It appears UF is peaking just in time for the championship stretch of the season.
The men's track team vaulted to the No. 1 spot in the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USATFCCCA) poll on April 29, just two weeks before the start of the Southeastern Conference Outdoor Championships.
The previous high for the Gators was the No. 4 spot, which they held on April 8.
UF coach Mike Holloway doesn't put much focus on the weekly rankings because the mid-season rankings are not a part of the team's goals.
"While we are honored, it's not really something we put a lot of stock into," Holloway said. "Our goal is to be the No. 1 team in the country at the end of the year when the point totals come out."
Leading the charge to the top spot in the last few weeks has been freshman William Wynne.
Wynne, a hurdler from Marietta, Ga., has made headlines at recent events.
In his last competition, the Penn Relays, Wynne turned in two victories and was part of a new school record.
He won the men's 400-meter hurdles and then teamed up with Kallinka Pitt, Dennis Martin and Jarius Cooper to win the shuttle hurdles in a new school-record time.
Holloway said Wynne and his teammates' performances in recent weeks were just by-products of the overall focus - being able to perform at a high level and to their potential at the end of the year when it counts.
And UF hasn't reached its full potential yet, according to Holloway.
Instead, the Gators are right on schedule with his plan to peak during the postseason.
"The plan was to peak at SECs, regionals and nationals. I talk a lot about being prepared for the championship season, and everything we do leading up to that is just a prelude to that," Holloway said.
"We haven't peaked yet. Our goal is to be at our very best over the next six weeks, and so far everything is going right according to planned."
The top-ranked Gators will travel to Tallahassee this weekend for the Seminole Twilight Invitational. This meet is an opportunity for a small group of athletes, mainly throwers, to stay sharp before next week's key SEC meet.
