In the last three NCAA Outdoor Championships, the men have placed in the top three falling just short of the title. However, coming of their third straight NCAA Indoor Championship win, they will be looking to finally grab the prize.
Their journey starts today at the NCAA East Preliminary Round in Jacksonville.
There will be 21 men and 24 women competing this weekend with the hopes of advancing. Each region will send 12 individuals and six relay teams to move on to the NCAA Outdoor Championships in Des Moines, Iowa.
Sophomore Stipe Zunic will open up the meet for the Gators at 11 a.m. in the javelin throw with hopes to extend his perfect year into the postseason.
Florida’s largest event on Thursday will be the women’s 1,500 meters, with Cory McGee, Shelby Hayes, Mandy Perkins and Agata Strausa all entered in the race. Both McGee and Strausa are ranked in the top 10 for the event.
Following the 1,500 meters will be sprinter Jeff Demps in the 100 meters, who just won the Collegiate and Professional Sports Dietitians Association Athlete of the Year award.
In total, the Gators will have 22 athletes competing on Thursday. Out of those athletes, Omar Craddock, Darshay Davis, Marquis Dendy and Ugonna Ndu will be competing in multiple events.
Craddock and Dendy will both be competing in Thursday’s long jump in addition to Friday’s triple jump. Davis is entered in the 100 meters on Thursday and the 200 meters on Friday. Finally, Ndu will be running the 100-meter hurdles as well as the 400-meter hurdles.
Thursday will close out as Callie Cooper and Florence Ngetich compete in the 10,000 meters.
