UK Track and Field Set for 2019 NCAA Outdoor Championships

AUSTIN, Texas — The collegiate track and field season will culminate over the next four days when Kentucky competes at the NCAA Outdoor Championships June 5-8 at Mike A. Myers Stadium on the University of Texas campus.

The meet will be broadcast on the ESPN family of networks throughout the week with the original schedule recently pushed up by two and half hours to try an avoid an inclement weather forecast. ESPN2 will show Wednesday’s competition starting at 5 p.m. ET, with field events streaming on ESPN3 starting at 3 p.m. ET.

The open events start with UK’s men’s 4x100m relay at 5:02 p.m. ET/4:02 p.m. CT (local in Austin) and the first Wildcat in an open field event Wednesday will be Matt Peare in the men’s pole vault at 5:30 p.m. ET/4:30 CT.

All field events will have online broadcasts via ESPN3.

The format
Points are scored at the NCAA Championships by individuals or relay teams finishing top-eight in respective events. Points are awarded on a 10-8-6-5-4-3-2-1 basis with 10 going to the winner and one going to eight place. The team with the most points at the end of the meet wins the team title.

Athletes qualified to the NCAA Championships finals site by finishing top-12 at two regional meets 10 days ago. The East and West Preliminary Championships. Athletes qualified there based on having top-48 marks in respective events recorded during the season.

The quote
“I think we’re set up beautifully,” UK Head Coach Lonnie Greene said. “At that meet the points are hard to come by. When you talk about the finals site, when you talk about the National Championships you’re talking about 39 available points in each event that athletes are going to compete for. That may sound like a lot, but any points out of those 39 are difficult to come by because it’s the best of the best.

“There’s no meet in the world that’s more competitive than the NCAA Championships. I think our babies are ready, the key for them is just go there and execute on that day and trust the fact that they belong there.”

Meet primer

The No. 9-ranked Kentucky women’s team has 11 event entries, tied for fifth most. The No. 18 UK men’s team has 11 event entries, tied for sixth most at the Championships.

The men’s competition will be held Wednesday and Friday with just the men’s decathlon concluding on Thursday.

The women’s competition will take place Thursday and Saturday, with the heptathlon starting on Friday.

The multi-events cross over because they have to be held in two consecutive days.

The precedent
The UK women’s team has finished in the top five at NCAA outdoors three of the last four years and was fourth with 46 points last year. UK’s best-ever NCAA Outdoor finish was second on 50 points in 2015.

Senior Marie-Josée Ebwea-Bile Excel medaled at NCAA outdoors in the triple jump the past two years.

The UK men’s team finished tied-16th with 16 points last year at NCAA Outdoors. UK’s best NCAA outdoor finish was ninth in 2008 on 25 points.

Broadcast / Field Event Streaming Information

• Wednesday TV – 5 p.m. ET (ESPN2)
  • Men’s Pole Vault – 5:30 p.m. ET (ESPN3)
  • Men’s Javelin – 5:45 p.m. ET (ESPN3)
  • Men’s Shot Put – 7:40 p.m. ET (ESPN3)
• Thursday TV – 8-9 p.m. ET (ESPNU) / 9 p.m. ET (ESPN2)
• Friday TV – 8:30 p.m. ET (ESPN)
  • Men’s High Jump – 8 p.m. ET (ESPN3)
  • Men’s Discus – 8:05 p.m. ET (ESPN3)
• Saturday TV – 6:30 p.m. ET (ESPN2)
  • Women’s High Jump – 6 p.m. ET
  • Women’s Triple Jump [Flight 1] – 6:40 p.m. ET (ESPN3)
  • Women’s Triple Jump [Flight 2] – 6:40 p.m. ET (ESPN3)

*All times listed are in Central Time.