Track and field set for NCAA qualifiers

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By Sabirah Rayford

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The UK track and field teams will split up this weekend for the NCAA Qualifiers. This will be the Cats’ last chance to secure their spot in the NCAA Indoor Championships.

Distance runners will be at the Loftus Sports Center at Notre Dame. Sprinters and hurdlers will be at the Johnson-Miller Track Complex at Virginia Tech, and shot putter Brad Szypka will compete at Lied Recreation-Athletic Facility at Iowa State.

The last meet the Cats attended was the SEC Championships at the Randal Tyson Track Center on the University of Arkansas campus.

UK junior Matt Hillenbrand took first place in the men’s mile with a time of 4:01.55, his new personal best and the seventh-fastest time in school history.

In the women’s 3,000 meters championship, UK senior Cally Macumber won first place with a time of 9:15.66, edging Florida’s Cory McGee by .01 seconds. Macumber remains undefeated in the individual event finals heading into this weekend’s events.

UK senior Keith Hayes finished fourth in the men’s 60-meter hurdles final with a time of 7.82 seconds.

In men’s shot put, UK sophomore Brad Szypka landed fourth place with a throw of 18.83 meters, 9 centimeters short of first place.

Some Cats will go for national top-16 times at NCAA qualifying meets this weekend, continuing the postseason portion of indoor events.