Eriksson Wins Hammer Throw Title on Day One of SEC Outdoor Championships

Thursday, May 12

Tuscaloosa, AL

Florida Gators

SEC Outdoor Championships

Eriksson is the third Gator to win the SEC hammer throw title. (Photo: Tim Casey/UAA)

Eriksson Wins Hammer Throw Title on Day One of SEC Outdoor Championships

Friday, May 13, 2016 | Track and Field

Anders Eriksson is just the second freshman to win the SEC hammer throw title since 2006

By: Zach Dirlam

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – The University of Florida track and field program got off to a solid start at the SEC Outdoor Championships on Thursday (May 12), with freshman hammer thrower Anders Eriksson nabbing an individual title and seven Gators advancing to the finals of their respective events.

Eriksson's victory in the hammer throw was the highlight of day one, and it came just after midnight local time, as severe weather and a power failure that shut down the stadium lights caused the event to be delayed multiple times.

After holding the lead through his first two throws, Eriksson found himself in third place as he stepped in for his fifth attempt. The pressure didn't faze the Swede, who threw 69.62 meters and held off two-time defending SEC champion Alex Poursanidis of Georgia.

Eriksson is the third Gator in program history to win the hammer throw, joining Jeremy Postin (2012) and Kyle Strawn (2013) as the only ones to claim the title.

Fifth-year senior Jayla Bostic was the only other Gator to score on day one. The Wellington, Fla. native took fourth in the hammer throw to log five points for UF's women.

In the preliminary races, Kyra Jefferson had one of the day's top performances, clocking the third-fastest wind-legal 200 meters time (22.56) by a collegian this year. On the men's side of the 200, Arman Hall dashed to an all-conditions personal best of 20.33 seconds.

The 400-meter hurdles was a standout event for Florida as well. Three men—Gabriel Aird, Eric Futch, TJ Holmes—qualified for the final, while Claudia Francis nabbed an automatic berth into the women's final.

Live streaming of days two and three will be provided by SEC Network + via Watch ESPN. Friday's (May 13) broadcast begins at 7:30 p.m. ET, while Saturday's coverage will begin at 4 p.m. ET. A two-hour replay of the event will be televised by ESPN2 at 3 p.m. ET on Sunday (May 15).

2016 SEC OUTDOOR CHAMPIONSHIPS NOTES

Florida's three finalists in the 400-meter hurdles are the most in the event since Ole Miss had three in 2011.
- The Gators are also just the third team since 2005 to have three 400-meter hurdles finalists, joining Georgia (2007), South Carolina (2008), and Ole Miss (2011) as the only other teams to do it
Jayla Bostic's fourth-place finish in the hammer throw matched her highest at the SEC Outdoor Championships, which she recorded back in 2013
- Bostic's fourth-place finishes remain the highest by a Gator in the event since Shawneise Williams took third place in 2008
Anders Eriksson joins Georgia's Alex Poursanidis as the only freshman since 2006 to win the SEC title in the hammer throw
Eriksson's winning mark of 69.62 meters (228 feet, 5 inches) is the farthest SEC title-winning throw since 2010, when LSU's Walter Henning won with a top mark of 237 feet, 3 inches

SEC OUTDOOR CHAMPIONSHIPS MEET INFORMATION (all times Eastern and subject to change)

Live Results (Prime Time Timing)
Results (PDF)
Friday Live Stream – 7:30 p.m. (SEC Network + via Watch ESPN)
Saturday Live Stream – 4:00 p.m. (SEC Network + via Watch ESPN)
Television Replay: Sunday, May 15, 3 p.m. (ESPN2)
Meet Notes
Complete Meet Schedule
SEC Outdoor Championships Central

Day One – Thursday, May 12th
Event	Place (Points Scored), Athlete – Time/Mark [Wind] \| Notes
800m (M)*	5. Andres Arroyo – 1:47.71 \| Advanced to final (automatic)
200m (W)*	4. Kyra Jefferson – 22.56 [+1.6] \| Advanced to final (automatic); third-fastest wind-legal time by a collegian this year; No. 4 all-conditions time in Division I
	Shayla Sanders – DNS
200m (M)*	2. Arman Hall – 20.33 [+3.4] \| Advanced to final (automatic); No. 3 time in Division I; No. 3 time in East Region; all-conditions personal record
	9. Ryan Clark – 20.71 [+1.3]
	18. Michael Timpson Jr. – 20.97 [+1.3] \| Tied season-best time
	24. Najee Glass – 21.10 [+1.9]
	28. Antwan Wright – 21.26 [+1.5]
400mH (W)*	4. Claudia Francis – 56.50 \| Advanced to final (automatic)
	16. Mikayla Barber – 59.56
400mH (M)*	3. TJ Holmes – 50.99 \| Advanced to final (automatic)
	5. Eric Futch – 51.18 \| Advanced to final (automatic)
	8. Gabriel Aird – 51.81 \| Advanced to final (time); personal record; No. 50 time in Division I; No. 25 time in East Region
	16. Maurice Dix – 55.93
HT (W)	4 (5). Jayla Bostic – 59.51 meters (194-11)
	18. Jontavia Dykes – 46.37 meters (152-1)
HT (M)	1 (10). Anders Eriksson – 69.62 meters (228-5) \| Third SEC hammer throw champion in school history
	15. AJ McFarland – 60.25 meters (197-8)
10,000m (M)	9. Eddie Garcia – 30:18.64
	Jimmy Clark – DNF

Day Two – Friday, May 13th
Time	Athlete -- Event
3:00 p.m.	Yanis David; Darrielle McQueen; Kimani Rushing – Women's Long Jump
4:00 p.m.	Kike Oniwinde; Megan Reed; Marija Vucenovic – Women's Javelin Throw
7:30 p.m.	KeAndre Bates – Men's Long Jump
	Ryann McEnany; Rushing – Women's 100-meter Hurdles (Prelims)
7:50 p.m.	Marques Burgman; Caleb Chambliss; Yanick Hart – Men's 110-meter Hurdles (Prelims)
8:10 p.m.	Elisabeth Bergh; Becky Greene; Amber Johnson; Taylor Tubbs – Women's 1,500 meters (Prelims)
8:30 p.m.	Lloydricia Cameron – Women's Shot Put
	Jack Beitter; Jack Guyton; Magnus Pettersen; Mac Reynolds – Men's 1,500 meters (Prelims)
8:55 p.m.	Sharrika Barnett; Robin Reynolds; Taylor Sharpe – Women's 400 meters (Prelims)
9:20 p.m.	Kunle Fasasi; Najee Glass; Hugh Graham Jr.; Arman Hall; Nick Uruburu – Men's 400 meters (Prelims)
9:45 p.m.	Kyra Jefferson; Shayla Sanders – Women's 100 meters (Prelims)
10:10 p.m.	Ryan Clark; Michael Timpson Jr.; Antwan Wright – Men's 100 meters (Prelims)
10:35 p.m.	Devin McDermott – Women's 3,000-meter Steeplechase
10:55 p.m.	Mark Mutz – Men's 3,000-meter Steeplechase

Day Three – Saturday, May 14th
Time	Athlete -- Event
12:30 p.m.	Lloydricia Cameron; Jontavia Dykes – Women's Discus Throw
12:35 p.m.	Yanis David; Darrielle McQueen – Women's Triple Jump
12:40 p.m.	Aaron Owens; Jared Watkins – Men's Pole Vault
4:00 p.m.	Robin Reynolds-Shayla Sanders-Kimani Rushing-Kyra Jefferson – Women's 4x100 Relay
4:10 p.m.	Antwan Wright-Hugh Graham Jr.-Michael Timpson Jr.-Ryan Clark – Men's 4x100 Relay
4:20 p.m.	Elisabeth Bergh; Becky Greene; Amber Johnson; Taylor Tubbs – Women's 1,500 meters
4:30 p.m.	Jack Beitter; Jack Guyton; Magnus Pettersen; Mac Reynolds – Men's 1,500 meters
4:40 p.m.	KeAndre Bates – Men's Triple Jump
	Ryann McEnany; Kimani Rushing – Women's 100-meter Hurdles
4:45 p.m.	Christopher Olson – Men's Discus Throw
4:50 p.m.	Marques Burgman; Caleb Chambliss; Yanick Hart – Men's 110-meter Hurdles
5:00 p.m.	Sharrika Barnett; Reynolds; Taylor Sharpe – Women's 400 meters
5:10 p.m.	Kunle Fasasi; Najee Glass; Graham Jr.; Arman Hall; Nick Uruburu – Men's 400 meters
5:20 p.m.	Jefferson; Sanders – Women's 100 meters
5:30 p.m.	R. Clark; Timpson Jr.; Wright – Men's 100 meters
5:50 p.m.	Andres Arroyo – Men's 800 meters
6:00 p.m.	Claudia Francis – Women's 400-meter Hurdles
6:10 p.m.	Gabriel Aird; Eric Futch; TJ Holmes – Men's 400-meter Hurdles
6:20 p.m.	Jefferson – Women's 200 meters
6:30 p.m.	Arman Hall – Men's 200 meters
6:40 p.m.	Bergh; Johnson; Devin McDermott; Tubbs – Women's 5,000 meters
7:00 p.m.	Charles Chambers; Jimmy Clark; Eddie Garcia; Guyton; Pettersen; M. Reynolds – Men's 5,000 meters
7:25 p.m.	R. Reynolds-Jefferson-Barnett-Francis – Women's 4x400 Relay
7:35 p.m.	Fasasi-Hall-Graham Jr.-Glass – Men's 4x400 Relay

Notes: * - denotes preliminary race; all NCAA Division I and East Region rankings are for the 2016 season and based on results as of May 11 and SEC Outdoor Championships results through May 12.

Men's Top Five Teams
Place	Team	Points
1.	No. 9 Alabama	15
2.	Ole Miss	13
3.	No. 6 Georgia	12
T-4.	No. 4 Arkansas	10
	No. 2 Florida	10
	Kentucky	10

Women's Top Five Teams
Place	Team	Points
1.	No. 11 Georgia	12
2.	No. 25 Ole Miss	11
T-3.	No. 1 Kentucky	10
	No. 13 Tennessee	10
5.	Missouri	8
T-8	No. 6 Florida	5

HEARING OUT (COACH) HOLLOWAY
On the overall assessment of day one…
"Overall, we had a very good day, with the exception of a couple minor mistakes. We did a great job of qualifying today. Arman Hall and Kyra Jefferson in the 200, the three men in the 400-meter hurdles, Claudia in the women's 400 hurdles, and even Mikayla (Barber), who didn't qualify, still ran about her personal best. Thought Ryan Clark made a couple of rookie mistakes (in the 200), and that cost him a spot in the final. But those things happen. Jayla (Bostic) did a great job in the women's hammer, and, obviously, Anders (Eriksson) winning the hammer is a big deal for a freshman. Very happy for Coach (Steve) Lemke and all the work they've done.

"We got off to a good start. We've got some qualifying to get done tomorrow, men's and women's long jumps, and some discuses to throw tomorrow; we've just got to keep competing hard and keep getting after it. If we can keep doing that, we'll be ok."

On Anders rising to the occasion in a pressure-filled men's hammer throw competition…
"For a freshman to show that kind of poise, it bodes well for us for the future. Most freshmen in that position would've cracked, but he got in the ring, discussed with Coach Lemke what he was doing wrong, and he went out there and executed. Ironically, he still didn't like the throw, but it was enough to be the SEC champion today. This meet has a way of putting a lot of pressure on people. For him to handle that pressure as a freshman was pretty big."

ERIKSSON'S THOUGHTS
On achieving something this great so early in his collegiate career…
"It's a really good feeling. Had a pretty good season coming in (to tonight), ranked No. 1 (in the SEC). It's always good to finish first in a meet like this. To perform well on such a long day, after all the delays, I'm really happy with that."

On what it was like facing the elite-level competition he saw tonight…
"I always have big goals, so getting used to big competitions is good. I was expecting this. I know there's a lot of good guys in the SEC. It feels good to perform well under those kind of circumstances."

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