The sun hangs high in the hot summer, and Lakecia Ealey steps into the blocks - just as she has done so many times before.
But this time is different somehow. Maybe it's because of the sweltering Florida heat. Or maybe it's because she doesn't know how many more times she will be able to do this. She looks down at the dark orange surface and closes her eyes for a brief moment before racing down the track.
Saying Goodbye
For Ealey, every race is one step closer to saying goodbye.
Goodbye to UF and goodbye to the sport that she loves.
She will compete in the final meet of her collegiate career this weekend at the NCAA Track and Field Championships in Des Moines, Iowa.
But the senior has already had to say her hardest goodbye - the one to the man who got her to where she is today.
Ealey lost a coach, a friend and a mentor when former women's track and field coach Tom Jones passed away in March 2007 at 62 years old after a long battle with cancer.
Jones led the Gators to six Southeastern Conference titles, 23 school records and coached the women's track program for 15 of its 35-year history.
"To lose him was like losing a second father," Ealey said. "If it wasn't for him, I wouldn't be at the University of Florida."
In June 2007, Mike Holloway was named the head coach of the women's track and field program after spending five years leading the men. It was the first time in school history that the same coach had led the men's and women's programs.
"It's been hard to adjust," Ealey said. "(Coach Jones) meant a lot to me. All you can do is take it one day at a time."
Since taking over the women's program, Holloway has done his best to help Ealey and the rest of the team deal with the loss.
"We don't talk about it a lot. She kind of internalizes most of that stuff," he said. "It hasn't been easy for her. It hasn't been easy on any of us.
"We talk a lot about the kind of guy he was and the kind of work ethic he had. He had a passion for this school, and that is something that I have tried to pass on to the girls."
That passion isn't something they have forgotten.
"We're all out there running for him," Ealey said.
A New Beginning
Though Holloway had great success with the men's program, Ealey found the transition to her new coach to be a difficult one.
"His style of training was just completely different than I was used to," Ealey said. "It was definitely an adjustment."
That transition went both ways.
While Ealey had found success throughout her career at UF, Holloway thought that she had much more to offer.
"I started working with her last March, and it didn't take long for me to realize that she was a very talented young lady," Holloway said.
Despite her talents, Holloway could tell that the senior was lacking one very important attribute.
"It was evident to me right away that she didn't believe that she was one of the top sprinters in the country," he said. "We've done a lot of work trying to get her to believe that she can be a top-level sprinter."
Record Breaker
Ealey, a four time All-American, has had a banner year in 2008. The senior has racked up four event wins so far during the outdoor season and will look to add her first national title in the 100-meter dash this weekend.
This came after an indoor season that saw the Albany, Ga., native break the school record in the 60-meter dash on four different occasions.
She bettered the mark on consecutive days at the NCAA Indoor Championships before finally establishing her new time of 7.23 seconds.
"She has stuck out in every meet that she has competed in," Holloway said. "Every weekend she steps up and does something great for us."
Take one look at Ealey during practice, and it's easy to see why Holloway calls her the leader of the women's team.
"The other girls see how hard she works, and it inspires them to do the same," Holloway said.
Ealey said that she doesn't look at herself as the leader of the team, and she is just doing her job.
"I just come out here and try and leave everything on the track," she said.
A Different Track
Despite her success, the senior has chosen to end her track and field career after graduation.
"She wants to graduate and move on with her life," Holloway said. "I respect that. A lot of times, athletes will hold on to track and field because they don't know what else to do with their lives."
Though she has had offers to run track professionally, Ealey plans on becoming a social worker after graduation, and she hopes to work with troubled teens.
"I just love kids, and I want to do something to help them," Ealey said.
As the sun begins to set on her collegiate career, the senior reflects on her time spent at UF.
"It's meant a lot to be able to compete for the University of Florida," Ealey said. "I've worked three years to get to this point and to be almost done is just an awesome thing."
