While all other UF sports have finished, track and field is gearing up for its final meet of the season.
The men's and women's track teams will have 22 scoring opportunities at the NCAA Championships beginning Wednesday in Fayetteville, Ark.
"We expected a couple more to qualify, but you never bat a thousand in this sport," UF coach Mike Holloway said. "We are very pleased with the chances we have."
The No. 2 men's team will have 10 individuals and two relay teams participating in the four-day competition. The men, who are coming off of an NCAA East Regional Championship earlier this month, aren't worried about their drop to second in the rankings.
"We are focused on winning," junior sprinter Calvin Smith said. "If we win, then we will be No. 1 at the end of the season, and that is what matters."
Mariam Kevkhishvili, the top women's shot putter in the nation, placed first in both the Southeastern Conference Championship and the NCAA East Regional. Kevkhishvili is one of seven individuals the No. 14 women's team is sending to Fayetteville.
She said her training has not changed since the beginning of the season and feels that UF coaches are trying to keep as much pressure off of the athletes as possible.
"We are trying to get ready for this big meet, and the pressure I feel is only from me," she said. "The coaches cannot go out there and throw for you."
The first event will be at 12:30 p.m. on Wednesday, when SEC champion Gray Horn participates in the men's decathlon. Horn was the first UF man ever to win a conference title in the decathalon.
UF's 4x100m relay team holds the nation's top time of 38.74 seconds. The team consisting of Dennis Martin, Smith, Terrell Wilks and Jeremy Hall won the event at the SEC Championship with that time and placed second at the NCAA East Regional with a time of 39.03 seconds.
"This is just another track meet," Holloway said. "We are just going to go in there and take care of the Gators and worry about nothing else."
On Monday, Holloway and Smith earned regional honors from the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association. Holloway was named the 2009 South Region Outdoor Men's Track and Field Head Coach of the Year, and Smith was given the title of 2009 South Region Outdoor Men's Runner of the Year.
