Although the Gators didn’t win the Southeastern Conference Outdoor Championships, they didn’t leave Baton Rouge, La., empty handed. Between the men and women, Florida claimed a dozen individual titles throughout the weekend.
Distance runner Genevieve LaCaze had the most impressive weekend of the group. Her three wins in the 3,000 meter steeple chase, 1,500 meters and 5,000 meters made her the highest point-scorer at the meet, which lead to her winning the SEC Commissioner’s Trophy.
“I’m extremely proud of Gen and everything she’s done this weekend,” coach Mike Holloway said. “It’s the first time anyone has ever been able to win those three events and I doubt it’ll ever happen again. To be able to watch her make history, that’s special.”
In addition to LaCaze winning three titles, she also set a personal record in the 1,500 meters with a time of 4:13.44. That event gave the women 21 points thanks to the performances of LaCaze, Cory McGee, Agata Strausa and Mandy Perkins, making it the highest scoring event for Florida.
“Turning up today in the 1,500 and having so many girls in the race, it helped having Cory take the lead with 600 meters to go,” LaCaze said. “I can’t even explain the last lap. I crossed the finish line and I wasn’t really sure it was real. That set up a great rest of the day.”
Like LaCaze, junior Tony McQuay also had a strong performance at the SEC Outdoor Championships. McQuay grabbed two titles on Sunday, one in the 400 meters and the other in the 4x400 meter relay. This was McQuay’s second SEC Outdoor title in the 4x400 meter relay and his first in the 400 meters.
The rest of the Gators who won individual titles this past weekend include Ciarra Brewer (triple jump), Dwight Barbiasz (high jump), Brittany Harrell (heptathlon), Taylor Burke (high jump), Jeremy Postin (hammer throw), Omar Craddock (triple jump), Dedric Dukes, Hugh Graham and Leonardo Seymore (4x400 meter relay) and Stipe Zunic (javelin throw), who extended his winning streak Sunday with a throw of 77.87m/255-6.
He remains undefeated this outdoor season.
“When I got my PR a few weeks ago, (the throw) didn’t have much power but it had a ton of flight,” Zunic said. “Today, my final throw had a ton of power and not a lot of flight. It made me realize that I have the power to throw 80 meters if I can get both power and flight. I think I’ll be ready for NCAAs and see what I can do there.”
Despite the high number of titles, Florida’s men and women finished fourth and second, respectively. They had 16 athletes who competed yet did not score any points for the team.
As the Gators move forward to the NCAA East Preliminary Round starting May 24, they will need to focus on those who didn’t score so they can improve their chance of bringing home a team title in addition to individual titles.
Contact Katie Agostin at kagostin@alligator.org.
Stipe Zunic throws during the Tom Jones Memorial Classic on April 21. Zunic won the javelin throw at the SEC Outdoor Championships with a throw measuring 77.87m/255-6.
