With 24 Gators athletes set to compete for 26 scoring opportunities at the 2011 NCAA Outdoor Championships, Florida aims for a season sweep of the men’s titles and a strong finish from the women’s team in Des Moines, Iowa from June 8-11.
How will UF’s athletes fare at competing in multiple events?
Eight Gators will have to balance competing in both relay and individual events during the four-day meet. Jumper Christian Taylor qualified for both the triple and long jump, along with running two legs in the 4x100 and 4x400 relays. UF coach Mike Holloway said bouncing between events is something his athletes have grown accustom to since high school. “You go to a high school state meet and they run five events in a five-hour period,” he said. “So to take them to a meet and say, ‘Do two in a day,’ all of a sudden everyone says, ‘Oh my God, they must be tired.’ We don’t worry about that, everything they’re doing they’re trained and prepared for.”
Will Florida’s freshmen women continue to have an impact?
With only nine scoring opportunities in Des Moines for the No. 17 women’s team, points will be at a premium. Four of those chances will hinge on freshmen athletes who qualified with top-12 times and distances but will need top-eight results at nationals to contribute to UF’s points total. Freshman distance runner Cory McGee is making her second championship appearance after finishing 10th in the women’s mile at the NCAA Indoor meet. “I definitely do want to have a better national championship experience than indoors,” she said. “I did learn a lot, I think throughout cross country and indoors you’re building to this moment. The outdoor championship is really the biggest part of it all.”
Without Omar Craddock, can the Gators still extend their streak?
Florida will be missing one piece of its heralded triple jump trio after Craddock failed to qualify, but the men's team still has juniors Will Claye and Taylor, who own the top two marks of the season.
The last five NCAA individual triple jump titles have been won by athletes currently on UF’s roster as Taylor won last year and Claye got the victory in 2009 as a member of Oklahoma.
