Louisville Set for Lenny Lyles Cardinal Invitational

Wednesday, February 17

LOUISVILLE, KY

12:00 P.M.

University of Louisville

Lenny Lyles Cardinal Invitational

February 16, 2021 | Track & Field

Live Results Facility Utilization Cardinal Invitational Lenny Lyles Cardinals Invitational Final Schedule Meet Program with Flights

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The University of Louisville men's and women's track and field programs will host their inaugural indoor meet, the Lenny Lyles Cardinal Invitational on Wednesday at the Norton Healthcare Sports & Learning Center. The event will be the first indoor track and field meet staged in the newly constructed facility located at 3029 West Muhammad Ali Blvd.

"We are excited to host UofL's first-ever indoor competition on Wednesday," said UofL head coach Dale Cowper. "The Norton Healthcare Sports and Learning Center is as fantastic facility and we are thrilled that the Lenny Lyles Cardinal Invitational will be the first event held there."

In addition to Louisville, the meet will also feature Bellarmine, Eastern Kentucky and Notre Dame and is slated to start at 12 p.m.

Due to state COVID-19 guidelines, capacity is limited to 15 percent and the meet will not open to the general public and limited to teams, staff and team pass lists.

Lenny Lyles Cardinal Invitational Meet Information
Site: Norton Healthcare Sports & Learning Center
3029 W. Muhammad Ali Blvd, Louisville, Ky. 40212
Date: Feb. 17, 2021
Time: 12 p.m. – 4 p.m.
Participating Teams: Louisville, Bellarmine, Eastern Kentucky, Notre Dame
Live results | Meet Schedule/Program | Facility Map
Attendance: Not open to the general public (team pass list only)

For more information on the Norton Healthcare Sports and Learning Center, visit here.

"While this event is not open to the general public due to COVID-19 guidelines, we will have limited availability for family making this the only competition of the indoor season where friends and families are able to have access to watch their favorite Cardinal compete," said Cowper. "Thank you to everyone that has worked to create a premier indoor venue in Louisville."

About Lenny Lyles
Lyles was a four-year football starter for the Cardinals (1954-57) and totaled 2,786 yards on the ground for UofL. He left UofL as its all-time leading rusher but currently stands at seventh at UofL.

Known as the "Fastest Man in Football" in 1957, Lyles became the first Cardinal to rush for 1,000 yards in a single season that year. He earned first-team Little All-America honors that season when his 1,207 yards led the nation.

While meters are used as standards for track distances now, Lyles' speedy marks of 9.64 seconds in 100 yards and 20.84 seconds for 220 yards were set as UofL records.

Following graduation, Lyles was selected in the first round of the 1958 National Football League draft by the Baltimore Colts, where he teamed with former UofL quarterback Johnny Unitas. Lyles spent two seasons with the Colts before being traded to the San Francisco 49ers in 1959. He returned to the Colts in 1961 and played his final eight seasons in Baltimore.

Lyles was among the first group of former players to have his jersey honored with the Cardinals. A member of the UofL Athletic Hall of Fame, Lyles followed his NFL career with an equally successful career in private business. A statue of Lyles is in place on the UofL campus on the Floyd Street side of Cardinal Park between the track stadium and Trager Stadium. Lyles died at age 75 on Nov. 20, 2011.

About the Norton Healthcare Sports & Learning Center
Ground was broken for the facility at 30th Street and West Muhammad Ali Boulevard in late August 2019 and the indoor facility will be complete this month. The 24-acre, multi-sport complex located in Louisville's Russell neighborhood, will host a variety of local, regional and national track meets, other sporting events, concerts and other events. The facility features 90,000 square-feet of floor space with a 4,000 seat, 200-meter banked indoor track and competition areas for all jump, vaults and throws and a 400-meter outdoor track.

The indoor track's Mondo hydraulic floor can be lowered to provide space to add a stage and floor seating to host concerts and a variety of other events. Additionally, the complex will include a 4-lane mini bowling alley, an interactive rock-climbing wall and a multi-purpose space to be used for educational programming for the Louisville community.

Louisville Athletes to Watch (Women):
Makenli Forrest has four wins in the weight throw this season with season-best mark of 22.16m (72-8.5) to win the event at the Notre Dame Invitational. The mark is currently ranked fifth in the national standings and stands ninth on Louisville's all-time list. The 2020 NCAA Indoor All-American extends her weight throw win tally to 12 in her career.

Dorcas Wasike owns Louisville's top three times in the 3000m and 5000m. The senior recently returned to action after recovering from injury. Last season, she posted a runner-up finish in the 5000 at the ACC Indoor Championships, earning first team all-ACC honors. She was an NCAA All-American in the 5000m at the 2019 NCAA Indoor Championship and was the ACC indoor champion in the 3000m.

Purity Sanga is coming off of a third-place finish in the 5000m at the Music City Challenge where she clocked a personal-best time of 16:11.62 – a whopping 34 seconds off of her previous record and placing her fourth on UofL's all-time list. The time is currently ranked No. 22 nationally. She also won the 3000m at the McCravy-Green Invitational with a time of 9:44.69, placing her fourth on Louisville's list for 3000-meter performances. The junior finished second in 3000m at Notre Dame Invitational.

Senior Halee Hudson has tallied top-three finished three times this season. Her mark of 20.79m in the weight throw at the Notre Dame Invitational is still tied for 16^th nationally. Hudson earned second team all-ACC honors in the event in 2020.

Emma Bryant has had a trio of top-three finishes this season while competing in the mile and 800m. Her personal-best time of 4:52.73 in the mile run at the Doc Hale Virginia Tech Elite placed her 10^th on Louisville's all-time performance list for that event. She clocked a career-best time of 2:10.75 in the 800m which stands seventh on the program's list.

Gabriela Leon won the pole vault at the Notre Dame Invitational and placed second at the McCravy-Green Invitational. Her season-best clearance of 4.15m (13-7.25) when she finished third at the Hokie Invitational stands tied for 26^h in the nationally. The senior owns the school pole vault record and was the ACC Pole Vault champion and NCAA Indoor All-American in the event in 2020. She also owns eight of Louisville's top 10 performances in the pole vault.

Ariel Lawrence is off to an impressive start with three wins. The freshman made her debut by winning the long jump at the McCravy Green Invitational with a leap of 5.91m (19-4.75) and followed with a runner-up finish in the triple jump. She picked up two more wins at the Notre Dame Invitational with a personal-best mark of 12.21 in the triple jump going 5.72m (18-9.25).

Freshman McKenzie Bell has competed in three 400m races with her time in each of those events ranked among UofL's top 12. She posted a runner-up finish in the 400m at the Notre Dame Invitational with a personal-best time of 55.72.

Senior Brooke Raglin won 60m and freshman Kiyah Yeast won 200m at Notre Dame Invitational.

The Cardinals feature several standout performers on the men's side as well.

Sterling Warner-Savage has collected three wins in the 60m dash this season. The junior set a school record – and a personal best of 6.65 for the event in the season-opening McCravy-Green Invitational and then matched it at last week's Doc Hale Virginia Elite. The mark stands as tied for the 11^th best time in the nation this year. Warner-Savage owns the top nine spots on Louisville's all-time list for 60m dash performances.

Sean Roth set a school record with a 5.31m (17-5) mark in the pole vault in the Doc Hale Virginia Tech Elite. The vault is currently tied for 17^th in the nation and set an Irish Indoor Track and Field record. The senior also posted a second-place finish in pole vault at the Notre Dame Invitational.

Adar Sheere has collected three wins in the weight throw this season and finished second in weight throw at the Doc Hale Virginia Tech Elite. His toss of 19.99m at the Notre Dame Invitational placed sixth on Louisville's all-time list in the weight throw.

Isiah Pantiere has amassed wins in the 60m dash, the 200m dash this season. The sophomore turned in the third best performance in program history in the event with a time of 21.57 at the Doc Hale Virginia Tech Elite.

Micah Oberhausen won ACC Field performer of the week after posting a personal-best mark of 5,248 in heptathlon competition at the Hokie Invitational. The score currently ranks 28^th nationally. The junior stands eighth on Louisville's all-time list for heptathlon performances.

Cade Richeson has finished among the top three in the shot put three times this season and won the event at the Notre Dame Invitational.

Sophomore Trey Allen has four top-three finishes in the high jump, with a win at the Notre Dame Invitational.

Jeremiah Willis opened the season by winning the triple jump at the McCravy Green Invitational with a personal-best of 15.07m (49-5.5). The sophomore has also amassed a trio of top-three finishes in the long jump, winning the event at the Notre Dame Invitational.