Locke is SEC Male Frosh Athlete of the Week

LEXINGTON, Ky. – University of Kentucky track and field athlete Derrick Locke (Hugo, Okla.) was named the Southeastern Conference’s Track and Field Male Freshman Athlete of the Week the league office in Birmingham, Ala., announced Tuesday.

Locke earned the honor for his long jump performance at the New Balance Collegiate Invitational in New York City last weekend. The multi-sport athlete finished seventh in the competition with a leap of 24-2.25 – the fifth-best men’s long jump in school history.

Impressively, last weekend’s competition was Locke’s first of the year due to a broken rib sustained in the football post-season last December. His mark is only four inches shy of the freshman record at UK in the event and is an indoor season-best jump this year for the Cats.

This is the fourth time during the indoor season that the Cats have won a weekly honor from the SEC. Last week, Locke’s classmate Brendan Ames won the male freshman honor while senior John Richardson claimed the SEC’s male runner of the week title. Earlier in the season, junior Rashaud Scott earned SEC male field athlete of the week award.

Locke and the UK men’s squad remain ranked 10th in the country this week, while the Wildcat women’s team slipped to No. 21 in the nation.

The Wildcats send split squads this weekend to Seattle, Wash., and Fayetteville, Ark., for competition in the Husky Classic and Tyson Invitational, respectively.