Powers Wins Bronze, Wildcats Advance Three Qualifiers on Opening Day of SEC Championships
LEXINGTON, Ky. – The Kentucky Wildcats track and field team kicked off postseason competition today with the start of the 2025 SEC Outdoor Championships on their home turf at the UK Outdoor Track and Field Complex, totaling one bronze medal and three prelim qualifiers.
Kate Powers began the opening day of the championships with a bronze medal performance in the women’s hammer throw final with a season-best 65.05m/213-5 mark. The Wildcat sophomore claimed her second SEC medal of the 2025 season today, previously earning her first career gold medal at the indoor championships in College Station, Texas in February.
Julia Gunnell recorded three personal records in the first four events of the women’s heptathlon, picking up PRs in the 100m hurdles, high jump and 200m. Gunnell also placed second in the shot put event with a 12.15m/40-2.25 mark, currently placing her in fifth place in the overall heptathlon standings heading into day two.
Freshman Janet Jepkemboi Amimo and senior Jenna Schwinghamer, the two fastest 800m runners in UK history, qualified for the women’s 800m final by placing first and second, respectively, with the only sub-2:04 times of the event. The women’s 800m final is scheduled for 7:45 p.m. EST on Saturday.
Carlie Makarawu marked his return to the track on the opening day of the championships by securing a qualifying spot in the men’s 200m final. Makarawu placed fifth in the preliminary event with the third-fastest time in program history at 20.22. The men’s 200m final is scheduled for 8:35 p.m. EST on Saturday night.
Emmi Scales and Anthony Waterman were unable to qualify for their respective finals, but both ran a personal best time in the women’s and men’s 400m hurdles with marks of 57.83 and 52.18. Scales jumped two spots on the UK all-time leaderboard in the 400m hurdles to eighth, and Waterman improved her all-time placement on the men’s side to ninth.
The SEC Championships will continue tomorrow with the start of day two at 11:45 a.m. EST, with Wildcat Julia Gunnell competing in her fifth heptathlon event in the women’s long jump. Friday’s events will conclude at 5:35 p.m. EST with four Cats featuring in the men’s 3000m steeplechase.
Today’s results and tomorrow’s schedule can be found below.
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Event Schedule
| SEC Outdoor Championships: Thursday, May 15: ALL TIMES IN EASTERN TIME | |||
| Women’s 100m Hurdles | 12:00 p.m. | Heptathlon | 7. Julia Gunnell – 14.21 (PR) |
| Women’s Hammer | 12:00 p.m. | FINAL | 3. Kate Powers – 65.05m/213-5 (SB) (Bronze Medal)
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| Women’s High Jump | 12:45 p.m. | Heptathlon | 7. Julia Gunnell – 1.62m/5-3.75 (PR)
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| Women’s Shot Put | 2:45 p.m. | Heptathlon | 2. Julia Gunnell – 12.25m/40-2.25
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| Women’s 200m | 4:00 p.m. | Heptathlon | 5. Julia Gunnell – 24.84 (PR)
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| Women’s 800m | 5:30 p.m. | PRELIMS | 1. Janet Jepkemboi Amimo – 2:03.39 (Q)
2. Jenna Schwinghamer – 2:03.58 (Q)
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| Men’s 800m | 5:50 p.m. | PRELIMS | 21. Patrick Faust – 1:50.78
Alex Justus – DNS |
| Women’s 200m | 6:10 p.m. | PRELIMS | 11. Sharmelle Holmes – 22.95
13. Morgan Davis – 22.98 (PR) 18. Stacey Onyepunuka – 23.12 (PR) 20. Hannah Douglas – 23.14
|
| Men’s 200m | 6:35 p.m. | PRELIMS | 5. Carlie Makarawu – 20.22 (No. 3 UK All-Time) (Q)
26. Miles Jones – 20.94 32. Josh Onwunili – 21.14
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| Women’s 400m Hurdles | 7:00 p.m. | PRELIMS | 11. Emmi Scales – 57.83 (PR) (No. 8 UK All-Time)
16. Ava Alexander – 1:00.61
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| Men’s 400m Hurdles | 7:20 p.m. | PRELIMS | Anthony Waterman – 52.18 (PR) (No. 9 UK All-Time)
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| SEC Outdoor Championships: Friday, May 16: ALL TIMES IN EASTERN TIME | |||
| Women’s Long Jump | 11:45 a.m. | Heptathlon | Julia Gunnell
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| Women’s Javelin | 1:00 p.m. | Heptathlon | Julia Gunnell
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| Women’s Long Jump | 1:00 p.m. | FINAL | Morgan Davis
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| Women’s 100m Hurdles | 2:15 p.m. | PRELIMS | Camden Bentley, Alexis Glasco, Kori Martin, Emmi Scales
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| Women’s Shot Put | 2:30 p.m. | FINAL | Shelby Wingler |
| Men’s Pole Vault | 2:30 p.m. | FINAL | Shane Racey, Brayden Jackson |
| Men’s 110m Hurdles | 2:30 p.m. | PRELIMS | Anthony Waterman
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| Women’s 800m | 2:45 p.m. | Heptathlon | Julia Gunnell |
| Women’s 1500m | 2:55 p.m. | PRELIMS | Janet Jepkemboi Amimo, Ally Kruger, Jenna Schwinghamer
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| Men’s 1500m | 3:15 p.m. | PRELIMS | Ed Bird, Alex Justus, Sami Hattab
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| Women’s 400m | 3:35 p.m. | PRELIMS | A’Laji Bradley, Alysia Johnson, Cha’iel Johnson, Oneika McAnnuff, JahQueen McClellan
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| Men’s 400m | 3:55 p.m. | PRELIMS | Brandon Nyandoro
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| Women’s 100m | 4:20 p.m. | PRELIMS | Sharmelle Holmes, Victoria Perrow
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| Men’s 100m | 4:35 p.m. | PRELIMS | Miles Jones, Clinton Muunga, Josh Onwunili
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| Men’s Shot Put | 4:45 p.m. | FINAL | Grayson Brashear |
| Women’s 3000m Steeplechase | 5:05 p.m. | FINAL | Noel Barlette |
| Men’s 3000m Steeplechase | 5:35 p.m. | FINAL | Alex Alston, Collins Kiprop Kipngok, Jack Pendergast, Jackson Watts
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| SEC Outdoor Championships: Saturday, May 17: ALL TIMES IN EASTERN TIME | |||
| Women’s Triple Jump | 4:00 p.m. | FINAL | Aliyah Adams, Sophie Galloway
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| Women’s Pole Vault | 5:00 p.m. | FINAL | Kaitlyn Cain, Annie Murphy, Payton Phillips, Chelsea Wetzel
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| Men’s High Jump | 5:15 p.m. | FINAL | Devin Sealey
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| Men’s Discus | 5:15 p.m. | FINAL | Grayson Brashear
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| Women’s 4x100m | 6:05 p.m. | FINAL | Kentucky |
| Men’s 4x100m | 6:15 p.m. | FINAL | Kentucky |
| Women’s 1500m | 6:25 p.m. | FINAL | TBA
|
| Men’s Triple Jump | 6:30 p.m. | FINAL | Luke Brown
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| Men’s 1500m | 6:35 p.m. | FINAL | TBA
|
| Women’s 100m Hurdles | 6:45 p.m. | FINAL | TBA |
| Men’s 110m Hurdles | 6:55 p.m. | FINAL | TBA |
| Women’s 400m | 7:05 p.m. | FINAL | TBA |
| Men’s 400m | 7:15 p.m. | FINAL | TBA |
| Women’s 100m | 7:25 p.m. | FINAL | TBA |
| Men’s 100m | 7:35 P.M. | FINAL | TBA |
| Women’s 800m | 7:45 p.m. | FINAL | Janet Jepkemboi Amimo, Jenna Schwinghamer
|
| Men’s 200m | 8:35 p.m. | FINAL | Carlie Makarawu |
| Women’s 5000m | 8:45 p.m. | FINAL | Ally Kruger |
| Men’s 5000m | 9:05 p.m. | FINAL | Ed Bird, Jackson Watts |
| Women’s 4x400m | 9:30 p.m. | FINAL | Kentucky |
| Men’s 4x400m | 9:40 p.m. | FINAL | Kentucky |
