Florida’s track and field teams won 10 events and posted three meet records in their season-opening performances at the Nittany Lion Challenge, and the national rankings reflected the Gators’ strong showing.
The Track and Field Results Reporting System released its rankings Monday, and six UF athletes and one relay team hold nine spots in the nation’s top 15 in their respective events.
Omar Craddock, who automatically qualified for the NCAA Championships in the triple jump in Saturday’s meet, is the squad’s highest-ranked competitor. The sophomore jumper, who tied a personal-best mark of 16.19m/53-1.50, is currently second in the country and one of two athletes to have already automatically qualified for the national triple-jump title.
Junior Genevieve LaCaze and freshman Cory McGee are also among the nation’s top 15 in two different distance-running events. LaCaze checks in at third in the women’s 3,000-meter (9:34.42) and 13th in the mile (4:49.48), while McGee is seventh in the 3,000-meter (9:43.72) and fourth in the mile (4:46.70).
Kemal Mesic (fourth, men’s shot put), the women’s 4x400m relay (fifth), Jeremy Postin (tied-13th, men’s weight throw) and Fidela James (14th, women’s weight throw) round out the ranked Gators.
