It was a successful season-opening weekend for the Florida track and field teams.
Throwers and horizontal-jumpers competed at Virginia Tech’s Hokie Invitational, while high-jumpers and runners competed at the Clemson Invitational. Twelve Florida athletes set NCAA top-10 times.
Leading the way for the women was senior jumper Yanis David. She was named the SEC Women’s Field Athlete of the Week. Her mark of 6.45 meters in the long jump, which she set on her fifth attempt Saturday, tied the national lead.
Junior jumper Kala Penn wasn’t far behind David with a distance of 6.22 meters. That mark was good for third place at the Hokie Invitational and is tied for ninth in the national rankings.
Grant Holloway was the star performer for the men’s team. The junior, who is a four-time NCAA and SEC champion, took home first place — and the fastest time nationally — with a time of 7.49 in the 60-meter hurdles.
Holloway wasn’t done there. He also took home first place in the 200 meters with a time of 20.69, good for second nationally. Holloway’s performances earned him SEC Co-Runner of the Week along with South Carolina’s Arinze Chance and USTFCCCA Men’s National Athlete of the Week honors.
Elsewhere, the men were victorious in the 4x400 relay. Holloway, Benjamin Lobo Vedel, Chantz Sawyers and Ryan Clark combined to set the nation’s second-fastest time at 3:04.74.
Both teams will be back in action on Friday and Saturday when they travel to Fayetteville for the Razorback Invitational.
Follow Sam Campiano on Twitter @samcampisano and contact him at scampisano@alligator.org.
Florida sprinter, jumper and hurdler Grant Holloway finished first in both the 60-meter hurdles and the 200-meter sprint. His time of 7.49 seconds in the hurdles was the fifth fastest in collegiate history.
