For the first time this outdoor season, the field athletes outperformed the track stars.
Five out of the eight event victories the Gators won at the Tom Jones Memorial Invite at Percy Beard Track came from the field, as Kyle Strawn led the way with a career-best performance.
Strawn, who was named the Southeastern Conference Co-Athlete of the Week on April 8, surpassed his personal best set at the Florida Relays with a 68.18-meter hammer throw on Saturday.
“I was happy to have a personal best, especially on my last throw,” Strawn said.
“Usually, I throw my best throw on the first or second throw of the competition and it kind of goes downhill from there.
“It’s nice to build a little bit. The conditions weren’t ideal — it was rainy and really cold so definitely happy how things turned out.”
The junior thrower’s mark at the Tom Jones Invite is the second-best record on the UF all-time list in the hammer throw.
Coach Mike Holloway said Strawn and throws coach Steve Lemke have improved at working together after taking a year to get used to each others’ styles.
“He’s working hard, doing good things,” Holloway said. “When he wants to be a force at the national meet he’s headed in that direction.”
In addition to Strawn’s performance, thrower Jayla Bostic, jumper Taylor Burke and thrower Marija Vucenovic all turned in first-place finishes.
Burke, competing in the women’s high jump, leaped to a 1.74-meter victory on her second attempt. Although Burke won the event, she thought she could have performed better throughout her three jumps.
Agata Strausa, Cory McGee and Rebekah Greene all turned in a podium finish in the women’s 800-meter run.
Strausa (2:04.67), a senior distance runner, crossed the line ahead of the other 15 competitors to take the victory in the 800m and fell shy of the track record of 2:01.35 set in 1992.
The Gators now have two weeks to prepare for the LSU Invitational in Baton Rouge, La.
“You have to get healthy and take care of some things,” Holloway said.
“The big thing now is just to get ready for LSU in a couple of weeks and conference a couple of weeks after that. We have some people who are a little dinged up.”
Follow Lawrence Laguna on Twitter @LagunaLawrence
Jayla Bostic talks with throws coach Steve Lemke after one of her hammer throw attempts during the Tom Jones Memorial Invite on April 19, 2014, at Percy Beard Track.
