McKee Leads Virginia At NCAA Championships With Program’s Best Triple Jump Finish
AUSTIN, Texas – The Virginia women’s track and field team closed the NCAA Championships at Mike A. Myers Stadium on Saturday (June 8) with senior Kelly McKee (Lenexa, Kan.) recording the best-triple jump finish in program history.
The Cavaliers placed 30th in the team standings with nine points, recording the program’s best finish since 2011. Arkansas captured the national title with 64 points, while Southern California finished second with 57 points.
McKee made history during the day, capturing UVA’s first top-five finish at the Women’s NCAA Outdoor Championships in the triple jump. She recorded a mark of 13.51m (44’4″) in the second round to place fifth overall in the event. McKee earned first-team All-America honors for the performance and scored four points for the Cavaliers.
“What a perfect way to end a collegiate career,” assistant coach Mario Wilson said. “Kelly came into the competition with so much confidence. The game plan was to get a good mark early in order to take the pressure off and she executed perfectly. Kelly’s path to this moment is what I will remember most. She will be greatly missed, but I look for her to continue improving in the triple jump.”
McKee opened her last collegiate competition strong, recording a mark of 13.37m (43’10.5″) in the opening round. She followed with her best jump of the day, 13.51m (44’4″), to enter the finals in fifth place. She held the seeding through all three rounds of the final to earn first-team All-America honors.
The first-team accolade is the first for McKee, who recorded second-team honors with a ninth-place finish at the 2018 NCAA Outdoor Championships.
In addition to McKee, redshirt senior Bridget Guy (Greensburg, Pa.) aided the Cavaliers in the team standings. Guy cleared 4.45m (14’7.25″) in the pole vault on Thursday to place fourth and score five points.
“A great end to a fantastic season with the highest (team) finish at NCAAs in a long time,” director of track and field Bryan Fetzer said. “The ladies really started to come together as a team, starting at the ACC Championships and ending with NCAAs. Our two senior All-Americans, Kelly (McKee) and Bridget (Guy), have truly helped elevate the program, leading by example.
“I honestly couldn’t be prouder and more excited for our entire group of graduates. They made the commitment to changing the profile of the program and the direction the Hoos would head in the future. It’s an exciting time to be a Wahoo.”