Ryann McEnany has a chance to move up on Florida's all-time top 10 lists this season.
2016 Season Preview: Hurdles
Friday, January 15, 2016 | Track and Field
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UF's group of veteran hurdlers will look to score big points after a rocky 2015 season
By: Zach Dirlam
GAINESVILLE, Fla. - The University of Florida track and field program's hurdlers are eager to bounce back from a trying 2015 season. With a strong contingent of veterans returning for the 2016 campaign, intra-squad competition has been intense leading up to the Gators' first meet of the year, the Rod McCravy Memorial-which is scheduled for Jan. 22-23.
Maintaining consistency is what UF will need from its hurdlers in order for the group to make contributions at the conference and national level.
Below is a preseason synopsis of the Gators' hurdlers.
Sprint Hurdles (60, 100, 110 meters) Six of Florida's 10 returners specialize in the sprint hurdles, while rising junior TJ Holmes is preparing to run both sprint- and long-hurdle events.
Fellow rising junior Yanick Hart, who earned his first USTFCCCA All-America honor in the 110-meter hurdles last season, is the top returner on the men's side. He will look for a similar breakthrough indoors this season, as he matched William Wynne (2009) for the No. 8-ranked 60-meter hurdles time (7.82 seconds) on the program's all-time top 10. Yanick Hart will chase a pair of All-America honors this season. Redshirt sophomore Skylar Ross-Ransom and junior Ryann McEnany, both currently ranked on the school's all-time top 10 for the 60-meter hurdles, highlight the group of women's returners.
Ross-Ransom redshirted last season, but she's back to full strength and ready to build on the seventh-place finish she posted in the 60-meter hurdles at the 2014 SEC Indoor Championships as a true freshman.
McEnany is set to chase points at both conference meets after running the 60-meter and 100-meter hurdles preliminaries a season ago.
Senior Moriel Pitt qualified for the 110-meter hurdles prelims at the 2015 NCAA Division I Outdoor East Preliminary, making him a candidate to score for the Gators in their outdoor postseason meets.
Newcomer Marques Burgman, a transfer from North Florida, has brought a fiery attitude to the group. Expectations are high for the junior, who logged consecutive fourth-place finishes in the 60-meter hurdles at the Atlantic Sun Conference Indoor Championships.
True freshman Kimani Rushing is another newcomer with a chance to make an immediate impact, as her personal-best time in the 100-meter hurdles (13.42 seconds) would rank ninth on the UF women's all-time outdoor top 10.
Long Hurdles (400 meters) Leading the way for the Gators in the long hurdles will be Holmes and redshirt junior Eric Futch.
In addition to being a vital member of the team's sprint relays, Futch is a two-time All-American in the 400-meter hurdles, highlighted by a seventh-place finish at the 2015 NCAA Outdoor Championships.Eric Futch should once again be a contender for SEC and national titles in the long hurdles.
The Darby, Pa. native was also the third-place finisher in the 400-meter hurdles at last year's SEC Outdoor Championships.
Holmes, the bronze medalist at the 2014 IAAF World Junior Championships, battled injuries throughout the 2015 campaign. Even still, he qualified for the 400-meter hurdles final at the SEC Outdoor Championships and the semifinals of the NCAA Division I Outdoor East Preliminary. Healthy again, Holmes could be a scorer for UF this season.
Veterans Gabriel Aird and Maurice Dix bolster the group's depth and experience, while New Orleans transfer Mikayla Barber could be a contributor during the outdoor campaign.
Notable Numbers
Florida is one of four Division I programs in history boasting a national champion in all three men's hurdles events
UF's three men's long hurdles national titles are tied with Washington State for the most by any Division I program since 1996
The Gators are one of four Division I programs with multiple men's 110-meter hurdles national titles since 1996
Florida is one of 10 Division I programs and one of four SEC programs claiming a national title in the men's and women's outdoor sprint hurdles
UF's men have won a total of 17 hurdles titles at the SEC Indoor and OutdoorChampionships, four more than any other program in conference history
Florida's men hold the all-time lead among SEC programs in 60-meter hurdles league titles (five), while it's also tied for the most all-time conference crowns in the 400-meter hurdles (eight)
The Gator women are one of five SEC programs with multiple conference titles inthe 100-meter hurdles
UF is also one of five SEC programs with multiple league crowns in both women's outdoor hurdles events
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