To say junior Dwight Barbiasz had a big day on Thursday would be an understatement. Not only did his mark of 2.28 meters in the high jump set a new personal record for him, but it also tied Florida’s record in the event.
His jump also gave him a third-place finish at the NCAA Outdoor Championships, giving the men’s team six points.
In addition to the records and the finish, Barbiasz’s performance qualified him for the U.S. Olympic Trials at the end of the month.
“Dwight has had a phenomenal year for us,” coach Mike Holloway said. “When he came to us in January, he was a bit of a question mark but Coach (Mellanee) Welty and Dwight have worked so hard all year and he’s improved tremendously. I just have to tip my hat to Dwight and I couldn’t be prouder of his performances all year and especially today.”
Overall, the Gators qualified for the finals in four events on Thursday – 1,500 meters, 110 meter hurdles and men and women’s 4x400 meter relay.
Of those events, Eddie Lovett had one of the more impressive performances. The sophomore ran an all-conditions personal best of 13.53, which will advance him to his first NCAA Outdoor Championships finals. Lovett missed out on last year’s finals after finishing 18th in the semifinals.
“The thing about Eddie Lovett is that he’s a competitor,” Holloway said. “He always shows up at the big meets. He won at SEC Indoors, scored at NCAA Indoors and now he’s in his first NCAA final outdoors. He’s worked so hard this year and I’m extremely proud of him and Coach (Erin) Tucker and the work they’ve put in together.”
Despite the strong performances, the day had its share of upsets for Florida.
Sophomore Stipe Zunic’s perfect season came to an end with a seventh-place finish. Although it wasn’t quite the performance he was hoping for, Zunic still added two points to the team’s total.
“I know Stipe isn’t happy with his finish today but this one meet does not define the year he’s had for us,” Holloway said. “He won every meet he competed in before today and is the SEC Champion as just a sophomore. We can’t wait to see what Stipe will do in the future after such a phenomenal year.”
Today the Gators will have a lot of scoring opportunities. Jeremy Postin (hammer throw), Taylor Burke (high jump), Omar Craddock and Marquis Dendy (triple jump), Genevieve LaCaze (steeplechase), Brittany Harrell (heptathlon) and Tony McQuay (400 meters) will all be looking to put up points for the Gators.
“The bulk of the meet starts on Friday and this is where things get exciting,” Holloway said. “We’ll rest up and get ready tomorrow and be ready to fight a little bit. Not only do we have a lot of scoring opportunities on Friday but I think there are exciting things in store for the Gators tomorrow.”
Contact Katie Agostin at kagostin@alligator.org.
