Mark Maloney on Kentucky sports

What began four years ago with 38 campers at old Harrodsburg High School has blossomed — make that tripled — into a prestigious track and field camp at Centre College.

Sharrieffa Barksdale

Maximum Velocity Track and Field Academy is in its third year at Centre, with about 120 campers.

Recent instructors include Tyson Gay, Jackie Joyner-Kersee, Francie Larrieu Smith and Dave Wottle.

The 2012 edition, which opened Wednesday and runs through Saturday, includes camp founder Sharrieffa Barksdale of Lexington. She competed in the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics and is the former American record-holder in the 400-meter hurdles.

Staff members back from last year include four-time Olympic sprinter Ato Bolden, two-time Olympic pole-vaulter Jeff Hartwig, Olympic gold-medalist and 400-meter hurdles world record-holder Kevin Young and former Southeastern Conference multi-event champion Ashley Trimble. Joyner-Kersee had a late schedule conflict and will miss the camp for the first time.

Also on staff are two-time Olympic triple-jumper Walter Davis, Olympic distance coach Rose Monday, two-time Olympic high-jumper Jamie Nieto and two-time Olympic Trials discus thrower Reedus Thurmond.

Barksdale will be coaching, of course, hurdlers.

“What we want to try to get across to the hurdlers is to ‘attack’ the hurdles. Don’t be afraid of the hurdle,” she said. “And it’s really good when you have someone that’s never ran the hurdles because then you can get them to alternate (lead legs), especially running the 300-meter hurdles. … Getting them to alternate and getting them to use both legs.”

Barksdale is a case in point.

Competing for Harriman High School, she won a Tennessee state high school team championship by herself, winning the 100, 200, 100 hurdles, long jump and high jump.

When she arrived at the University of Tennessee, she had never attempted the 300-meter hurdles, nor even an open 400. Her coach convinced her to switch from the 100-meter hurdles.

“Terry Crawford told me ‘if you want to be that elite athlete and make the Olympic team, then you have to transition from the 100-meter hurdles to the 400-meter hurdles.’ Because Benita Fitzgerald was running the 100-meter hurdles and I couldn’t hold a light to Benita.”

Fitzgerald won the 100 hurdles Olympic gold at Los Angeles.

Jeff Hartwig

“And when (Crawford) explained to me that it would be a possibility I could make the Olympic team, it was a no-brainer for me to switch over to the 400-meter hurdles,” Barksdale said. “And that’s what I want to instill and tell these athletes is that if you have a great attitude and you listen to your coaches, they know what’s best for you because they can see you every day, the way you train.  And if takes them to move you to a different event for you to be successful, then give it a try. But don’t have a bad attitude talking about ‘I want to quit; I want to leave school’ and stuff like that because it’s going to come.”

Hartwig, who made the Olympic team in 1996 and 2008, stresses to campers that everybody has to start somewhere. He started at just over 9 feet as a high school freshman, working up to 19-6 as an Olympian.

“When I was a freshman, I wrestled the 105-pound weight class, so I was a little bitty guy,” Hartwig said. “The whole thing was is I couldn’t jump up and grab the (basketball) rim or touch the rim, but I always thought it would be cool. That was kind of motivation for me. I thought ‘well, you know, if I have the help of a pole, I might be able to jump as high as the rim some day.’ And, of course, I went on and jumped almost twice as high.

“But the big thing that I look at with the kids is I grew up doing sports just because I loved doing sports. To be honest, I never dreamed of being an Olympian until very late in my career because it never seemed practical. I was doing it for the other reasons. The other reasons were it was fun and it was a challenge, and I crave knowledge. I just crave the help and the assistance and the coaching that I didn’t have when I was really young, and now this is a chance for me to kind of give back to these kids. It’s really fun.”

Baseball

South Atlantic League

Lexington Legends
at Asheville Tourists

What: Four-game series

When: Saturday through Tuesday (6:05 p.m. Saturday; 2:05 Sunday; 7:05 Monday and Tuesday)

Where: McCormick Field (Asheville, N.C.)

Major League affiliates: Houston Astros (Legends), Colorado Rockies

Probable pitchers (Legends listed first): Saturday, RH Nick Tropeano (1-2, 2.36) vs. RH Chris Jensen (2-0, 3.76); Sunday, RH Luis Ordosgoitti (0-0, 0.00) vs. RH Daniel Winkler (2-2, 6.75); Monday, RH Mike Foltynewicz (4-1, 1.62) vs. RH Ben Alsup (4-0, 3.98); Tuesday, LH Luis Cruz (1-1, 4.15) vs. RH Alex Gillingham (2-2, 6.08).

Matt Duffy

Legend to watch: 3B Matt Duffy (6-foot-3, 227 pounds, from Milton, Mass.) is batting .315, leads the team in total bases (53) and is tied for the lead in homers (4). Through 27 games, Duffy is 34-for-108, with seven doubles, 14 RBI, 14 runs and a stolen base. Selected by the Astros in the 20th round of last year’s draft, out of the University of Tennessee, Duffy earned New York-Penn League all-star honors with the Tri-City ValleyCats. For 63 games, he batted .298, with two homers, 37 RBI, 36 runs, 20 doubles and a triple. Duffy, who bats and throws righty, is hitting .333 against right-handers this season, .267 versus left-handers.

Harold Riggins

Tourist to watch: 1B Harold Riggins (6-2, 240, from Normal, Ill.) leads Asheville with 26 RBI and 51 total bases, and is tied for the lead in homers with five. Batting .311, he is among the top three on the team in OPS (.974), slugging (.567), hits (28), runs (19) and doubles (8). A seventh-round draft pick of the Rockies last June, out of North Carolina State, he was MVP of the 2010 Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament, batting .562 with two doubles, a triple, two homers and five RBI in four games. Last year, as a junior, he batted .314, with 11 doubles and 35 RBI. Then, with the Casper Ghosts of the Pioneer League, Riggins hit .279, with eight homers and 35 RBI over 67 games. He was originally selected by the Chicago White Sox in the 35th round of the 2008 draft but did not sign.

Radio: WLXG-AM 1300

Arkansas junior Makeba Alcide marked her 22nd birthday Friday by taking the first title to be decided in the 2012 Southeastern Conference Indoor Track and Field Championships, the pentathlon.

Alcide scored a personal-best 4,126 points at the University of Kentucky’s Nutter Field House, the first time she has topped 4,000 points.

Mississippi State’s Erica Bougard finished second with 4,109 points for the five events, followed by Alabama’s Kaylon Eppinger (4,081) and Florida’s Brittany Harrell (4,050).

Sand flew as Florida's Gray Horn landed a long jump of 24-10. (Mark Maloney)

Alcide won the high jump (5-9.25), Eppinger took the shot put (40-11.5) and Bougard snared the long jump (19-9.75) and 800 meters (2:14.80). Tennessee’s Ellen Wortham won the 60-meter hurdles (8.35) but did not complete the pentathlon.

Meanwhile, the first four of the seven men’s events in the heptathlon saw defending champion Gray Horn of Florida take the lead.

Horn, a senior, scored a personal-best and school-record first-day total of 3,418 points — just three points shy of the SEC first-day record set by Tennessee’s Jangy Addy in 2008.

Georgia’s C.J. Holman was in second (3,311), followed by Arkansas’ Kevin Lazas (3,265). Razorbacks freshman Gunnar Nixon, the national leader coming into the meet, was in fourth (3,200). Kentucky’s Daniel Buckles was tenth (2,517).

Horn won the long jump (24-10). Holman was first in the 60 meters (6.91). Lazas took the shot put (46-3.50). Georgia’s Garrett Scantling, in sixth place overall, cleared 6-10.25 to win the high jump.

The meet resumes at 11 a.m. with the men’s 35-pound weight throw and high jump. The first women’s event, pole vault, is set for noon. The first track event, preliminaries in the women’s 60-meter hurdles, are scheduled for 2:10 p.m.

Former University of Kentucky softall All-American Molly Johnson was named Friday to the United States National Team.

Molly Johnson (Staff file photo, 2009)

Johnson, a shortstop, became UK’s first softball All-American in 2009, when she broke three school records (81 hits, 53 runs, .498 on-base percentage) and set career highs in nine offensive categories. She completed her UK eligibility in 2010 and served as an assistant coach for the Wildcats this year.

This will be her third consecutive season representing Team USA. She also played for the USA Futures squad last year.

The 2011 National Team has an 18-player roster and one alternate.

The team will open play against the USA Softball Junior National Team on Saturday, June 25, with a doubleheader exhibition series at Plant City, Fla. Exhibition doubleheaders against the Junior Nationals also are set June 29 at Salem, Va., and July 1 at Bowie, Md.

Then, it will be on to international play.

Team USA will go to Surrey, British Columbia, for the Canadian Open Fast Pitch International Championship, July 9-17. That will be followed by the World Cup of Softball VI, July 21-25, at Oklahoma City.

The Americans will be after their ninth Pan American Games gold, Oct. 17-23, at Guadalajara, Mexico.

South Florida’s Ken Eriksen will coach the National Team, assisted by Olympic gold-medalists Tairia Flowers and Stacey Nuveman. Flowers is head coach at Cal State Northridge, while Nuveman is an assistant at San Diego State. Completing the coaching staff is Oregon head coach Mike White.

The National Team roster (with school attended): Valerie Arioto (California); Whitney Canion (Baylor); Kaitlin Cochran (Arizona State); Lauren Gibson (Tennessee); Kelly Grieve (Tennessee); Taylor Hoagland (Texas); Ashley Holcombe (Alabama); Molly Johnson (Kentucky); Stacy Johnson (Iowa); Megan Langenfeld (UCLA); Jenae Leles (Arizona); Michelle Moultrie (Florida); Christine Orgeron (Louisiana Lafayette); Keilani Ricketts (Oklahoma); Brittany Schutte (Florida); Jordan Taylor (Michigan); Rhea Taylor (Missouri), and Chelsea Thomas (Missouri). Alternate: Jessica Shults (Oklahoma).

The women’s watch list for The Bowerman, released Thursday, saw the addition of Colorado’s Emma Coburn, Southern Cal’s Nia Ali, Arizona’s Brigetta Barrett, LSU’s Semoy Hackett and Texas A&M’s Jeneba Tarmoh to the top 10.

The Bowerman is collegiate track and field’s top award, first presented in 2009 by the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association. Ten semifinalists will be named June 21 and three finalists will be listed July 14.

The women’s watch list, in alphabetical order, includes the athlete, class, school and events.

Nia Ali, sr., Southern Cal, hurdles/jumps
Brigetta Barrett, soph., Arizona, jumps
Jessica Beard, sr., Texas A&M, sprints
Emma Coburn, jr., Colorado, distance
Kimberlyn Duncan, soph, LSU, sprints
Semoy Hackett, jr., LSU, sprints
Jordan Hasay, soph., Oregon, distance
Tina Sutej, jr., Arkansas, pole vault
Jeneba Tarmoh, jr., Texas A&M sprints
Kim Williams, sr., Florida State, jumps

Also receiving mention

Jackie Areson (sr., Tennessee) distance; Marie Louise Asselin (sr., West Virginia) distance); Joanna Atkins (sr., Auburn) sprints); Gwen Berry (sr., Southern Ill.) throws; LaKya Brookins (sr., South Carolina) sprints; Ti’erra Brown (sr., Miami, Fla.) hurdles; Dominique Duncan (jr., Texas A&M) sprints; Colleen Felix (jr., Georgia) jumps; Sheniqua Ferguson (sr., Auburn) sprints; Melissa Gergel (sr., Oregon) pole vault; Anna Jelmini (rs-frosh, Ariz. State) throws; Amber Kaufman (sr., Hawaii) jumps; Liz Lawton (sr., Chicago) distance; Lindsay Lettow (jr., Central Missouri) combined events; Chantel Malone (sr., Texas) jumps/sprints; Gabby Mayo (jr., Texas A&M) sprints/hurdles; Chantae McMillan (sr., Nebraska) combined events; Lauryn Newson (jr., Oregon) jumps; Holly Ozanich (sr., Wisconsin-Oshkosh) throws; Ashton Purvis (frosh, Miami, Fla.) sprints; Sheila Reid (jr., Villanova) distance; Brianna Rollins (soph-i, frosh-o, Clemson) hurdles; Faith Sherrill (sr., Indiana) throws; Karen Shump (soph., Oklahoma) throws; Neely Spence (jr., Shippensburg) distance; Brianne Theisen (sr., Oregon) combined events; Kate Van Buskirk (sr., Duke, mid-distance); Lucy Van Dalen (sr., Stony Brook) distance; Lea Wallace (sr., Sacramento State) mid-distance.

Kentucky remained steady at No. 23 in the latest ESPN.com/USA Softball Collegiate Top 25 poll, released Tuesday.

Over the weekend, the Wildcats (22-7 overall, 8-3 SEC) swept Mississippi State for the second time in three seasons.

Alabama (33-2, 9-1 SEC) held on to first place for a second week in a row. Despite suffering its first SEC loss of the season and second loss overall, 4-1 to Tennessee, the Crimson Tide received 19 of 20 first-place votes — the most for any team this season.

Tennessee (27-5, 5-3 SEC) climbed one spot in the poll to No. 10.

Another significant move involving SEC teams saw Georgia (27-4, 8-3) vault from No. 4 to No. 2. The Bulldogs swept then-No. 2 Florida, the first time the Gators have been swept in a three-game home series since 2006. Florida (30-4, 7-3) dropped to No. 5 in the poll.

ESPN.com/USA Softball Collegiate Top 25

March 29 – March 21-27, 2011 – Week Seven

Parenthesis Denotes first place votes.

Dropped Out:  LSU
New to Poll: Georgia Tech

Others receiving votes:  LSU (22); Northern Iowa (14); Long Beach State (8); Fresno State (5); Ala. Birmingham (4); Brigham Young (3); North Carolina (2); San Diego State (2); Notre Dame (1); Maryland (1)

Jackie Areson

Tennessee’s Jackie Areson is the latest addition to the women’s “watch list” for The Bowerman. Collegiate track and field’s top award is sponsored by the United States Track & Cross Country Coaches Association, which provides this background information.

Areson leads the NCAA in the 5,000 meters this season. She is undefeated in the mile, 3K and 5K this season. Last weekend, she won the 5,000 and anchored the Lady Vols’ first-place distance medley relay.

The 10-deep watch list follows, in alphabetical order.

Jessica Beard

Jessica Beard, Texas A&M, sr., from Euclid, Ohio
IN 2011: Beard won an unprecedented fourth straight indoor Big 12 title at 400 meters last weekend and did so in a collegiate-leading time of 51.68. Beard was named Big 12 Performer of the Year as she also scored second-place honors in the 200 meters at the conference meet and anchored the Aggies to a fifth straight crown in the 4-by-400. Her season-best 200 time of 22.95 ranks fourth in the NCAA. Beard is undefeated in the 400 meters this season.

LaKya Brookins

LaKya Brookins, South Carolina, sr., from Seneca, S.C.
IN 2011: Brookins has the nation’s leading time in the 60 meters with a 7.14, achieved in winning the SEC title Sunday. All told, Brookins has won five-out-of-six finals at the distance this year and has clocked sub-7.20 performances on four occasions, including the last three. Brookins also won 60-meter titles at the Tyson Invitational, the New Balance Collegiate Invitational and the Texas A&M Challenge.

Ti'erra Brown

Ti’erra Brown, Miami (Fla.), jr., from Hampton, Va.
IN 2011: Known mostly for her 400-meter hurdle prowess, Brown has overall had a light indoor season. However, that doesn’t mean she hasn’t been competitive. Most recently at the ACC Indoor Championships, Brown placed second overall in the open 400, and won her section of the finals, in a time of 53.25. The time currently stands as the No. 16 time in the NCAA this year and is on the “bubble” to be selected for the NCAA Indoor Championships.

Semoy Hackett

Semoy Hackett, LSU, jr., from Scarborough, Trinidad & Tobago
IN 2011: In her first season as a Division I participant, Hackett has achieved marks in the 60 and 200 that among the nation’s top five in both events. Her season best in the 200 meters of 22.84 is just off the 22.78 leader set by teammate Kimberlyn Duncan in winning the SEC title. In the 60, Hackett is tied with the fifth-best mark of the 2011season at 7.24. Hackett finished runner-up in the SEC in both the 60 and 200.

Sheila Reid

Sheila Reid, Villanova, jr., from Newmarket, Ontario, Canada
IN 2011: In one of the more impressive showings by anyone at a conference championship this year, Reid won three Big East titles this indoor season. Starting off, she was the winner of the 1000 meters in a very fast 2:43.70, was the third leg of the Wildcats’ winning DMR, and anchor of the squad’s 4-by-800 team that won a conference crown. Reid holds claim to the second-best mark among collegians this year in the 3,000 meters, having run 8:56.92 in competition against collegians. At the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix in Boston, Reid ran a would-be NCAA-leading mark in the mile with an impressive showing against a bevy of professionals in the event’s 3,000-meter run. Reid would finish third in that event with a 4:35.30 clocking.

Tina Sutej

Tina Sutej, Arkansas, jr., from Ljubljana, Slovenia
IN 2011: After having achieved the chance to break the collegiate record in her last four competitions, Sutej was relieved to finally break through with a clearance of 14-10¾ (4.54m) to reset the record in winning the SEC title. Sutej broke the 2002 record of Amy Linnen. Undoubtedly the most consistent in the vault this season, Sutej has cleared more than 14-6 (4.42m) four times this season and has won six straight events.

Jeneba Tarmoh

Jeneba Tarmoh, Texas A&M, jr., from San Jose, Calif.
IN 2011: Tarmoh has been busy to start the 2011 season. Including relays and all rounds, Tarmoh has contested 22 races in the 60, 200, and 4-by-400. Like Hackett, Tarmoh is also in the nation’s top five in the 60 (7.24, tied fifth) and 200 (22.88, third). Tarmoh was the Big 12 Champion in the 200 meters, runner-up in the 60, and helped the Aggies to another conference victory in the 4-by-400. Additional winning credits from 2011 include a victory in the 200 at the New Balance Collegiate Invitational and in the 60 at the Texas A&M Conference Challenge on Jan. 15.

Brianne Theisen

Brianne Theisen, Oregon, sr., from Humboldt, Saskatchewan, Canada
IN 2011: Theisen has already claimed a collegiate record this season. On Jan. 28 at the Washington Invitational, Theisen scored 4,507 points in the heptathlon to top the previous mark of 4,498 set by Arizona State’s Jacquelyn Johnson in 2008. With a high jump of 6-0 (1.83m) in the record-setting pentathlon, Theisen also ranks in seventh in the NCAA this season in that event. In addition, Theisen has won nine straight combined-event competitions against collegiate competition with the win at the UW Invitational. At the MPSF Championships, Theisen sat out the pentathlon, but competed in four other events, including the leadoff leg on the Ducks first-place 4-by-400, placing second in the high jump and third in the 60-meter hurdles.

Kim Williams

Kim Williams, Florida State, sr., Kingston, Jamaica
IN 2011: Netted impressive performances in both long and triple jumps at the ACC Championships. In becoming the first in ACC Championship history to win an event for a fourth time, Williams triple jumped to a collegiate-leading mark of 45-9¾ (13.96m). In addition, the previous day, Williams won the ACC long jump title with a leap of 21-6 (6.55m) -– a performance that ranks No. 2 in the NCAA this year.

The Bowerman Advisory Board appointed four of its members to comprise The Bowerman Women’s Watch Committee and another four of its members to make up The Bowerman Men’s Watch Committee. The committee will release its next women’s update on Thursday, March 17. The three men and three women finalists will be named late June.

Eastern Kentucky’s Lydia Kosgei is the Ohio Valley Conference Female Track Athlete of the Week.

Lydia Kosgei

Kosgei, a junior from Eldoret, Kenya, placed fourth in the mile in Saturday’s Kentucky Invitational, posting an OVC-leading 4:47.69. The field of 39 milers included athletes from Kentucky, Tennessee, Alabama, Michigan State and several post-collegiate competitors. The only collegian to finish ahead of Kosgei was Tennessee’s Chanelle Price.

Kosgei’s time ranks ninth-best in the country this season and is third-fastest in EKU history. Jamie King O’Shea holds the Colonels’ record, 4:42.90.

Kosgei earned her first OVC title last spring when she won the 1,500 meters with a time of 4:39.99. She red-shirted last fall’s cross country season.

EKU will travel this weekend to the Indiana University Gladstein Invitational.

Other OVC weekly award winners are Eastern Illinois junior Zye Boey (Male Track), Southeast Missouri State senior Brandon Colbert (Male Field) and SEMO junior Shemekia Brewer (Female Field).

Boey won the 60 (6.77) and 200 (21.45) at the Wisconsin Badger Track Classic. His 200 time ranks third in the NCAA.

Colbert won the shot put at Southern Illinois’ Saluki Open, which also is where Brewer won the triple jump.

Southeastern Conference Track & Field Athletes of the Week

Female Runner
LaKya Brookins, South Carolina senior — Won the 60-meter dash at the Virginia Tech Invitational with an NCAA automatic-qualifying time of 7.25.

Female Field Athlete
Colleen Felix, Georgia junior — Won the triple jump at the Clemson Challenge with a national-leading mark of 43-5 3/4, which is No. 3 on Georgia’s all-time list.

Female Freshman
Cory McGee, Florida — In her collegiate debut, posted top 10 times in the nation in the mile (4:46.70) and 3,000 meters (9:43.72) at the Nittany Lion Challenge Meet. Winning the mile and placing second in the 3,000, McGee has the nation’s top freshman times in both events. Her meet-record mile time is fourth-best in the country this season, while her 3,000 time ranks No. 7.

Male Runner
Horatio Williams, LSU junior — The transfer from Hinds Community College debuted with LSU in the Purple Tiger Invitational by zipping to a national-leading 6.61 in the 60 meters after a personal-best 6.73 in prelims. He ranks No. 3 all-time at LSU, behind only Richard Thompson (6.51) and Trindon Holliday (6.54).

Male Field Athlete
Zedric Thomas, LSU senior — Won the Purple Tiger Invitational long jump with a personal-best 26-3 3/4, three-quarters of an inch further than teammate Damar Forbes. Thomas’ mark ranks No. 1 in the nation this season and No. 4 all-time at LSU.

Male Freshman
Justin Hunter, Tennessee — Won the Kentucky Invitational long jump with an NCAA automatic-qualifier of 26-1, just two weeks after completing football season with the Volunteers. His mark is No. 4 in the nation this season and he is the lone freshman ranked among the top 14. He also ranks No. 3 all-time at Tennessee.

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.

Kentucky’s men are picked seventh and the women eighth in the Southeastern Conference cross country coaches’ pre-season polls.

Alabama’s men and Florida’s women are the top picks.

Florida was an overwhelming No. 1, taking all 11 first-place votes.

Two-time defending champion Alabama edged Arkansas in the men’s poll, taking seven first-place votes to the Razorbacks’ four. Arkansas also is No. 2 in the women’s poll.

Points were tabulated according to ranking — one first-place vote equals one point, a second-place vote equals two points, etc.

The SEC Championships are scheduled Nov. 1 at South Carolina.

The coaches’ poll follows.

MEN
1. Alabama (7) 13
2. Arkansas (4) 16
3. Florida 34
4. Georgia 41
T5. Auburn 49
T5. Tennessee 49
7. Kentucky 67
8. Mississippi State 72
9. Ole Miss 73
10. LSU 95
11. Vanderbilt 96

WOMEN
1. Florida (11) 11
2. Arkansas 24
3. Georgia 35
T4. Alabama 52
T4. Tennessee 52
T4. Vanderbilt 52
7. Auburn 67
8. Kentucky 78
9. Mississippi State 96
10. South Carolina 97
11. LSU 113
12. Ole Miss 117