Wildcats Dominate Opening Day of Jim Green Invite with Seven Event Wins and a School Record
LEXINGTON, Ky. – In part one of a two-meet homestand for the Wildcats, the UK track and field team ushered in the first day of the annual Jim Green Invitational today at the UK Outdoor Track and Field Complex in Lexington, Ky.
In their final regular season meet of 2025 prior to the start of the SEC Championships, the Wildcats welcomed nine in-state programs to Lexington for this weekend’s two-day meet, including Asbury, Bellarmine, Eastern Kentucky, Kentucky State, Louisville, Morehead State, Transylvania, Union and Western Kentucky.
Kate Powers began the day with her first event win of the outdoor season, posting a 60.29m/197-9 mark. Ariel Pedigo claimed the Cats second win of the day, finishing atop the leaderboard in women’s javelin throw. In the following event, Payton Phillips improved her second-best program pole vault mark with a first-place finish and a 4.42m/14-6 distance.
Freshman Sharmelle Holmes highlighted five Cats to record a PR in the women’s 200m final, placing first with a 22.76 time, the seventh-fastest in UK history. In the men’s 200m, Miles Jones and Clinton Muunga both finished inside the top five, along with all four Kentucky representatives finishing with personal-best times.
As a team, the Wildcats set 22 personal records on Friday, including six top 10 performance entries into the UK record books. Of those performances, Janet Jepkemboi Amimo highlighted the results list with an event win, a school record and a UK Outdoor Track facility record in the women’s 800m. Her 2:01.99 mark features the second time the Wildcat freshman has broken the program’s 800m record in just her first collegiate season.
Ally Kruger and Ed Bird capped a dominant first day at home for the Wildcats, both placing first in the women’s and men’s 1500m finals, with Bird running the 10th-fastest time in program history.
The Jim Green Invitational will conclude tomorrow, with day two’s events set to kick off at 11:30 a.m. EST with Julia Gunnell competing in her fifth heptathlon event of the weekend in the women’s long jump. The women’s 4x400m relay will cap off day two from Lexington for Kentucky.
The senior day ceremony for the graduating Wildcats will begin at 12:00 p.m. EST.
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Event Schedule
| Jim Green Invitational: Friday, May 2: ALL TIMES IN EASTERN TIME | |||
| Women’s Hammer | 1:00 p.m. | FINAL | 1. Kate Powers – 60.29m/197-9
11. Shelby Wingler – 49.41m/162-1 (PR)
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| Women’s 100m Hurdles | 2:30 p.m. | Heptathlon | 5. Julia Gunnell – 14.22 (PR)
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| Women’s Long Jump | 3:00 p.m. | FINAL | 2. Morgan Davis – 6.39m/20-11.75 (PR)
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| Men’s Hammer | 3:00 p.m. | FINAL | 6. Logan Coles – 61.79m/202-8
12. DaRoyce Flemons – 58.66m/192-5 (PR)
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| Women’s High Jump | 3:10 p.m. | Heptathlon | 3. Julia Gunnell – 1.62m/5-3.75 (PR)
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| Women’s Javelin | 3:30 p.m. | FINAL | 1. Ariel Pedigo – 40.79/133-10
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| Women’s Pole Vault | 4:00 p.m. | FINAL | 1. Payton Phillips – 4.42m/14-6 (PR) (No. 2 UK All-Time)
2. Chelsea Wetzel – 3.94m/12-11 2. Annie Murphy – 3.94m/12-11 6. Kaitlyn Cain – 3.79m/12-5.25
|
| Women’s 400m Hurdles | 4:30 p.m. | FINAL | 4. Ava Alexander – 1:00.00
Emmi Scales – DNS |
| Men’s 400m Hurdles | 4:40 p.m. | FINAL | 3. Anthony Waterman – 52.95 (PR) (No. 10 UK All-Time) |
| Women’s Shot Put | 5:00 p.m. | Heptathlon | 2. Julia Gunnell – 12.27m/40-3.25 (PR) |
| Women’s 200m | 5:00 p.m. | FINAL | 1. Sharmelle Holmes – 22.76 (PR) (No. 7 UK All-Time)
2. Hannah Douglas – 23.09 (PR) 4. Morgan Davis – 23.18 (PR) 6. A’Laji Bradley – 23.60 (PR) 7. Alexis Glasco – 23.92 10. JahQueen McClellan – 24.36 (PR) 20. Briley Cline – 24.76 Camden Bentley – DNS Maya Anderson – DNS Stacey Onyepunuka – DNS
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| Men’s 200m | 5:20 p.m. | FINAL | 2. Miles Jones – 20.65 (PR)
4. Clinton Muunga – 20.87 (PR) 8. Josh Onwunili – 21.10 (PR) 15. Brandon Nyandoro – 21.36 (PR)
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| Women’s 800m | 5:30 p.m. | INVITE | 1. Janet Jepkemboi Amimo – 2:01.99 (PR) (School Record) (Facility Record)
Jenna Schwinghamer – DNF
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| Women’s 200m | 5:45 p.m. | Heptathlon | 5. Julia Gunnell – 24.92 (PR) |
| Men’s 3000m Steeplechase | 5:50 p.m. | FINAL | 2. Jack Pendergast – 8:55.81 (PR) (No. 10 UK All-Time)
8. Alex Alston – 9:25.75 Jackson Watts – DNF
|
| Women’s 3000m Steeplechase | 6:05 p.m. | FINAL | 4. Noel Barlette – 10:42.35
9. Morgan Dick – 11:41.39 |
| Women’s 1500m | 6:25 p.m. | FINAL | 1. Ally Kruger – 4:20.96 (PR)
13. Mollie Roden – 4:35.63 Jenna Schwinghamer – DNF
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| Men’s 1500m | 6:45 p.m. | FINAL | 1. Ed Bird – 3:42.49 (PR) (No. 10 UK All-Time)
5. Collins Kiprop Kipngok – 3:43.65 18. Sami Hattab – 3:49.46 Alex Justus – DNF |
| Jim Green Invitational: Saturday, May 3: ALL TIMES IN EASTERN TIME | |||
| Women’s Long Jump | 11:30 a.m. | Heptathlon | Julia Gunnell
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| Women’s Discus | 12:00 p.m. | FINAL | Kate Powers
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| Men’s Shot Put | 12:00 p.m. | FINAL | Grayson Brashear |
| Men’s Pole Vault | 12:30 p.m. | FINAL | Brayden Jackson, Shane Racey |
| Women’s Triple Jump | 12:30 p.m. | FINAL | Aliyah Adams |
| Women’s Javelin | 12:30 p.m. | Heptathlon | Julia Gunnell |
| Women’s 4x100m | 12:40 p.m. | FINAL | Kentucky |
| Men’s 4x100m | 12:50 p.m. | FINAL | Kentucky |
| Women’s 5000m | 1:00 p.m. | FINAL | Elly Heine, Ava Hendren, Mollie Roden
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| Men’s 5000m | 1:25 p.m. | FINAL | Cade Byer, Caden Miracle
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| Women’s 800m | 1:45 p.m. | Heptathlon | Julia Gunnell |
| Women’s 100m Hurdles | 1:50 p.m. | PRELIMS | Maya Anderson, Camden Bentley, Alexis Glasco, Kori Martin, Emmi Scales
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| Men’s 110m Hurdles | 2:00 p.m. | PRELIMS | Anthony Waterman |
| Men’s Discus | 2:00 p.m. | FINAL | DaRoyce Flemons, Grayson Brashear |
| Men’s High Jump | 2:00 p.m. | FINAL | Devin Sealey |
| Women’s Shot Put | 2:00 p.m. | FINAL | Shelby Wingler |
| Women’s 400m | 2:15 p.m. | FINAL | A’Laji Bradley, Alysia Johnson, Cha’iel Johnson, Oneika McAnnuff, JahQueen McClellan, Stacey Onyepunuka
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| Men’s 400m | 2:30 p.m. | FINAL | Brandon Nyandoro |
| Men’s 100m | 2:50 p.m. | FINAL | Miles Jones, Clinton Muunga, Josh Onwunili
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| Women’s 100m | 3:00 p.m. | FINAL | Briley Cline, Morgan Davis, Sharmelle Holmes, Victoria Perrow
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| Men’s 110m Hurdles | 3:15 p.m. | FINAL | TBA |
| Women’s 100m Hurdles | 3:20 p.m. | FINAL | TBA |
| Women’s 800m | 3:25 p.m. | FINAL | Jayla Atkinson, Ally Kruger |
| Men’s 800m | 3:35 p.m. | FINAL | Ed Bird, Patrick Faust, Sami Hattab, Alex Justus
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| Women’s 4x400m | 3:50 p.m. | FINAL | Kentucky |
