The Gators opened their 2026 indoor track road slate in Fayetteville, Arkansas, where Florida’s distance runners turned in a standout weekend.
Sprints
On day one, Wanya McCoy headlined the Gators’ sprint success, blazing to a first-place finish in the men’s 200-meter at 20.50. Garrett Fox gave Florida another top 10 finish in the, good for eighth with his 20.93. Trenton Howard also grabbed a personal best for the Gators.
Freshman Jayden Horton-Mims churned out a podium finish in the men’s 400-meter, with his 45.69 placing him first in his heat and third overall. Mims just outpaced Miami’s Ace Malone, but fell behind Georgia’s Jonathan Simms. Justin Braun gave the Gators another strong performance with a 45.81, good for fifth.
Distance
The Gators started off hot on day two, with Jonathan Leon securing a first-place finish and a new personal best in the men’s 3000-meter morning session. Riley Novack trailed just behind Leon, adding an 8:13.49 fourth-place finish.
The 3000-meter success didn’t end in the morning for the Gators. In the Saturday afternoon session, Kelvin Cheruiyot added another school record to his resume with a 7:47.45. That would be good for second behind Arkansas’ Ernest Cheruiyot.
The distance success didn’t stop there. In the men’s mile, Riley Smith’s strong finish helped him break the sub-4 mark for the first time as a Gator. Smith’s 3:59.02 puts him at No. 3 among all-time Gators in the indoor event. He is just the third gator to run under four minutes.
On the women’s side, senior Bethan Morley notched a 4:32.79 in the mile. The mark was good for a podium finish, placing third.
In the men’s 800 meter, Gavin Nelson and Miguel Pantojas gave the Gators a pair of top 10 finishes, 1:48.36 and 1:48.41, respectively, giving them eighth and tenth overall. Nelson’s 1:48.36 was good for a new personal best.
Jumps
Freshman Temoso Masikane got his first collegiate action in the men’s long jump on Friday, where he leapt an impressive 7.71 meters, good for second in the event. Nicolas Crosswhite added another top-five long jump performance with a 7.62m jump.
On the women’s side, sophomore Asia Phillips placed fifth in her long jump debut with a 6.33m jump.
Throws
The Gators’ throws were headlined by John Luke Witte, who continued his strong start to the indoor season. Witte placed first in the men’s weight throw with a 20.97m heave on his final attempt.
Freshman Jarno van Daalen threw a 19.17-meter personal best in Saturday’s men’s shot put event, good for fourth overall and seventh in school history. Imani Washington notched a ninth-place finish in the women’s weight throw with a 19.63m toss.
Relays
The men’s 4x400 combination of Wanya McCoy, Justin Braun, Vance Nilsson and Jayden Horton-Mims was a winning one in Fayetteville. The Gators 3:04.04 beat out Miami, Texas Tech and Texas.
The women’s 4x400, featuring Quincy Penn, Tyra Cox, Gabrielle Matthews and Sydney Sutton clocked in at 3:31.32, finishing fifth, narrowly behind Texas.
Contact Logan McBride at lmcbride@alligator.org. Follow him on x at X.
Logan McBride is a journalism junior and a Spring 2026 track and field reporter. In his free time, he enjoys watching TV shows or playing basketball at Southwest Rec. He is also a big football fan and will die for Dak Prescott.
