Behind distance wins and a banner day for Gator throwers, Florida delivered on a successful two day stretch in Tallahassee and Raleigh.
Throws
It was a spectacular weekend for Gators throwers. In the men’s hammer throw, Florida started off hot behind Basel Abosina and his 66.20-meter first-place throw. The freshman moved to seventh all time with the toss.
Imani Washington was a worthy follow-up, adding a personal best and another first-place finish. Her 62.08 meter toss would move her to sixth in program history in the event.
Florida’s men's javelin throwers executed a clean sweep of the competition in the final, with Leikel Cabrera Gay, Ayden Campbell and Aiden Broussard taking the top three positions. Cabrera Gay dominated the contest, with his 75.50-meter toss traveling 10 meters beyond Campbell's second-place finish.
The women continued the momentum, with Pauline Bikembo notching a podium finish and a personal-best throw of 45.74 meters.
In the discus throw, the Gator women dominated. Seniors Akari Isaac and Gracelyn Leiseth finished as the top two contenders, and they were the only two to break 50 meters, with both going over 55. Isaac’s 56.23-meter toss placed her first, while Leiseth followed close behind with a 55.76-meter throw.
Distance
The Gators didn’t have distance runners working in Tallahassee, but a few hours north in Raleigh, North Carolina, Graham Myers churned out a personal best 8:42.63 time in the men’s 3000-meter. The run would be good for 10th overall.
Florida’s weekend ended in Raleigh, where the Gators shined in limited action. Freshman Josh Ruiz ran in Raleigh’s men’s 5000-meter, with his 14:07.19 placing him 43rd among over 200 competitors.
The stars, however, were Florida senior Hilda Olemomoi and freshman Judy Chepkoech, who placed first and second in the women’s 10000-meter invitational. Olemomoi’s 32:03.59 and Chepkoech’s 32:04.01 outpacing runners from across the country.
Sprints
In Friday's men’s 100-meter, the Gators got a pair of podium finishes from Jaden Wiley and Trenton Howard, who finished second and third respectively with runs of 10.25 and 10.30. Freshman Almond Small finished just behind in fourth with his 10.39 second sprint.
On the women’s side, freshman Payton Payne kept the 100-meter train rolling, clocking a blazing 11.54 first-place finish.
Wiley and Howard would return to the track for the 200-meter final, where they once again placed second and third with runs of 20.68 and 20.86. Almond Small finished sixth.
In the women’s 200-meter, Jade Brown ran in the first heat, a first place finish for the Gators with a 23.35 second run, edging out FSU’s Lucy May Gleeman.
Men’s 400-meter runners Ja’Neil Harris and Gavin Nelson provided Florida with two more podium finishes, with 47.76 and 48.17 second-place finishes.
In the men’s 400-meter hurdles, Daniel Wright was able to add to a strong day for Gator sprinters, with his 50.76 second run placing him first overall.
Pauline Bikembo and Aleesa Samuel also gave the women strong performances, with the pair finishing fourth and fifth in the 100-meter hurdle competition.
Jumps
In the men’s long jump final, freshman Luke Stradley continued his strong first year with a 7.69-meter first place leap, beating out jumpers from FSU, Troy and Virginia Tech.
Relays
The Florida women led the way in relay competition, with the women’s 4x400 relay of Marianna Wright, Payton Payne, Pauline Bikembo and Abby Elmore propelling the Gators to a second place finish, just behind Troy.
The men’s 4x400 relay of Daneil Weight, Gavin Nelson, Alejandro de Bastos and Ja’Neil Harris added a fourth-place finish. The Gators finished behind runners from Florida State, South Alabama and Troy.
Contact Logan McBride at lmcbride@alligator.org. Follow him on X @LoganDMcBride.
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.
