Kentucky's Abby Steiner Breaks U.S. Indoor Track Record
University of Kentucky track star Abby Steiner has broken her own U.S. record for the 200-meter dash.
The senior sped past the competition on Saturday afternoon to claim her third straight SEC crown in the event.
“I am just so happy with that time,” Steiner told the SEC Network after the race. “I felt really good. I am just so excited to be out here running SECs. I just wanted to have fun and enjoy the moment.”
The record-breaking performance, which was clocked at 22.09 seconds, was the fastest indoor time for the 200-meter dash in U.S. history and the second-fastest in the world. Only Jamaica’s Merlene Ottey has posted a faster mark.
Steiner very well could be the best-kept secret on campus in Lexington currently. Those in the track community know just how special of a talent she is, but it is not unfair to draw comparisons in impact to that of gold medalist Sydney McLaughlin.
Her performances on the track circuit deserve more praise for just how much of a talent she is.
Abby Steiner’s run on Saturday was far from the first time she put her name in the record books of American track and field.
The Dublin, Ohio native now holds every record in the 200m dash, except the world record. In the 300m, Steiner has the fastest time in the history of the NCAA and, in turn, the SEC/University of Kentucky.
It doesn’t stop there, though.
Just this indoor season, she broke two collegiate records, posted the third-fastest time in school history in the 60m dash, and was a part of the relay team that turned in the fourth-fastest time in collegiate history.
Next month, Steiner will look to repeat as the women’s champion in the 200m, a race she won last year by 0.08 seconds.
Steiner wasn’t only Kentucky medal winner
While Steiner gets most of the spotlight, and deservedly so, the other track ‘Cats won another nine medals during the SEC championships.
Alexis Holmes (400m) and Lance Lang (200m) also finished on the top of the podium. For Holmes, it was her second overall SEC title as she also won the event in 2020.
Other highlights include Matt Peare who took silver in the men’s pole vault. That was his third SEC medal in the event in three years.
Joining him with silver medals included sophomore Tori Herman in the 3K. She came away with the second-fastest time in school history with a personal-best mark of just over nine minutes.
The UK women’s team turned in a third-place finish as a group. That was tied for their best finish in program history in the SEC competitions. Their total points of 79 were the most they have accumulated since 1989.
The Kentucky men came away with a fourth-place finish, up from seventh a year ago. That placing was their best since finishing in third in 1995 and 1996.
Next up for the teams are the NCAA championships that will be held from March 11 to March 12, 2022, in Birmingham, Alabama.
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