The Kentucky track and field program rose to national prominence in the hurdles. Keaton Daniel jumped a little bit higher to bring another National Championship back to Lexington.
At this week’s Outdoor Championships in Eugene, Oregon, the accomplished senior from Nevada skipped the first few heights before settling in at just over 17’7. He cleared the bar easily on his first attempt, then continued to ascend. He remained perfect before clearing 18’7.25”/5.67 meters, tying for his best mark of the season, to hold off Kansas’ Clayton Simms for the gold medal in pole vault.
Daniel has been knocking on the door for years. In 2022 he finished third and in 2023 he was eighth. Finally, he has an Outdoor Championship in pole vault.
In addition to the Outdoor National Championship in Oregon, Daniel is an Indoor Champion. He won that title earlier this year in Boston. Keaton Daniel is the first Kentucky Wildcat to win both indoor and outdoor pole vault NCAA championships in the same season. This year he also won an SEC Championship.
Daniel’s victory gave Kentucky 10 points in the overall championship to end day one in sixth place. On Friday Charity Hufnagel will compete in the women’s heptathlon and Jake Brown will be in the men’s triple jump. You can find Kentucky Wildcats in more events here. The NCAA Outdoor Championships conclude on Saturday.
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