4-by-800 relay.

Fort Knox junior Courtney Edwards won four events: long and triple jump, plus both hurdles races.

NewCath’s girls scored 98 points. Runner-up St. Henry had 79.50, followed by Fort Campbell (65) and Bishop Brossart (59).

Sixth-place Danville had a double winner in Diamond Pace (triple jump, 300-meter hurdles), and teammate Candice Taylor took the long jump.

Earlier posts

With 13 of 18 events scored, Bardstown leads Fort Campbell 58-52 in the contest for KHSAA Class A Boys’ State Track & Field champion. Fort Knox is third with 30, a point ahead of Lexington Christian and Ballard Memorial.

Through 14 girls’ events, Newport Central Catholic leads with 73 points, followed by St. Henry (63.50), Bishop Brossart and Fort Campbell (49 each).

Some of the recent winners for the girls: Diamond Pace (Danville), 300 hurdles (47.36); Raegan Deaton (Green County), 800 (2:20.20); Candice Taylor (Danville), long jump (18-1.75); Katie Neiser (Bishop Brossart), 200 (26.15), and Annie Gruenschlaeger (Newport Central Catholic), shot (34-4 1/2).

Villa Madonna’s Corey Stoll outkicked Lexington Christian’s Nate Spain in the boys’ 800. Stoll finished in 1:56.12, Spain in 1:58.62.

Other recent boys’ winners: Damien Edelen (Bardstown), 400 (50.52); Courtney Edwards (Fort Knox), 300 hurdles (39.51), and Marc Speed (Kentucky Country Day), discus (142-4).

Initial post

Saturday’s first title in a boys’ track event goes to Lexington Christian’s 4-by-800 relay team.

Running on the Owsley Frazier Cardinal Park oval at the University of Louisville, LCA’s Nate Spain, Ben Boone, Will Mullett and Chris Elliott combined for a time of 8:10.73.

The Eagles led at each exchange, but Elliott was overtaken by Bardstown’s Adam Kaleifeh. Elliott maintained close contact, though, and blew past Kaleifeh with about 250 meters left. Andrew Linkugel got St. Henry up for second (8:14.15), followed by Bardstown (8:16.67).

St. Henry (9:50.23) and Newport Central Catholic (9:54.41) duplicated their 1-2 finish of a year ago in the girls’ relay.

Another repeat 1-2 finish came in the 100-meter hurdles, where Model’s Chelsea Harnack bested Russellville’s Chiquita Rose, 15.89 to 16.25.

A few minutes later, Harnack (12.54) ran second to Bishop Brossart’s Katie Neiser (12.47) in the 100-meter dash.

Frankfort’s Quan Weaver (11.13) held off Danville’s Lamont Key (11.20) in the boys’ 100.

Courtney Edwards of Fort Knox took the boys’ 110-meter hurdles (14.71). Paintsville’s Tyler Lemaster was runner-up (15.08).

Michael Burden of McClean County took honors in the shot (48-4.50), ahead of St. Henry’s Justin Ziegler (47-4).

The other field event completed early, the girls’ discus, went to Beechwood’s Brianna McCarty (106-10), who nipped Megan Hunter of Nicholas County by a mere five inches.

The 4-by-200 relay for boys was won by Mayfield (1:30.57), ahead of Fort Campbell (1:31.70).

The girls’ 4-by-200 went to Newport Central Catholic (1:46.61), followed by Fort Campbell (1:46.97).

Other girls’ winners: Catherine Claywell (Murray), high jump (5-6); Victoria Yocum (Bardstown), 400 (59.51); Newport Central Catholic, 4-by-100 relay (51.20); and Maria Frigo (St. Henry), 1,600 (5:13.41).

More boys’ winners: Fort Campbell, 4-by-100 relay (43.24), and Corey Stoll (Villa Madonna), 1,600 (4:23.43).