Although they haven’t competed for Florida yet, three incoming freshman have already started proving their worth to the 2012-13 track and field team. Shayla Sanders, Arman Hall and Robin Reynolds have spent the past week competing at the 2012 IAAF World Junior Track and Field Championships in Barcelona, Spain.
Although the 2012 season is over and the U.S. Olympic trials are finished, that didn’t stop three Gators from competing last weekend. Marquis Dendy, Jeremy Postin and Eddie Lovett all participated in the North American, Central American and Caribbean Under-23 Track and Field Championships in Guanajuato, Mexico.
For sprinter Jeff Demps, this year has been about making sacrifices for the 2012 Summer Olympics.
When junior Dwight Barbiasz first started competing in the high jump in 2008, he had to spend that summer watching the Olympics from home. This year Barbiasz wants in.
Junior Tony McQuay has had a nice year in 2012. The sprinter started off winning the U.S. Championships in June, then won his first NCAA indoor title in the 400 meters and last week he won his first NCAA outdoor title in the 400 meters as well as Florida’s first 4x400-meter relay NCAA title.
The men are in the hunt again.
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.
As the Gators head to Des Moines, Iowa to wrap up their season at the NCAA Outdoor Championships, jumper Ciarra Brewer will be wrapping up her first season with a new coach. Despite the transition in coaches, the freshman had a strong year.
By now, Tony McQuay has told the story many times.
For sophomore distance runner Cory McGee, the 1,500-meter race is always the event she puts her heart into.
This weekend the Gators had 21 athletes qualify for 19 events at the NCAA East Preliminary Round.
After competing for the first time since the Tom Jones Memorial Classic, senior Jeff Demps had another strong outing during Thursday’s race. However, due to a troublesome hamstring, Demps didn’t compete on Friday causing him to miss out on going to the NCAA Outdoor Championships.
Coach Mike Holloway has only one goal for the NCAA Preliminary Round: finish in the top 12. On Thursday, that’s exactly what Stipe Zunic, Marquis Dendy and Florence Ngetich did.
In the last three NCAA Outdoor Championships, the men have placed in the top three falling just short of the title. However, coming of their third straight NCAA Indoor Championship win, they will be looking to finally grab the prize.
For sprinter Leonardo Seymore, change is nothing new. The junior’s first taste came when he transferred to Florida from Rend Lake College last year.
Although the Gators didn’t win the Southeastern Conference Outdoor Championships, they didn’t leave Baton Rouge, La., empty handed. Between the men and women, Florida claimed a dozen individual titles throughout the weekend.
After having three personal bests on Thursday, sophomore Brittany Harrell continued her strong performance en route to her first Southeastern Conference win.
After injuring himself during the final day of the NCAA Indoor Championships, senior Gray Horn was finally about to make his comeback at the Southeastern Conference Outdoor Championships this weekend. However, his road to the postseason is once again derailed.
Coach Mike Holloway had a goal for Saturday’s Tom Jones Memorial Classic: honor Coach Jones by competing at a high level. And after a record-breaking win in the 4x100 meter relay, it would seem that Jeff Demps, Tony McQuay, Leonardo Seymore and Dedric Dukes accomplished that goal.
Four college athletes completed the men’s 110 meter hurdle on Saturday at the Tom Jones Memorial Classic, including sophomore Eddie Lovett. The rest were professionals.
Solutions by The State News
