Kentucky Track & Field Season Preview

With all our focus on the Kentucky/Western Kentucky game tomorrow and the beginning of the Mark Stoops era in Lexington, let’s take a break and focus our attention on the Kentucky Track and Field teams. Ending Strong: [caption id="attachment_139587" align="alignright" width="150"] Kentucky Track and Field Head Coach Edrick Floreal. (Picture via ukathletics.com)[/caption] Edrick Floreal is in his second season under the helm of the Wildcats. Last season, the Wildcats ended their season on a strong note. The men finished 18t^h at the NCAA Championships, earning them their best finish since they placed 13^th in 2010. Keith Hayes, 4^th place in the 110m hurdles with a time of 13.40 seconds, and Ray Dykstra, 5^th place in the javelin throw with a best distance of 237 feet 10 inches, lead the way for the Wildcats. Other notable Kentucky finishes from the NCAA Championships: Men Shot Put 10. Brad Szypka: 18.57/60'11.25"   Women 100 meters (Semifinal) 15. Keilah Szypka: 11.40w (+2.8)   3,000-meter steeplechase (Semifinal) 16. Louis Orta: 8:59.33   Women 10,000 meters (Final)   18. Chelsea Oswald: 35:06.02   Women Discus Prelim Beckie Famurewa: F,F,F   Men 1,500 meters (semifinal) 14. Matt Hillenbrand: 3:44.48   100-meter hurdles (semifinal) 13. Kayla Parker: 13.16w (+2.8)   Men Discus (Prelim) 3. Andrew Evans: 62.78m / 206’   Women 5,000 meters 24. Chelsea Oswald: 16:48.90   Awards and Accolades: 2013 First-Team All-Americans Raymond Dykstra: Javelin Throw Andrew Evans: Discus Throw Keith Hayes: 110-Meter Hurdles 2013 Second-Team All-Americans Matt Hillenbrand: 1,500 Meters Luis Orta: 3,000-Meter Steeplechase Kayla Parker: 100-Meter Hurdles Bradley Szypka: Shot Put Keilah Tyson: 100 Meters 2013 Honorable Mention All-Americans Rebecca Famurewa: Discus Throw Chelsea Oswald: 5,000 Meters and 10,000 Meters

• Kentucky only had two All-Americans and one honorable mention last year.
• 11 players were also named to the All-Academic honors from the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association.

  The Future: For the upcoming track and field season, the future looks promising. The 2013-2014 recruiting class is made up of 33 men and 16 women, totaling 49. One interesting fact about the class is they reside in a total of 17 states. The class includes 22 high school champions with a combination of over 55 state championships; 20 of those recruits posted marks/times that ranked in the National Track and Field news Top 25. Coach Floreal has also added two new assistant coaches, Tim Hall and Sean Graham With this recruiting class, BIG things are coming to Kentucky Track and Field. GO CATS! (Stats, awards,and info from ukathletics.com) Follow me on twitter: @Perk_21KSR