Sophomore Amanda Froeynes was down 300 points with only one event left to go in the SEC Women’s Heptathlon.
The final event in the seven-part competition, the 800-meter dash, is one of her best. Even still, that many points down would most likely require the best run of her life.
The Tonsberg, Norway, native did just that. Two minutes and 11 seconds after the gun went off, Froeynes was an SEC Champion.
“It was an incredible weekend,” coach Mike Holloway said in a release. “I was proud of almost everybody.”
The Gators claimed five individual titles over the weekend, their highest total at the SEC Outdoor Championships since 2012. The men finished second at the event while the women finished in a tie for fifth.
Senior Yanis David dominated the women’s horizontal jumps in Fayetteville, Arkansas. On her sixth and final triple jump attempt, she leaped the third-furthest in collegiate history at 14.35 meters. The Lamentin, Guadeloupe, native has now swept all four SEC horizontals, becoming only the second athlete in conference history to do so and the first since Olympian and Gator Shara Proctor did it in 2010.
“What Yanis (David) did is unheard of,” Holloway said.
The men finished behind the LSU Tigers. Despite finishing second, some of the usual top performers had tough days.
Sophomore Hakim Sani Brown’s time of 9.99 seconds and junior Raymond Ekevwo's time of 10.02 seconds were fast enough to claim first and second place for Florida in the 100-meters.
However, the relay they participate in with junior Grant Holloway and senior Ryan Clark -- the 4x100 -- has seen faster times. The quartet finished with a time of 39.12, runner-up to relay-rival LSU’s 38.85. The last time the two teams faced off was at the LSU Alumni Gold Meet on April 20, where Florida beat the Tigers on their home track with a time of 38.55 seconds.
NCAAs might provide a rematch, as both could earn a spot in the championship race, but the momentum that swung in UF’s favor last month switched back to LSU this weekend.
Grant also had a forgettable day in his best event: the 110-meter hurdles. The 60-meter hurdle NCAA indoor champion and 110-meter hurdle SEC record-holder was upset by Kentucky’s Daniel Roberts, who tied Holloway’s 13.07 record.
He lost it in the last part of the race. Grant began with one of his best starts of the season and created noticeable separation early, as he often does. Roberts stayed close enough, however, to take advantage of the weaker half of Grant’s race.
“I’ve got to coach Grant better,” (Mike) Holloway said. “I’ve got to do some things to get him locked in better the last part of the race.”
Follow Graham Marsh on Twitter @GrahamMarshUF and contact him at gmarsh@alligator.org.
The Gators took home five individual titles at the SEC Outdoor Championships over the weekend.
