Paul Hof-Mahoney

Track and Field Reporter

Paul is a senior in his fourth semester on the track and field/cross country beat for The Alligator. In his free time, you can increasingly see him jogging around Gainesville or endlessly falling deeper down the rabbit hole that is track Twitter.

Florida's Joseph Fahnbulleh competes during the Pepsi Florida Relays on Friday, April 2, 2021 at Percy Beard Track at James G. Pressly Stadium in Gainesville, Fla. / UAA Communications photo by Chloe Hyde

Courtesy of the UAA

Sports

Looking back on the most significant Gator showings at Florida Relays in the 2020s

By Paul Hof-Mahoney | Apr. 2

While the Gators don’t typically open the outdoor season at their first home meet – they travelled to Tallahassee for the FSU Relays on Mar. 26-27 – this weekend has historically served an important role in setting the tone of Florida’s outdoor season. With high school and professional races also featured in the schedule, the meet offers a unique opportunity to see Gators past, present and future share the newly-renovated Percy Beard Track.

Florida head coach Jenny Rowland watches her team before the beam during an NCAA gymnastics meet against Oklahoma, Friday, Feb. 13, 2026, in Gainesville, Fla.

Noah Lantor

Sports

How Jenny Rowland got the Gators going on vault

By Paul Hof-Mahoney | Mar. 30

On Feb. 18, Florida gymnastics head coach Jenny Rowland said in a media availability session that vault needed to be a point of emphasis for her Gators as they entered the back half of the season.

Florida Relays at the University of Florida on Saturday, April 5th, 2025.

Morgan Waters, Alligator Archives

Sports

Movin’ out: Why Florida track and field will be better during the outdoor season

By Paul Hof-Mahoney | Mar. 26

Despite falling under the umbrella of the same sport, indoor and outdoor track and field are inherently different when it comes to team composition at the collegiate level. With 21 events contested in the outdoor postseason as opposed to 17 indoors, it doesn’t just afford a larger volume of scoring opportunities, but a wider variety of where those opportunities are concentrated.

Oussama Allaoui holds his medal during the 2026 SEC Indoor Track & Field Championship on Saturday, February 28, 2026 at RA "Murrary" Fasken '38 Indoor Track & Field at Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas / UAA Communications photo by Dylan Cannella

Courtesy of UAA Communications

Sports

Fasting while getting fast: How a 3:57 miler trains during Ramadan

By Paul Hof-Mahoney | Mar. 23

When the sun set on March 19, the Muslim holy month of Ramadan ended. For Florida freshman distance runner Oussama Allaoui, it symbolized not just the fulfillment of the fourth pillar of Islam, called “sawm,” but also a return to a normal training regimen after just over four weeks of daily fasting.

Florida distance runner Claire Stegall runs in the women’s 1000 during the Jimmy Carnes Invitational in Gainesville, Fla., Friday, Jan. 16, 2026.

Bayden Armstrong

Sports

Florida women complete bounce-back indoor season with fifth-place finish at NCAA Championships

By Paul Hof-Mahoney | Mar. 14

A resurgent season for the Florida women’s track and field team reached its conclusion Saturday night in Fayetteville, Arkansas.

Florida sprinter Jayden Horten-Mims competes in the men’s 300 meter dash during the Jimmy Carnes Invitational in Gainesville, Fla., Friday, Jan. 16, 2026.

Bayden Armstrong

Sports

The Gators’ path to glory: Event-by-event preview of Florida’s 19 entries for the NCAA Indoor Championships

By Paul Hof-Mahoney | Mar. 12

The 2026 indoor season for Florida track and field has already gone significantly better than last year. If 10-spot improvements for the men’s and women’s teams at the SEC Indoor Championships – resulting in the ninth indoor title in program history for the women – weren’t evidence enough, the startlists for the NCAA Indoor Championships tell the story of a resurgent program.

Florida sprinter Sydney Sutton competes in the Jimmy Carnes Invitational in Gainesville, Fla., Friday, Jan. 16, 2026.

Bayden Armstrong

Sports

Sydney Sutton targets big day at Nationals after breakout SEC Championships performance

By Paul Hof-Mahoney | Mar. 10

She placed fourth in the 400-meter final, covering two laps of the track in 51.46 seconds and earning five points towards Florida’s eventual conference title. Sutton’s performance marked the first time she had broken the 52-second barrier indoors and shaved nearly a full second off her day-old personal best of 52.27.

Bayden Armstrong

Sports

From 11th to first: Florida women complete turnaround, claim 2026 SEC Indoor Championship

By Paul Hof-Mahoney | Feb. 28

Saturday night, when the Gators walk out the doors of the Fasken Indoor Track and Field Facility at Texas A&M, they’ll do so with their heads held high, only weighed down by a trophy in their arms and an abundance of medals around their necks.

Florida distance runner Miguel Pantojas runs in the men’s 1000 during the Jimmy Carnes Invitational in Gainesville, Fla., Friday, Jan. 16, 2026.

Bayden Armstrong

Sports

SEC Indoor Championships Preview: How the Gators stack up with one weekend left to qualify for Nationals

By Paul Hof-Mahoney | Feb. 25

For the first of four occasions in 2026, the Florida track and field teams will be toeing the line with championships up for grabs this weekend at the 2026 SEC Indoor Championships. With one weekend left for the national lists to solidify themselves, here’s how the Gators stack up and what that means for Florida’s SEC Championship pursuits in College Station.

Bayden Armstrong

Sports

Florida freshman Claire Stegall readies historic kick for postseason racing

By Paul Hof-Mahoney | Feb. 24

Racing the mile at the BU Valentine Invitational, Claire Stegall covered just over eight laps of the notoriously bouncy track in 4:25.91.