The women have not competed in the 4x100m since last June’s NCAA Outdoor Championships. Florida placed 18th in the semifinals, running a 44.68 to finish more than a second slower than the last team to qualify for the finals.
But senior Alishea Usery said she feels like this year will be different.
“This should be the first year that we should be a real good [4x100m team]. So we’re excited to see how it’s going to go,” Usery said.
Last year’s team consisted of Usery, Darshay Davis, Ebony Eutsey and Danielle Williams. The only difference this year is freshman Bria Goodson will be replacing Williams, whose eligibility expired following the 2011 season.
On Friday, Usery and the rest of her team will get their first chance this year to show off their improvements at the Clyde Littlefield Texas Relays.
“We’ve just been practicing really hard,” Usery said. “Since we’re doing all relays, we’ve been practicing hand-offs constantly every day, making sure everyone’s right on their marks.”
In addition to competing in the 4x100m, Usery will also be competing in the 4x400m this weekend along with Eutsey.
“Since we haven’t run the [4x100m] lately, it’s been our [4x400m] that’s made a mark for Florida,” Usery said. “I know that with our [4x400m] that everyone’s going to be out to get us.”
After placing second in the Southeastern Conference Indoor Championships, losing to LSU by .01 of a second, Florida’s talent in the 4x400m is no surprise to the other teams.
Despite being a target, Usery feels that the Gators still have an advantage over the other teams in both the 4x100m and the 4x400m.
“We always hang out with each other, and I think that’s what really makes a good relay,” Usery said.
“If you’re friends during practice, you need to be friends out of practice so you can know each other and know each other’s weaknesses and know each other’s strengths, so you can use that against certain competition.”
Coach Mike Holloway often talks about how the women met at the beginning of the year to discuss what they were capable of doing and how they were going to improve. Usery, Davis, Goodson and Eutsey hope to see improvements in the 4x100m thanks to their tight bond.
“We just need chemistry,” Usery said, “and if you have chemistry then you’re going to do good and come out on top.”
