Friday, March 31
Gainesville, FL
Florida Gators
vs
Pepsi Florida Relays
Taylor Sharpe ran far and away her fastest open 400 in a Gator uniform Friday afternoon.
Success All Around for Gators as Pepsi Florida Relays Continue
Saturday, April 1, 2017 | Track and Field
Florida posted several marks that should punch tickets for May's NCAA East Preliminary
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Much like the weather, Florida track and field turned up the heat Friday (March 31) at the 73rd annual Pepsi Florida Relays. The Gators logged 14 national top 10s, added another five top 20s, posted five Florida All-Time Outdoor Top 10s, and racked up 15 personal records at Percy Beard Track.
Senior 400-meter hurdlers Eric Futch and TJ Holmes seized the national lead with a 1-2 finish, clocking in at 49.57 and 49.80 seconds, respectively.
Freshman Clayton Brown cleared a nation-leading 2.21 meters (7 feet, 3 inches) to become the No. 6-ranked outdoor high jumper in school history. Less than a half hour later, the St. Andrew, Jamaica native posted a long jump mark (7.62 meters / 25 feet) that should qualify him for the NCAA East Preliminary.
Both Shayla Sanders and Brandee' Johnson logged national top 10s in multiple events Friday afternoon.
Sanders ran the fifth-fastest 100 meters (11.28, wind-legal) and the eighth-fastest 200 meters (22.95, wind-legal) in the nation.
In her collegiate 400 hurdles debut, Johnson became the No. 6-ranked Gator in program history, and the No. 4-ranked woman in the nation. The Suffolk, Va. native also ran a heavily wind-aided 13.14 in the 100 hurdles, cracking the national top 10, which does not require wind-legal times as part of qualification for the NCAA East Preliminary.
The Gators got two more national top 10s in the women's 400 meters from sophomore Sharrika Barnett (52.25) and Taylor Sharpe (52.78). And they went on to add another in the men's 800 meters, as senior Andres Arroyo ran the third-fastest time of his outdoor career (1:46.42)—which is also the No. 3-ranked time in the nation.
In the evening session, javelin thrower Marija Vucenovic and 1,500 meters runner Taylor Tubbs cracked the NCAA top 10. Tubbs ran a PR and missed UF's All-Time Outdoor Top 10 by less than a second.
Three Gators who did not miss the program's all-time list Friday were Hannah Brookover (3,000-meter steeplechase), Jack Guyton (1,500 meters), and AJ McFarland (hammer throw).
Saturday's (April 1) competition is almost exclusively relays, and several Gator Greats will be running for professional and unattached teams. Two-time Olympic gold medalist and four-time World Championships gold medalist Kerron Clement, two-time Olympic gold medalist and two-time World Championships gold medalist Christian Taylor, as well as 2016 Olympic 4x400 relay gold medalists Arman Hall and Tony McQuay are all scheduled to appear on various relay teams.
Three meet records were broken Friday, all of which came in the high school competition. They were: The Bolles School girls distance medley relay (11:53.76), American Heritage Plantation boys 4x200 relay (1:24.75), and Anthony Schwartz of American Heritage Plantation, who also broke the 100 meters world youth record (10.12, +2.0).
Saturday's (April 1) action will be streamed live on SEC Network +, via Watch ESPN. Results are provided by Delta Timing.
HEARING OUT (COACH) HOLLOWAY
Head coach Mike Holloway on the overall day of competition for the Gators…
"Very impressive day. It's always good to see the student-athletes perform well in a competition when we can't do everything we want to coaching-wise. To watch them be able to do more extensive things with their warmup shows they're paying attention in practice and doing what we ask them to do.
"Overall, I was pleased with a lot of people. Extremely proud of Taylor Sharpe and her Florida Gators PR in the 400, Taylor Tubbs with her PR in the 1,500, just missing the all-time top 10, Brandee' Johnson with her two hurdle races, and Jack Guyton dropping two seconds off his personal best.
"Thought Sharrika Barnett ran well. Good to see Nick Uruburu start coming back around. That was important. He's a great guy who means a lot to this program, and has just struggled with injuries … starting to see some more life out of him. Really proud of Marques Burgman and Caleb Chambliss in the hurdles today. Coach Mann has been working hard with them … seeing them come through was important. Michael Timpson Jr. with a 200 PR today, just off his PR in the 100. Thought Jontavia (Dykes) did a great job in the discus. Very proud of Marija Vucenovic winning the javelin tonight, and a big PR for AJ McFarland tonight in the hammer. Shayla Sanders, her second race of the year, for her to get her sharpness back, really pleased with her as well.
"And what Clayton Brown did today was just phenomenal. He gets the national lead in the high jump, changes his spikes, walks across the track and, less than a half hour later, he long jumps 25 feet. Quite a performance."
Holloway on his assessment of Eric Futch's and TJ Holmes' openers given the expectations surrounding them…
"We told them both they needed to come out, run within themselves, and get a sound qualifier. Did not need to do anything crazy today. They both understood the race plan we gave them, and they went out and executed. It's a build to the championship. They were part of the system and ran their best at the national meet last year. That's what we want to do this year. Outdoors isn't like indoors where you're chasing marks."
Holloway on Hannah Brookover's huge PR in the steeplechase…
"My girl Brook, as I call her, she's a freshman and sometimes puts a lot of pressure on herself to do big things. To come out and run a 30-second PR, in only the second steeple of her life, was big. She's a young lady we feel like could, one day, be the face of our program. We're really excited about the future for her."
Holloway on the day at the Pepsi Florida Relays as a whole…
"First off, I want to thank Coach (Jim) McElwain and the football program for allowing us to use the indoor practice facility and the football fields up top. That made the meet go a lot smoother, because everyone had a quality place to warm up. The Florida Relays has become a premier meet in the southeast part of the country, and every year it keeps getting bigger and better."
PEPSI FLORIDA RELAYS MEET INFORMATION (all times Eastern)
Notes: ^ - denotes invitational competition; * - denotes preliminary race; all national times/marks based on TFRRS National Descending Order List entering March 30, and Pepsi Florida Relays results
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JOIN THE CONVERSATION: #GoGators; #PushTheButton; #TheMissionContinues
Senior 400-meter hurdlers Eric Futch and TJ Holmes seized the national lead with a 1-2 finish, clocking in at 49.57 and 49.80 seconds, respectively.
????NCAA LEADERS ALERT????@TjHolmes_400H taking it out and @EricUF_Futch closing ???? seems to work well ??#FLRelays17 #GoGators pic.twitter.com/OrsEIh1GNK
— Gators T & F and XC (@GatorsTF) March 31, 2017
Freshman Clayton Brown cleared a nation-leading 2.21 meters (7 feet, 3 inches) to become the No. 6-ranked outdoor high jumper in school history. Less than a half hour later, the St. Andrew, Jamaica native posted a long jump mark (7.62 meters / 25 feet) that should qualify him for the NCAA East Preliminary.
When you grab the NCAA high jump lead, and go long jump 25 feet a half hour later ??#FLRelays17 #GoGators
— Gators T & F and XC (@GatorsTF) April 1, 2017
(??: @TimCaseyPhoto, @courtnerz) pic.twitter.com/nG9QLOPIV4
Both Shayla Sanders and Brandee' Johnson logged national top 10s in multiple events Friday afternoon.
Sanders ran the fifth-fastest 100 meters (11.28, wind-legal) and the eighth-fastest 200 meters (22.95, wind-legal) in the nation.
In her collegiate 400 hurdles debut, Johnson became the No. 6-ranked Gator in program history, and the No. 4-ranked woman in the nation. The Suffolk, Va. native also ran a heavily wind-aided 13.14 in the 100 hurdles, cracking the national top 10, which does not require wind-legal times as part of qualification for the NCAA East Preliminary.
ICYMI: @Lilmamba_nuna dropped a top-5 national time.... in her first collegiate 400 hurdles race ??
— Gators T & F and XC (@GatorsTF) March 31, 2017
5??7??.2??1?? #FLRelays17 #GoGators pic.twitter.com/qcUCUmyG7h
The Gators got two more national top 10s in the women's 400 meters from sophomore Sharrika Barnett (52.25) and Taylor Sharpe (52.78). And they went on to add another in the men's 800 meters, as senior Andres Arroyo ran the third-fastest time of his outdoor career (1:46.42)—which is also the No. 3-ranked time in the nation.
WATCH ?? @FloridaGators Sharrika Barnett run 5??2??.2??5?? ??????
— Gators T & F and XC (@GatorsTF) March 31, 2017
Tune in LIVE on SEC Network +#GoGators #FLRelays17https://t.co/jeRoQ2Ll0E
In the evening session, javelin thrower Marija Vucenovic and 1,500 meters runner Taylor Tubbs cracked the NCAA top 10. Tubbs ran a PR and missed UF's All-Time Outdoor Top 10 by less than a second.
Three Gators who did not miss the program's all-time list Friday were Hannah Brookover (3,000-meter steeplechase), Jack Guyton (1,500 meters), and AJ McFarland (hammer throw).
Saturday's (April 1) competition is almost exclusively relays, and several Gator Greats will be running for professional and unattached teams. Two-time Olympic gold medalist and four-time World Championships gold medalist Kerron Clement, two-time Olympic gold medalist and two-time World Championships gold medalist Christian Taylor, as well as 2016 Olympic 4x400 relay gold medalists Arman Hall and Tony McQuay are all scheduled to appear on various relay teams.
Three meet records were broken Friday, all of which came in the high school competition. They were: The Bolles School girls distance medley relay (11:53.76), American Heritage Plantation boys 4x200 relay (1:24.75), and Anthony Schwartz of American Heritage Plantation, who also broke the 100 meters world youth record (10.12, +2.0).
Saturday's (April 1) action will be streamed live on SEC Network +, via Watch ESPN. Results are provided by Delta Timing.
HEARING OUT (COACH) HOLLOWAY
Head coach Mike Holloway on the overall day of competition for the Gators…
"Very impressive day. It's always good to see the student-athletes perform well in a competition when we can't do everything we want to coaching-wise. To watch them be able to do more extensive things with their warmup shows they're paying attention in practice and doing what we ask them to do.
"Overall, I was pleased with a lot of people. Extremely proud of Taylor Sharpe and her Florida Gators PR in the 400, Taylor Tubbs with her PR in the 1,500, just missing the all-time top 10, Brandee' Johnson with her two hurdle races, and Jack Guyton dropping two seconds off his personal best.
"Thought Sharrika Barnett ran well. Good to see Nick Uruburu start coming back around. That was important. He's a great guy who means a lot to this program, and has just struggled with injuries … starting to see some more life out of him. Really proud of Marques Burgman and Caleb Chambliss in the hurdles today. Coach Mann has been working hard with them … seeing them come through was important. Michael Timpson Jr. with a 200 PR today, just off his PR in the 100. Thought Jontavia (Dykes) did a great job in the discus. Very proud of Marija Vucenovic winning the javelin tonight, and a big PR for AJ McFarland tonight in the hammer. Shayla Sanders, her second race of the year, for her to get her sharpness back, really pleased with her as well.
"And what Clayton Brown did today was just phenomenal. He gets the national lead in the high jump, changes his spikes, walks across the track and, less than a half hour later, he long jumps 25 feet. Quite a performance."
Holloway on his assessment of Eric Futch's and TJ Holmes' openers given the expectations surrounding them…
"We told them both they needed to come out, run within themselves, and get a sound qualifier. Did not need to do anything crazy today. They both understood the race plan we gave them, and they went out and executed. It's a build to the championship. They were part of the system and ran their best at the national meet last year. That's what we want to do this year. Outdoors isn't like indoors where you're chasing marks."
Holloway on Hannah Brookover's huge PR in the steeplechase…
"My girl Brook, as I call her, she's a freshman and sometimes puts a lot of pressure on herself to do big things. To come out and run a 30-second PR, in only the second steeple of her life, was big. She's a young lady we feel like could, one day, be the face of our program. We're really excited about the future for her."
Holloway on the day at the Pepsi Florida Relays as a whole…
"First off, I want to thank Coach (Jim) McElwain and the football program for allowing us to use the indoor practice facility and the football fields up top. That made the meet go a lot smoother, because everyone had a quality place to warm up. The Florida Relays has become a premier meet in the southeast part of the country, and every year it keeps getting bigger and better."
PEPSI FLORIDA RELAYS MEET INFORMATION (all times Eastern)
- Saturday Stream – 2:35-7:10 p.m. (SEC Network + / Watch ESPN)
- Live Results (Delta Timing)
- Pepsi Florida Relays Central
- Parking/Ticketing/Spectator Information
- Day Two Results – High School (PDF)
- Day Two Results – Collegiate (PDF)
- Day One Recap / Results
- Venue: Percy Beard Track (James G. Pressly Stadium)
- Ranked Teams Competing (men/women): No. 2/1 Oregon, No. 22/2 Kentucky, No. 8/15 Alabama, No. 13/23 Ole Miss, No. 14/11 Tennessee, No. 21/20 Virginia Tech, No. 25/22 South Carolina, No. --/10 Florida State, No. --/16 Miami (Fla.), No. 16/-- Syracuse, No. 23/-- Western Kentucky
| Friday, March 31 (except for 4x400 relays, all events are finals) | |
| Event | Place, Gator – Time/Mark [Wind] | Notes |
| 100m (M) | 5. Tony McQuay (2010-12) – 10.13 [+5.1] |
| 7. Jeff Demps (2009-12) – 10.21 [+5.1] | |
| 20. Michael Timpson Jr. – 10.38 [+2.2] | No. 18-ranked time in Division I | |
| 21. Ryan Clark – 10.41 [+0.4] | |
| 37. KeAndre Bates – 10.60 [+4.4] | |
| 43. Marquis Dendy – 10.67 [+2.2] | |
| 48. Damien Daniels – 10.72 [+4.4] | |
| 100m (W) | 5. Shayla Sanders – 11.28 [+1.3] | No. 5-ranked time in Division I |
| 200m (M) ^ | 4. Timpson Jr. – 20.77 [+2.2] | No. 11-ranked time in Division I; all-conditions PR |
| 200m (W) ^ | 2. Sanders – 22.95 [+0.4] | No. 8-ranked time in Division I |
| 400m (M) | 14. Nick Uruburu – 47.27 |
| 28. Jabari Hill – 48.13 | |
| 400m (W) | 2. Sharrika Barnett – 52.25 | No. 3-ranked time in Division I |
| 3. Taylor Sharpe – 52.78 | No. 6-ranked time in Division I | |
| 6. Kyra Jefferson – 52.88 | |
| 16. Destinee Gause – 54.06 | |
| 800m (M) | 3. Andres Arroyo – 1:46.42 | No. 3-ranked time in Division I |
| 10. Sean Obinwa (2010-14) – 1:48.49 | |
| 16. Ryan Schnulle – 1:49.21 | No. 25-ranked time in Division I | |
| 52. Kyren Hollis – 1:54.52 | |
| 800m (W) | 2. Cory McGee (2011-14) – 2:02.55 |
| 1,500m (M) | 2. Jack Guyton – 3:43.63 | No. 6-ranked time on UF's All-Time Outdoor Top 10; No. 4-ranked time in Division I |
| 10. Mac Reynolds – 3:47.13 | No. 19-ranked time in Division I; personal record | |
| 18. Jack Beitter – 3:50.79 | |
| 30. Jack Rogers – 3:54.67 | |
| 46. Dominic Williams – 4:02.38 | First collegiate 1,500 meters race | |
| 1,500m (W) | 8. Taylor Tubbs – 4:20.61 | Missed UF's All-Time Outdoor Top 10 by 0.05 seconds; personal record; No. 10-ranked time in Division I |
| 12. Becky Greene – 4:25.50 | |
| 21. Amber Johnson – 4:32.11 | |
| 29. Caitlin McQuilkin-Bell – 4:35.83 | |
| 57. Delaney Tiernan – 5:02.89 | Collegiate personal record | |
| 58. Madison Morse – 5:14.28 | |
| 110mH (M) | 4. Eddie Lovett (2011-14) – 13.66 [+1.9] |
| 18. Marques Burgman – 14.16 [+1.5] | Topped personal record by 0.22 seconds | |
| 19. Caleb Chambliss – 14.18 [+1.5] | Topped personal record by 0.34 seconds | |
| 100mH (W) | 9. Brandee' Johnson – 13.14 [+4.9] | No. 8-ranked time in Division I |
| 26. Ryann McEnany – 13.65 [+0.2] | Personal record | |
| 58. Skylar Ross-Ransom – 14.55 [+4.9] | |
| 400mH (M) | 1. Eric Futch – 49.57 | Division I-leading time |
| 2. TJ Holmes – 49.80 | No. 2-ranked time in Division I | |
| 400mH (W) | 2. B. Johnson – 57.21 | No. 5-ranked time on UF's All-Time Outdoor Top 10; No. 4-ranked time in Division I |
| 29. Mikayla Barber – 1:01.79 | |
| 3kSC (M) | 2. Mark Parrish – 8:42.40 |
| 15. Marshall Dillon – 9:21.20 | Topped personal record by 15.03 seconds | |
| 20. Bryce Statham – 9:35.28 | Topped personal record by 21.10 seconds | |
| 23. Zach Purvis – 9:36.21 | Topped personal record by 22.92 seconds | |
| 26. Jesse Millson – 9:42.43 | Topped personal record by 10.92 seconds | |
| 3kSC (W) | 4. Hannah Brookover – 10:24.23 | No. 6-ranked time on UF's All-Time Outdoor Top 10; topped personal record by 30.83 seconds; No. 6-ranked time in Division I |
| 15. Emily Chapman – 11:16.53 | Topped personal record by 12.20 seconds | |
| 16. Maggie Parrish – 11:18.23 | Topped personal record by 25.96 seconds | |
| 4x400 (M) * | 6. Uruburu-Shayne Rodney-Schnulle-Hill – 3:11.48 | Advanced to final |
| HJ (M) ^ | 1. Clayton Brown – 2.21 meters (7-3) | No. 6-ranked mark on UF's All-Time Outdoor Top 10; Division I-leading clearance |
| 3. Jhonny Victor – 2.11 meters (6-11) | Tied season-best mark | |
| LJ (M) ^ | 4. Brown – 7.62 meters (25-0) [+2.8] | Tied No. 12-ranked mark in Division I |
| LJ (W) | Asa Garcia – NM |
| DT (W) ^ | 9. Jontavia Dykes – 49.35m (161-11) | Season-best mark |
| Lloydricia Cameron – FOUL | |
| HT (M) ^ | 9. AJ McFarland – 65.34 meters (214-4) | Topped own No. 4 Florida All-Time Outdoor Top 10 mark by 3.28 meters (10 feet, 9 inches); No. 18-ranked mark in Division I |
| JT (W) | 1. Marija Vucenovic – 54.29 meters (178-1) | No. 3-ranked mark in Division I |
| 19. Megan Reed – 37.48 meters (122-11) | |
| Saturday, April 1 (all events are finals) | |
| Time | Gators – Event |
| 1:00 p.m. | Harry Glasser; Michael Harris; Aaron Owens – Men's Pole Vault |
| Lloydricia Cameron – Women's Shot Put (invite) | |
| 1:30 p.m. | KeAndre Bates – Men's Triple Jump |
| 2:40 p.m. | Brandee' Johnson-Shayla Sanders-Destinee Gause-Kyra Jefferson – Women's 4x100 relay |
| 3:05 p.m. | Michael Timpson Jr.-Grant Holloway-Eric Futch-Ryan Clark – Men's 4x100 Relay |
| Christian Taylor (2009-11) – Men's 4x100 Relay | |
| 3:30 p.m. | Chloe Jones – Women's Shot Put |
| 4:00 p.m. | Yanis David; Asa Garcia; Ebony Luster; Darrielle McQueen – Women's Triple Jump |
| 4:05 p.m. | Amber Johnson-Becky Greene-Taylor Tubbs-Hannah Brookover – Women's 4x800 Relay |
| 4:20 p.m. | Jack Guyton-Ryan Schnulle-Mac Reynolds-Andres Arroyo – Men's 4x800 Relay |
| 4:55 p.m. | Christian Taylor (2009-11) – Men's 4x200 Relay |
| 5:30 p.m. | Jack Rogers-TBD-Kyren Hollis-Jack Beitter – Men's Distance Medley Relay |
| 6:20 p.m. | Nick Uruburu-Shayne Rodney-Ryan Schnulle-Jabari Hill – Men's 4x400 Relay |
| 6:40 p.m. | Arman Hall (2013-16); Kerron Clement (2004-05) – Men's Olympic Development 4x400 Relay |
| 6:50 p.m. | Gause-Sharrika Barnett-B. Johnson-Jefferson – Women's Tom Jones Invitational 4x400 Relay |
| 7:00 p.m. | Futch-Holloway-Clark-Nick Uruburu (TJ Holmes) – Men's Jimmy Carnes Invitational 4x400 Relay |
Notes: ^ - denotes invitational competition; * - denotes preliminary race; all national times/marks based on TFRRS National Descending Order List entering March 30, and Pepsi Florida Relays results
FOLLOW THE GATORS
SOCIAL: Twitter | Facebook | YouTube | Instagram
JOIN THE CONVERSATION: #GoGators; #PushTheButton; #TheMissionContinues
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