Mark Maloney on Kentucky sports

Male wins its fifth consecutive boys’ team championship with 97 points.

The Bulldogs close the day with a victory in the 4-by-400 relay (3:19.29).

St. Xavier takes second in the standings with 70 points.

Other top 20 teams include Bryan Station in fifth, Henry Clay in seventh, Scott County in a tie for eighth, Lafayette in 18th and Tates Creek in 19th.

* Sacred Heart takes the girls’ 3A title 57-50 over Tates Creek. Male is third with 47, followed by defending champion Campbell County with 45.

Paul Dunbar edges Bryan Station for eighth place, 37 2/3 to 34. Henry Clay takes 15th.

In the final event, Campbell County takes the 4-by-400 relay in 4:00.95.

* With 17 of 18 boys’ events scored, Male holds an insurmountable 87-64 lead over St. Xavier. Ballard is third with 59.

Trinity sophomore James Quick nips 100/400 champion Ronnie Baker of Ballard in the 200, 21.45 to 21.85. Henry Clay’s Brandon Nichols does not start.

Christian County’s Sean Hurd wins the 3,200 (9:38.42).

* With 17 of 18 girls’ events scored Sacred Heart leads Tates Creek 57-48. Male is third with 43.

That’s after the Valkyries add 10 points with Emma Brink’s third win of the day, this one in the 3,200 (11:12.96).

* Bryan Station’s Sariah Edwards edges defending champion Tamyah Pipkin of Tates Creek, 25.07 to 25.26 in the girls’ 200 meters.

But with 16 of 18 events scored, Tates Creek leads Sacred Heart 47-46 in the girls’ standings. Male is third with 43. Bryan Station rank 6-7.

Sacred Heart’s Emma Brink wins the 800 in 2:14.81.

The boys’ 800 goes to Butler’s Tretez Kinnarid in 1:54.27.

With 15 boys’ events score, Male leads Ballard 78-51. Henry Clay is in seventh.

* The 300-meter hurdles winners: Kristen Matula of Sacred Heart for the girls (45.15) and St. Xavier’s Peter McDermott for the boys (39.18). Bryan Station’s Jacob Mclimore edged Scott County’s Dominique Norris for second place, 39.75 to 40.00.

* Through 13 of 18 boys’ events, Male leads Ballard 78-50. Bryan Station is fifth with 25. Henry Clay is tied for seventh with 21.

More boys’ winners: Male, 4-by-200 relay (1:28.25) and 4-by-100 relay (42.06); Isaac Bowling, Oldham County, discus (160-2); Andrew Stewart, North Hardin, 1,600 (4:16.10); Sage Powell, Simon Kenton, long jump (22-2 3/4); Brad Zolke, St. Xavier, pole vault (13-6).

Girls’ winners: Halie Holloway, John Hardin, triple jump (36-4); DeShericka McReynolds, Madisonville, shot put (37-0 1/4); Anna Carrigan, Campbell County, 400 (56.59).

Through 14 events, Tates Creek leads Male 40-38. Then come Sacred Heart with 37 and Paul Dunbar with 33 2/3. Bryan Station is seventh with 24.

* Male’s Ronnie Baker, already with the 100-meter title in hand, stuns two-time defending champion Brandon Nichols of Henry Clay in the boys’ 400, 47.73 to 48.62.

* Tates Creek sweeps the girls’ sprint relays, setting a meet record of 48.18 in the 4-by-100. Male is runner-up (48.83). Bryan Station (49.48) and Dunbar (50.06) run 4-5.

Tates Creek uses the same foursome – Tatiyana Dean, Natavia Barber, Michelle Tichenor and Tamyah Pipkin — to take the 4-by-200 in 1:41.92. Then come Male (1:42.81), Henry Clay (1:43.81) and Bryan Station (1:44.39).

Ballard’s Megan Zimlich sets a state record of 11-9 in the pole vault.

Sacred Heart’s Emma Brink repeats in the 1,600 (5:03.73). Dunbar’s Megan Klein is fourth (5:12.40) and teammate Amanda Hancock takes ninth (5:23.59).

* Ballard’s Ronnie Baker and William Kannamore go 1-2 in the boys’ 100, timed in 10.89 and 11.08. Henry Clay gets a 5-7 placing from Brandon Nichols (11.25) and Bo Brooks (11.29).

* Tates Creek’s Tamyah Pipkin successfully defends her title in the girls’ 100-meter dash, nipping crosstown rival Sariah Edwards of Bryan Station 12.62 to 12.63.

Scott County senior Dominique Norris wins the boys’ 110-meter hurdles by just a bit more, 15.26 to the 15.29 turned in by top-seeded Jeff Huntley of Ryle. Bryan Station gets a 3-8 finish from Jacob Mclimore (15.32) and Malcolm Smith (15.92).

The girls’ 100-meter hurdles go to Male’s Dominique Edmonds (15.62). Barren County’s Sydney Wininger (15.83) and Scott County’s Christiana Harris (15.94) follow.

* The girls’ long jump title goes to Keisha Chiles of Southern at 18-5 1/4. Henry Clay’s Alexis LaPrelle takes fourth (16-3).

Notre Dame’s Kate Hengelbrok is tops in the high jump (5-4), with Woodford County’s Ellen Ward fifth (5-0).

The women’s discus winner is DeShericka McReynolds of Madisonville (124-11).

* Warren Central junior Donovan Halsel won the boys’ high jump by clearing 6-8. He had respectable attempts but could not clear at state-record-equaling 6-11 1/4. Lincoln County’s Zac Hill was runner-up at 6-4, followed by Dunbar’s Lamont Johnson at 6-2.

Oldham County’s Isaac Bowling won the shot put (54-10 1/4) and Male’s Michael Patterson prevailed in the triple jump (47-3 1/4). In the latter event, Bryan Station’s Tre Duncan placed third (45-3).

The final pass in the boys' 4-by-800 relay has North Hardin's Kevin Walker inheriting a large lead. St. Xavier's Thomas Cave and Butler's Tretez were next in line to receive a baton. (Maloney photo)

Tretez Kinnarid at the finish line. (Maloney photo)

Saturday’s Class 3A State Track and Field Meet is underway at the University of Louisville’s Owsley Frazier Cardinal Park.

The first thriller on the track goes to Butler, successfully defending its title in the boys’ 4-by-800-meter relay.

Bears anchor Tretez Kinnarid, a sophomore, was a distant third when he took the baton.

He reeled in St. Xavier’s Thomas Cave on the first lap, then set his sites on front-running Kevin Walker of North Hardin.

Kinnarid took over on the final straightaway, bringing his team home in 7:57.05. North Hardin finished in 7:57.47, followed by St. X (8:06.18) and Lafayette (8:06.72 with Clark Grubb, Lee Smith, Jud Weaver and Miles Kilgore). Tates Creek finished seventh (8:18.22 with Adrian Lyttle, Craig Calvert, Ben Hart and Zach Porter).

Kinnarid’s anchor split was reported as fast as 1:51.2. Butler’s time was slightly off its meet-record 7:54.07 of last year. Patrick Gregory led off, passing to Jeff Cutrer, who got the baton to RaShaun Langdon.

Assumption — Ellen Marko, Melanie Strothman, Amanda Vokoun and Caroline McCaslin — took the girls’ relay in 9:24.83. Then came Sacred Heart (9:41.54), Campbell County (9:44.57) and Paul Laurence Dunbar (9:48.71). Amanda Hancock, Maddie Bledsoe, Abbey Smiley and Megan Klein made up PLD’s unit. Tates Creek placed seventh (9:58.28 with Kara Weaver, Lorren Sales, Aaron Lankster and Ashley Whaley).

Several field events are in progress, but the next event on the track isn’t scheduled until 4 p.m.

Dunbar high-jumper Lamont Johnson just misses clearing 6-4. (Maloney photo)

Of course, I’m talking about the indoor track and field season kicking into gear.

The University of Kentucky Invitational is set for Friday and Saturday inside Nutter Field House.

Along with UK, men’s and women’s teams from Eastern Kentucky, Kentucky State, Louisville, Western Kentucky, Middle Tennessee, Georgia Tech, Tennessee, Michigan State, Western Carolina and Alabama will compete. Florida A&M will compete in men’s events only. Central Florida, Marshall and Vanderbilt will send only women’s teams.

Friday’s competition, limited to the weight throws and triple jumps for men and women, plus men’s high jump and women’s pole vault, begins at 6 p.m.

Saturday’s schedule starts at 10:30 a.m. with the women’s high jump and long jump. The first track event, semifinals of the women’s 60-meter hurdles, is set for 12:30 p.m. The final event, the men’s 4-by-400-meter relay, is scheduled for 5:05 p.m.

First Bowerman Watch List released

The Bowerman Men’s Watch Committee, in conjunction with the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association, released its first crop of candidates for collegiate track and field’s most prestigious award. All three of last season’s finalists have graduated.

The list of possible successors includes 2009 finalist German Fernandez and three sophomores. Washington State’s Jeshua Anderson is on the list for a record ninth time.

One, Alabama’s Kirani James, is scheduled to compete at UK this weekend.

The preliminary watch list, in alphabetical order, with athlete, year, school, event(s) and hometown:

Jeshua Anderson, sr., Washington State, hurdles, Woodlands, Calif.
Robby Andrews, soph., Virginia, distance, Englishtown, N.J.
Sam Chelanga, sr., Liberty, distance, Nairobi, Kenya
Charles Clark, sr., Florida State, sprints, Virginia Beach, Va.
Jeff Demps, soph./jr., Florida, sprints, Winter Garden, Fla.
German Fernandez, jr./soph., Oklahoma State, distance, Riverbank, Calif.
Mason Finley, soph., Kansas, throws, Salida, Colo.
Walter Henning, sr., LSU, throws, Kings Park, N.Y.
Kirani James, soph., Alabama, sprints, Gouyave, Grenada
Christian Taylor, jr., Florida, jumps, Fayetteville, Ga.

Kentucky connections on T&FN annual list

Tyson Gay at the Beijing Olympics.

Track & Field News magazine’s annual lists of Top 40 performers in the nation for the 2010 season is loaded with Kentucky connections. In addition to the top 40 nationals, T&FN tacks on a list of foreign collegians.

Event leaders included Lexington’s Tyson Gay in the men’s 100 and former UK competitor Dwight Phillips in the men’s long jump. Gay had six of the 10 fastest times by an American in 2010, including the top three. Phillips had the top 11 best jumps by an American last season, ranging from 27-9 1/4 to 27-2.

Here are the Kentucky connections listed.

WOMEN
100-meter hurdles — 5. Danielle Carruthers (Paducah Tilghman) 12.68.
Mile — (foreign collegian) Janet Jesang (WKU) 4:41.57.
3,000 — (foreign collegian) Janet Jesang (WKU) 9:11.09.
5,000 — 24. Allison Grace (UK) 15:49.10.
10,000 – 11. Allison Grace (UK) 32:54.99.
Half-marathon — 22. Allison Grace (UK) 74:20.
4-by-200 relay — 18. UK 1:35.23.
4-by-400 relay — 32. UK 3:35.14.
Shot put — 8. Ashley Muffet (UK) 57-3 1/2; 17. Jere’ Summers (Lvl.) 55-9 1/4; 36. Chinwe Okoro (Russell, Lvl.) 52-7 1/4.
Discus — 8. Jere’ Summers (Lvl.) 188-1; 13. Ashley Muffet (UK) 181-10; 32. Mary Angell (UK) 173-0; 37. D’Ana McCarty (Lvl.) 171-5.
Hammer throw — 11. Kristin Smith (UK) 212-7; 19. Jere’ Summers (Lvl.) 207-4; 29. D’Ana McCarty (Lvl.) 204-2; 40. Lindsey Cook (Lvl.) 195-9.
Javelin — 10. Dana Pounds Lyon (Lexington) 172-6.
Heptathlon — 22. Precious Nwokey (UK) 5,543.

MEN
100 — 1. Tyson Gay (Lafayette) 9.78; (foreign collegian) Rondel Sorrillo (UK) 10.19 (10.05 wind-aided).
200 — 1. (tie with Walter Dix) Tyson Gay (Lafayette) 20.29; (foreign collegians) Rondel Sorrillo (UK) 20.29; Gavin Smellie (WKU) 20:46.
400 — 7. Tyson Gay (Lafayette) 44.89.
800 — 36. Sharif Webb (UK) 1:47.64.
3,000 — 29. Bobby Curtis (St. Xavier) 7:57.28; (foreign collegian) Soufiani Bouchikhi (EKU) 7:59.20.
5,000 — 10. Bobby Curtis (St. Xavier) 13:18.97.
10,000 — 4. Bobby Curtis (St. Xavier) 27:33.38.
20K walk — 15. Ray Sharp (Ballard) 1:46:24.
50K walk — 4. Ray Sharp (Ballard) 4:31:04
3,000 steeplechase — (foreign collegian) Matt Hughes (Lvl.) 8:34.18.
4-by-100 relay — UK 39.62.
4-by-200 relay — 18. WKU 1:24.36; 21. UK 1:24.72.
4-by-400 relay — 34. WKU 3:06.99.
Triple jump — 19. Andre Black (Lvl.) 53-4 1/4.
Long jump — 1. Dwight Phillips (UK) 27-9 1/4; 23. Wesley Smith (Lvl.) 25-8; 28. Tone Belt (Lvl.) 25-6 1/4; (foreign collegian) Rudon Bastian (Lvl.) 25-10.
Discus — 10. Chase Madison (UK) 201-0; 22. Rashaud Scott (UK) 193-8; 28. Colin Boevers (UK) 192-1.
Shot put — 2. Reese Hoffa (Lvl. native) 72-8 1/2; 11. Jeff Chakouian (UK) 65-11; 29. Steve Hnat (Lvl.) 62-6 3/4.
High jump — 30. Grant Lindsey (UK) 7-2 1/2.

Why so serious?

It’s Thanksgiving, which can only mean … football day.

Before you get glued to the Turkey Day games, though, here’s a few leftovers from Sunday’s game at Cincinnati — a 49-31 victory for Buffalo.

As already documented, former Kentucky receiver Steve (a.k.a. Stevie during his UK days) Johnson caught a career-high three touchdown passes as the Bills outscored the Bengals 35-0 in the second half. Wednesday, Johnson revealed that the NFL had fined him $5,000 for lifting his jersey to reveal a message — Why so serious? — scrawled on his undershirt. The message being one uttered by the Joker in the Batman movie The Dark Knight. Johnson was poking fun at the Bengals’ self-dubbed Batman and Robin receivers Terrell Owens and Chad Ochocinco.

Here’s a bit more of what Johnson had to say after the game, as well as updates on a pair of former Louisville Cardinals Jeff Brohm and Eric Wood.

Steve Johnson

“This is the closest (to) being home for me, being close to Kentucky,” Johnson said. “I felt I had to show off a little bit for the Big Blue Nation.”

Owens came to the Bengals after a season with the Bills, so Johnson obviously knows Batman well. But he also knows Robin (Ochocinco).

“Those are my guys over there,” Johnson said. “Me and T.O. built a relationship. And he came (to Cincinnati) and took on the persona of Batman, so I wanted to come out and bet the chaos guy and turn into Joker. … I’ll be hearing from him. I’ll be hearing from both of them. It’s just all fun. … I’m gonna have to cool it, though.”

After catching two touchdown passes over his first two seasons, Johnson already has nine this season.

“Just like at Kentucky, I had to sit around and learn to be patient,” he said. “Two years, I only had 12 catches. I had to be patient. But I’ve got a great group of guys in this locker room. They always kept me humble and kept me focused on the future. They knew that I’d be able to play, so I just kept on working.”

Johnson paid attention. Having learned from his teammates at UK, he continues to learn from pro teammates.

“Just like I learned from Keenan (Burton) and Dicky (Lyons) and (Jacob) Tamme — the same thing I’m doing here,” he said. “We had Josh (Reed) here, and Josh taught me about patience. We have Lee (Evans), and I always watch Lee. So consistent, he seems like a machine. I’m even watching the rookies that we have coming in, and seeing how they’re playing. It’s easy to stay focused when you’ve got a good group of guys behind you.”

* Brohm, the backup to Ryan Fitzpatrick at quarterback, has yet to play a down this season. A third-year pro, his only action came in two games last season, when he completed 17 of 29 passes for 146 yards, with two interceptions.

Brian Brohm

“Things are going pretty good. I’m getting reps every day and I’m trying to get better every single day,” he said. “The life of a backup quarterback is to be ready, so I’m just trying to stay ready for whatever opportunity is going to present itself.”

Before his U of L career, Brohm led Trinity to three state championships. So he must have been ecstatic that his Shamrocks dispatched archrival St. Xavier in last week’s Class 6A state quarterfinals, right?

“Trinity got the big win, but I’ve got to say I had to pull back my pulling interest,” he said. “My cousin (Luke) was playing quarterback for St. X. I really had a torn heart there. But always gotta go for the Rocks.”

No torn heart about pulling for a former Kentucky Wildcat (Johnson), though, on a career-game day: “He’s a Buffalo Bill now, so I’m all for it.”

* Wood, who starts at right guard, also found himself rooting for a former Big Blue rival.

“Good for Stevie,” Wood said. “He’s playing well this season and I couldn’t be happier for him.”

Eric Wood

Wood, a first-round draft pick, had his rookie season cut short last year because of a compound fracture of his left leg. He still has a titanium rod and four screws in the leg. He went down during Sunday’s game with what was first reported as a knee injury, but he later said it was an ankle sprain.

He said he was “all right,” and Coach Chan Gailey indicated that Wood could have reentered the game if necessary.

“I think I’ve developed all right,” said Wood, a graduate of Elder High School in Cincinnati. “Had a bad injury last year that I’m still working to get back 100 percent from, but I’ve gained some valuable experience these last couple years and have been able to play some pretty good games along the way.”

Former St. Xavier High and Villanova University standout Bobby Curtis helped Team USA to a fifth-place finish Tuesday in the International Chiba Ekiden at Chiba, Japan.

The marathon-length relay race, held for the 21st year, featured mixed teams of men and women.

Bobby Curtis

The Japan University Select team won in 2 hours, 7 minutes, 52 seconds. Kenya was runner-up in 2:08:06, followe by Japan (2:08:12), Russia (2:09:35) and Team USA (2:10:54).

Curtis ran the 5,000-meter leadoff leg in 13:36, putting the Americans in fourth place.

Stephanie Pezzullo of Charlotte, N.C., followed with a 16:28 5K, dropping Team USA to fifth place.

Ed Moran of Flagstaff, Ariz., followed with a 29:50 10K, and Kim Conley of West Sacramento, Calif., added a 16:41 5K to keep the team in fifth.

Aaron Braun, also of Flagstaff, moved the Americans into fourth place with a 29:33 10K.

Meghan Armstrong of Minneapolis finished with a 7.195-kilometer leg of 24:46, but was passed by Russia for fourth place.

If you’re willing to go cross-state for cross country, Saturday offers Kentuckians a chance to see some of the best collegiate and high school competition of the year.

It would be done easier, though, if you’re able to cross time and go “back to the future” with Doc and Marty McFly. Because, as the schedule is, it’s not possible to catch all the action.

E.P. “Tom” Sawyer Park in Louisville is the site of the NCAA Division I Southeast Regional. The Duke women and William and Mary men are defending team champions.

The men’s 10,000-meter race starts Saturday morning at 10. The women’s 6,000-meter run is set for 11:15 a.m.

Meanwhile, the State High School Championships will be taking place in Lexington, at the Kentucky Horse Park.

All athletes will run a 5,000-meter course, with girls starting first in each race.

Class A starts are set for 9:30 (girls) and 10:15 (boys) a.m., 2A at 11:30 a.m. and 12:15 p.m., and 3A at 1:30 and 2:15 p.m.

Curtis runs for USA in Chiba Ekiden

Bobby Curtis

Bobby Curtis, arguably the top distance runner to come out of Kentucky high schools, will represent Team USA in the International Chiba Ekiden, Nov. 23, at Chiba, Japan. Curtis is a graduate of St. Xavier High School and Villanova University.

The 22nd annual Chiba race features mixed teams of men and women running a marathon relay. Team USA will be competing against nine nations, including Japan, Kenya, Romania, Russia, China and Canada.

Past Chiba competitors Ed Moran and Meghan Armstrong will lead a U.S. team that includes Curtis, Aaron Braun, Kim Conley and Stephanie Pezzullo. Alternates are Andy Biladeau and Kristina Vegh.

The relay legs, in order: 5,000 meters, men; 5,000, women; 10,000, men; 5,000, women; 10,000, men; 7,195 meters, women. Teams USA placed fifth last year.

Former Villanova standout Bobby Curtis, who dominated Kentucky high school track during his days at St. Xavier, is keeping busy at a variety of distances this season.

Bobby Curtis

Thursday, at Minneapolis, Curtis placed third in the inaugural USA 1-Mile Road Championships.

Curtis, now based out of Ardmore, Pa., and Darren Brown hung with Jon Rankin as they broke from the pack at 1,200 meters, according to reports from USA Track & Field.

Also lurking, though, was David Torrence, who overtook Rankin to run the first sub-four road mile ever in Minnesota and earn a bonus of $10,000. First-place prize money, before the bonus, was $4,000.

Torrence, from Oakland, Calif., was timed in 3:59.3. Rankin took second in 4:01.7, followed by Curtis in 4:02.0. Brown was fourth in 4:08.0. John Richardson, the former Southeastern Conference champion for Kentucky, placed seventh in 4:10.1. 

Shannon Rowbury, the Olympic Trials 1,500-meter champion, took the women’s mile in 4:33.4. Sara Hall was runner-up in 4:39.1, followed by Sara Vaughn in 4:41.3.

Just about two weeks before heading to Minnesota, on April 24, Curtis turned in a sensational 5,000-meter victory in the Brutus Hamilton Invitational at Berkeley, Calif.

Curtis, sponsored by Reebok, clocked 13:29.12. Ben St. Lawrence (New Balance) edged Jorge Torres (Reebok) for second, 13:30.18 to 13:30.65, followed closesly by Scott Baughs (adidas) in 13:30.85. Further back in the international field was former Lexington Catholic and University of Kentucky standout Thomas Morgan (ZAP Fitness), 18th in 14:31.16.

Morgan’s ZAP teammate, former UK runner Allison Grace, took seventh in the women’s 5K (16:12.50).

Spanning the globe

Reese Hoffa

Danielle Carruthers

Louisville native Reese Hoffa was among several American winners Friday in the Qatar Athletic Super Grand Prix at Doha, Qatar.

Hoffa, the 2007 World Outdoor champion and a two-time Olympian, took the men’s shot put with the longest toss in the world this season, 71 feet. Poland’s Tomasz Majewski, gold-medalist at the Beijing Olympics, took second (69-7 1/2). Two-time Olympic silver-medalist Adam Nelson of the U.S. placed sixth (64-10).

Dannielle Carruthers, a former Indiana University standout and Kentucky high school champion out of Paducah Tilghman, placed third in the women’s 100-meter hurdles (12.73).

As for the other American winners:

* Brittney Reese, the NCAA and Olympic Trials champion out of Ole Miss, also won with a world-leading season-best — 22 feet, 11 1/4 inches in the women’s long jump. That also tops her all-time personal best of 22-9 3/4.

Allyson Felix

* Allyson Felix, a two-time World Outdoor champion and two-time Olympic silver-medal winner at 200 meters, doubled the distance to win the 400 at Qatar. Her time of 50.75 is fastest in the world this season.

* Travis Padgett, the NCAA 100-meter runner-up last year, took the Qatar century in 10-flat. That ties Olympic teammate Walter Dix for the fastest time in the world this season. Dix clocked 10.00 on April 11.

* Olympic bronze-medalist David Oliver repeated as the Doha champion in the 110-meter hurdles, although not as quick as last year (12.95). Still, his time of 13.09 is best in the world this year, topping his previous mark of 13.19.

For more details and results, see www.iaaf.org.