< Previous70 @KentuckyMBB Olympic Update: Men's and Women's Golf K entucky men’s golf has a busy and com- petitive spring schedule ahead as the Wildcats aim to return to NCAA Regionals for the first time since 2022. Head coach Ga- tor Todd is in his second year at the helm and will lead a nine-man Kentucky squad that enters the spring ranked No. 91 in the Score- board Powered by Clippd rankings. UK begins the spring in Florida at the Watersound Invitational, Feb. 17-19, where they will do battle with a 12-team field that includes six teams ranked in the top 25 and eight inside the top 50. From there, the Cats will have a couple weeks off from competition before heading west for the Desert Mountain Collegiate in Scottsdale, Ariz., March 8-9. The Schenkel Invitational, a staple on the schedule for Kentucky, will be held March 21-23 at Forest Heights Country Club in Statesboro, Ga. From there, the Cats return to Vanderbilt’s Mason Rudolph Championship for the second consecutive year, April 4-6 at Vanderbilt Legends Club. UK then journeys to the Mountaineer In- vitational, April 14-15, at Pete Dye Golf Club in Bridgeport, W. Va. The 2025 SEC Championship will be back at the Seaside Course in St. Simon’s Island, Ga. from April 23-27. Kentucky was 11th at SECs a season ago, its best finish since the 2021 season. The Cats roster features several intriguing talents. Junior transfer Jack Schoenberger was the scoring average leader this past fall at 73.20 and posted three top 20 finishes. Se- nior captain Jansen Preston, now in his sec- ond year with the Wildcats, also had three top 20s in the fall and fired a team-best seven rounds of par-or-better. Grad-transfer Jack- son Klutznick was the Division III National Player of the Year last season while at Emory. The team also features a trio of in-state fresh- men in Jacob Lang, Jacob Settles and Gavin Clutts, all of whom will be looking to make their mark during their first spring with the Wildcats. Fans can follow along with the Cats this spring on the team’s social media channels as well as at UKathletics.com. The University of Kentucky women’s golf team is already two tournaments into its spring season, with several young Cats im- pressing fields early on. One of those impressive young golfers is Karlie Campbell, who was crowned the Southeastern Conference Freshman Golfer of the Week in mid-February. Campbell, an Ethridge, Tennessee, na- tive, played in just her third tournament of her college career but her second lineup of her college career at the Paradise Invitational at Osprey Point Golf Course in Boca Raton, Florida, in early February. There, she recorded a 5-under-par 211 to tie for fourth place among the 78-person field, both of which marked her career bests. In fact, she actually tied her teammate soph- omore Cathryn Brown on a 211 for fourth place. Campbell and Brown helped lead their team to its best 18-hole team round this en- tire season (7-under in the final round) and its best 54-hole tournament total this entire season (12-under overall) at the Paradise In- vitational. The team’s 7-under in the final round was the lowest score among the 15-team field that day. With their performance at the Paradise Invitational, Kentucky moved up from fourth place after the first day (36 holes) to third place after the second day (final round). Moreover, outright third place also marked the team's best finish this season. Campbell put together three rounds of par-or-better at the Paradise Invitational, in- cluding a 69 (-3), 72 (E) and a 70 (-2). Her 69 (-3) recorded in the first round also was a career best for the rookie. Campbell was the lone UK player to produce a round in the 60s there. She also collected a team-high 12 birdies on the golf course, which tied for the third-most of any player in the field. While Campbell won SEC Freshman Golf- er of the Week after the Paradise Invitational, sophomore Brown was right there with her and then performed even better two weeks later at the Spartan Sun Coast Invitational. Brown, a sophomore from Eddyville, Ken- tucky, is off to a sensational start to the spring season, following up her T4 finish at the Par- adise Invitational in early February with a T3 finish at the Spartan Sun Coast Invitational in late February. Brown turned in rounds of 68 (-4), 69 (-3) and 75 (+3) to assemble a 4-under-par 212 for a share of third place at the Spartan Sun Coast Invitational. It marked her best finish of her college career. Through 33 rounds in her two years at UK, she had never had back-to-back rounds in the 60s until then. In fact, she only had two rounds in the 60s total, including her ca- reer-best 66 (-6) hauled in last fall. She collected 13 birdies across the 54 holes at the Spartan Sun Coast Invitational, which tied for the second most among the 81-player field. The UK women’s golf will prepare for its next tournament at the Darius Rucker Inter- collegiate in Hilton Head Island, South Caro- lina, beginning on March 3. By Cami Moore Williams UK Athletics Communications and Public Relations Jansen Preston Karlie CampbellWealth is time to focus on moments that matter. American Trust Wealth can help you achieve financial success so you have more time to focus on what’s important. Let’s Talk 866-934-5078 americantrustwealth.com Before investing it is important that you understand that securities and insurance products involve risk and may lose value. They are not FDIC insured or insured by any Federal government agency and are not deposits of, guaranteed or insured by American Trust. Asset allocation of your investments does not guarantee a profit or eliminate the risk of loss of value of assets. American Trust does not provide tax, accounting or legal advice, and information presented about tax considerations is not intended as tax advice and should not be relied upon for the purpose of avoiding any tax penalties. Clients should review any planned financial transactions or arrangements that may have tax, accounting or legal implications with their personal professional advisors. Not FDIC Insured | No Bank Guarantee | May Lose Value72 @KentuckyMBB Eli Capilouto n President of the University of Kentucky D r. Eli Capilouto became the 12th Pres- ident of the University of Kentucky on July 1, 2011. Under his leadership, the Commonwealth's flagship and land grant research university has grown from $2.7 bil- lion to nearly $8.4 billion in total operations and has gained significant momentum in advancing Kentucky – the institution’s sin- gular yet multifaceted mission. President Capilouto has led a more than $5.4 billion transformation of the campus, aimed at enriching the living-learning ex- perience of UK's students, ensuring their success; strengthening the university's re- search infrastructure dedicated to solving Kentucky's most intractable health and economic challenges; and expanding UK HealthCare's capacity to teach, heal and serve. Through partnerships with the private sector, increased philanthropy and effective financial management, UK is self-financing much of this aggressive infrastructure devel- opment with the purpose of equipping the next generation of leaders who will impact our world for the better. Under his leadership, the priorities out- lined in the strategic plan and the innova- tion of the campus has resulted in histor- ic student success; improved care of our people; unrivaled ingenuity; greater trust, transparency and accountability; and a community of belonging. The progress on campus is resulting in a high-quality work- force and improved well-being for the Commonwealth UK has served for near- ly 160 years — all essential to advancing Kentucky. A native of Montgomery, Alabama, Dr. Capilouto previously served as provost of the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) and dean of the UAB School of Pub- lic Health – a period of remarkable growth and transformation at one of the leading academic and health sciences institutions in the South. Dr. Capilouto holds several undergraduate and graduate degrees from schools within the University of Alabama system, a Doctorate of Dental Medicine from UAB and a Doctorate in Health Policy and Management from Harvard University. He and his wife, Dr. Mary Lynne Capilouto (D.M.D.) a former Dean of the UAB School of Dentistry, have one daughter. LEARN MORE AT GO.UKY.EDU/UKINVESTS OR BY SCANNING THE QR CODE. go.uky.edu/ukinvests | ukinvests@uky.edu The University of Kentucky is boldly committed to transforming our students' lives – both in and out of the classroom. In August 2023, we proudly introduced UK Invests – a first-of-its-kind initiative nationally and a holistic wellness program anchored by financial education. Through UK Invests, we are empowering and encouraging students to understand the importance of investing in themselves and their future. Ultimately, through this initiative, every student on campus can receive a personal investment account that will be used to incentivize and reward them for developing healthy habits – from wellness to career skill building to financial literacy. During the 2023-2024 academic year, more than 7,500 students opened a brokerage account through UK Invests. Collectively, those students participating in the program have earned more than $920,000. This program sets UK apart from other colleges and universities by teaching real-world situations to demonstrate the benefits of saving and investing early. “We can say we’re going to put students first, but by stepping forward in this way, we do put students first,” UK President Capiluoto said. “We believe in them, their future and what it can mean for Kentucky.” *Fidelity Bloom® is a mobile app designed to help with student’s saving, spending and investing behaviors through the Save and Spend accounts, which are brokerage accounts covered by SIPC. They are not bank accounts and therefore are not covered by FDIC insurance. Account made available via the app may be subject to fee. Brokerage account products and services offered by Fidelity Brokerage Services LLC. Member NYSE, SIPC. 900 Salem Street, Smithfield, RI 02917. Investing involves risk, including risk of loss. Compliance eReview number: 1102478.1.0 A WILDLY POWERFUL COMMITMENT “It means a lot that UK takes the time to educate students on how to manage money because it shows that they don’t just care about their students’ success in the classroom.” Langston Jackson, Class of 2023 N ow in his 23rd year as Director of Athletics at the University of Kentucky, Mitch Barnhart continues to expand his impact on national and regional levels, all while leading his Wildcats to consistent achievement in the arenas of competition, in the class- room and in the community. Having the second-longest term of service among current ADs at schools in the Power 4 conferences, Barnhart’s experience, knowledge and synthe- sis of athletic and academic success have made him a highly respected and sought-after presence across the scope of collegiate sports. Barnhart has a long history of na- tional service, highlighted by a five- year term on the NCAA Men’s Basket- ball Tournament Committee that included a historic year as Chair of the first COVID-era event. He also served a stint on the College Football Playoff committee and is one of only four people who have served on the football playoff committee and as chair of the men’s basketball tournament. Dedicated to the advancement of those whom he guides, Barnhart’s national influ- ence has grown through his “AD tree” – ad- ministrators and coaches who have worked for him and become Division I athletics di- rectors – which now numbers seven. At Kentucky, the Wildcat athletic pro- gram placed in the top 20 of the NACDA Directors’ Cup national all-sports stand- ings from 2017-23 (no standings in 2020 because of the pandemic), one of only 10 schools that earned that distinction. The Directors’ Cup was established in 1993-94 and the best nine finishes in school histo- ry have been under Barnhart, all of which have come in the last 11 years that had final standings. UK Athletics hit a peak in the Directors’ Cup in the 2021-22 school year. Sparked by a national championship in rifle, an NCAA Tournament runner-up slot by men’s tennis, and third-place national finishes by wom- en’s indoor and outdoor track and field, UK ascended to a school-record ninth place among Division I schools, which now totals 362 members. Barnhart’s legacy at Kentucky includes success in a wide array of sports. All count- ed, UK has earned six NCAA champion- ship rings during Barnhart’s term, including men’s basketball in 2012, volleyball in ’20 and rifle in 2011, ’18, ’21 and ‘22. UK also has totaled 58 regular-season and tourna- ment conference championships under his leadership, including first-time titles in baseball, women’s tennis, men’s golf and women’s swimming and diving. Since 2020, five Wildcats have been named National Athlete of the Year in their sport. In addition, Asia Seidt of swimming and diving was chosen for the highly pres- tigious NCAA Woman of the Year award, covering all female athletes in all divisions, for her combination of athletic success, academic excellence and dedication to community service. Numerous additional Wildcats have won national awards for their performances on the field, in the classroom and in the community. On the conference level, during Barn- hart’s term, Wildcats have been named the SEC Male and Female Athlete of the Year, the SEC Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year, and the SEC Male and Female Community Service Leader of the Year. A school-record total of 20 Wildcat ath- letes and coaches participated in the Tokyo Olympics, bringing home a school-record 10 medals, including seven gold. With qualifying in progress while this was writ- ten, UK will have another strong contingent in the 2024 Paris Olympiad. The competitive success has been fol- lowed by personal recognition. In 2022, he was inducted into the (state of) Kentucky Sports Hall of Fame and he received the John L. Toner Award for excellence in ath- letics administration from the National Foot- ball Foundation and College Hall of Fame. Those honors added to a grow- ing list of accolades for Barnhart, who was selected the 2019 Division I AD of the Year by the SportsBusi- ness Journal. The accomplishments are a result of Barnhart’s work since his arrival in the summer of 2002. He has steadi- ly invested in the growth of all UK teams while maintaining a singular commitment to the holistic devel- opment of Wildcat student-athletes. At the heart of everything are the core values Barnhart has instilled in the department he leads: character, integrity, knowledge, stewardship and competitiveness. A department-wide 3.0 grade- point average among student-ath- letes and increased community service have been long-standing goals for Barn- hart. The GPA benchmark was first met in the spring semester of 2010 and has now reached a streak of 24 consecutive semes- ters. In spring 2020, UK achieved a cu- mulative GPA of 3.534, the best in school history. Community service has reached as much as 4,000 hours annually and includes out- reach to the Lexington area, the Common- wealth of Kentucky and as far away as Ethi- opia, the Dominican Republic and Panama. In December of 2021 and August 2022, when natural disasters devastated western and eastern Kentucky, a pair of telethons sponsored by UK Athletics raised more than $8 million and numerous student-athletes and staff took part in other fundraising proj- ects, supply assistance, cleanup and the re- building process. In addition to the extraordinary achieve- ments of his work world, reaching new heights is also a theme of his personal life. An avid mountain climber, Barnhart has scaled Mount Kilimanjaro, the highest mountain in Africa, along with two of the most challenging peaks in the United States, Mount Rainier in Washington and the Grand Tetons in Wyoming. He also has performed two tandem parachute jumps with the Army Golden Knights. Impactful in community service, Barnhart has taken part in mission trips and is on the national advisory board of K-Love Radio. Barnhart is a native of Kansas City, Kan- sas. He and his wife, Connie, have three children and six grandchildren. 74 @KentuckyMBB Mitch Barnhart n Director of Athletics n University of KentuckyNext >