Do not overlook numbers sprinter Abby Steiner is putting up this season

With the success of Kentucky men’s basketball this season, it’s easy to overlook what senior sprinter Abby Steiner is doing. She tied the 60-meter school record in 7.12 seconds last Friday at the Tiger Paw Invitational at Clemson and then came back on Saturday to finish the 200-meter dash in 22.37 seconds, a collegiate-best breaking her own mark of 22.38 set at the 2021 NCAA Indoor Championships.

Steiner’s 200 was the fifth-fastest in the world all-time indoors and second fastest in American history. She was also part of the 4×400-meter relay team Saturday that won in 3:27.27, the current world-leading time and fourth fastest in collegiate history.

“Just to see the work she’s put in, the diligence, the excellence in which she operates and to see what the Lord has allowed (assistant) coach (Tim) Hall to do with her as our sprint coach, I think she’s going to run faster. I think she’s going to run a whole lot faster,” UK coach Lonnie Greene said.

“This was her first 200 on a banked surface so when we get to the conference meet or the national championships, I could see her putting it to a point where it’s going to be there for 30 or 40 years.”

Teammate Alexis Holmes ran the NCAA-leading 400-meter time of 51.27 seconds at Clemson and was also on the 4×400 relay team with Steiner. Her 400 time is the best in the world this year and second-fastest ever at UK behind recent Olympic gold medal winner Sydney McLaughlin (50.36).