Gators Qualify Five for Finals, Score First Point at SEC Outdoors

Thursday, May 11

Columbia, SC

1 PM

Florida Gators

SEC Outdoor Championships

Kyra Jefferson was the top qualifier for the 200 meters final.

Gators Qualify Five for Finals, Score First Point at SEC Outdoors

Thursday, May 11, 2017 | Track and Field

Kyra Jefferson ran her fastest time since 2015, and one of the fastest times at this stage of the season in the last two years

By: Zach Dirlam

COLUMBIA, S.C. – Five Gators qualified for Saturday (May 13) finals, while the men's team scored their first point of the SEC Outdoor Championships on Thursday's (May 11) opening day.

Redshirt sophomore AJ McFarland put one point on the team scoreboard for the Gators, posting an eighth-place finish in the hammer throw. Sophomore Anders Eriksson finished ninth, but improved his season-best mark by nearly four meters (65.02) to solidify a spot at the NCAA East Preliminary.

.@AJ_UF77 scores the first point for the #Gators

This throw of 65.29 meters gives him an 8th-place finish #GoGators pic.twitter.com/tNBFbRDu8c
— Gators T & F and XC (@GatorsTF) May 11, 2017

Fifth-year senior Kyra Jefferson qualified for the 200 meters final with the fastest overall prelim time. Her wind-legal 22.43 was the fifth-fastest time of her career, and her fastest time since the 2015 NCAA Outdoor Championships, when she ran 22.24, the ninth-fastest time in collegiate history.

Jefferson's time also ranks second nationally and is the fastest by an SEC runner this year. Only Oregon's Deajah Stevens (22.31, 2017), Tennessee's Felicia Brown (22.26, 2016) have run faster wind-legal times prior to the NCAA Preliminaries in the last two seasons.

Seniors TJ Holmes (49.73) and Eric Futch (50.18) clocked the top two times in the 400-meter hurdles prelim, automatically qualifying for the final. Futch won last year's SEC and NCAA titles, while Holmes took third at SEC Outdoors and second at NCAA Outdoors.

Senior Andres Arroyo automatically advanced to the 800 meters final with the second-fastest preliminary time (1:48.31).

Great story from the @orlandosentinel on @SpeedyArroyo.

Give it a read tonight #GoGators https://t.co/PrYCj0O19m
— Gators T & F and XC (@GatorsTF) May 11, 2017

Freshman Brandee' Johnson secured an at-large berth in the women's 400 hurdles final with the seventh-fastest prelim time (58.03).

SEC Network +, via Watch ESPN, will provide live streaming Friday (May 12) and Saturday (May 13). Coverage begins at 6:25 p.m. ET Friday, and 3:10 p.m. ET Saturday. Both broadcasts will air until the conclusion of the day's events.

Follow @GatorsTF on Twitter for live updates throughout the week.

HEARING OUT (COACH) HOLLOWAY
Head coach Mike Holloway on the men's hammer throw competition…
"I was really proud of AJ (McFarland) and Anders (Eriksson). Anders, coming off of injury, I know ninth place is not what he was looking for, but he is getting better and better each week. The plan is for him to be at his best at the NCAA Championships."

Holloway on the five qualifiers for Saturday finals…
"Thought that Kyra (Jefferson), (Eric and TJ) in the 400 hurdles, Brandee' (Johnson) in the 400 hurdles, and Andres (Arroyo) all did a wonderful job. Feel bad for Ryan (Schnulle), who has been battling some illnesses the last year and a half. Hopefully we can get that figured out by the NCAA East Preliminary meet, because he's been a guy who's been phenomenal for this program, and I don't want his career to end that way.

"Overall, other than some minor bumps here and there, we had a great night. Did about what we expected to do. We've just got to come out tomorrow and be a little more focused, a little more driven."

SEC OUTDOOR CHAMPIONSHIPS MEET INFORMATION (all times Eastern)

Live Results (Prime Time Timing)
Friday Stream – 6:25 p.m. (SEC Network + / Watch ESPN)
Saturday Stream – 3:10 p.m. (SEC Network + / Watch ESPN)
Television Replay – Wednesday, May 17; 8:00 p.m. (ESPNU)
Meet Notes (PDF)
SEC Outdoor Championships Central
Venue: Sheila & Morris Cregger Track (University of South Carolina)

*Thursday, May 11 (unless denoted with * all events are finals)*
Event	Place (Points), Gator – Time/Mark [Wind] \| Notes
200m (M)*	18. Michael Timpson Jr. – 20.95 [+2.6]
	22. Ryan Clark – 21.16 [+2.3]
	30. Damien Daniels – 21.69 [+2.3] \| All-conditions personal record
	35. Shayne Rodney – 22.33 [+2.3]
200m (W)*	1. Kyra Jefferson – 22.43 [+1.5] \| Advanced to final (automatic); No. 2-ranked time in Division I
	16. Destinee Gause – 23.17 [+2.4] \| Season-best time; No. 25-ranked time in East Region
	20. Shayla Sanders – 23.48 [+1.1]
800m (M)	2. Andres Arroyo – 1:48.31 \| Advanced to final (automatic)
	8. Ryan Schnulle – 1:50.69 \| Missed final by 0.13 seconds
	14. Kyren Hollis – 1:53.38
10,000m (M)	14. Jonathan Hulzebos – 32:01.90
400mH (M)*	1. TJ Holmes – 49.73 \| Advanced to final (automatic)
	2. Eric Futch – 50.18 \| Advanced to final (automatic)
400mH (W)*	7. Brandee' Johnson – 58.03 \| Advanced to final (time)
HT (M)	8 (1). AJ McFarland – 65.29 meters (214-2)
	9. Anders Eriksson – 65.02 meters (213-14) \| No. 39-ranked mark in Division I; No. 26-ranked mark in East Region

*Friday, May 12 (unless noted otherwise* all events are finals)**
Time	Gators – Event
2:30 p.m.	KeAndre Bates; Grant Holloway – Men's Long Jump
4:00 p.m.	AJ McFarland; Christopher Olson – Men's Discus Throw
6:30 p.m.	Marques Burgman; Caleb Chambliss; Yanick Hart; Holloway – Men's 110-meter Hurdles (prelim)
	Clayton Brown; Jhonny Victor – Men's High Jump
6:45 p.m.	Yanis David; Darrielle McQueen – Women's Long Jump
6:50 p.m.	Brandee' Johnson; Ryann McEnany; Skylar Ross-Ransom – Women's 100-meter Hurdles (prelim)
7:00 p.m.	Lloydricia Cameron – Women's Shot Put
7:10 p.m.	Jack Guyton; Mac Reynolds – Men's 1,500 meters (prelim)
7:30 p.m.	Becky Greene; Amber Johnson – Women's 1,500 meters (prelim)
7:55 p.m.	Kunle Fasasi; Jabari Hill; Nick Uruburu – Men's 400 meters (prelim)
8:20 p.m.	Sharrika Barnett; Destinee Gause; Taylor Sharpe – Women's 400 meters (prelim)
8:45 p.m.	Ryan Clark; Damien Daniels; Michael Timpson Jr. – Men's 100 meters (prelim)
9:10 p.m.	Shayla Sanders – Women's 100 meters (prelim)
9:35 p.m.	Marshall Dillon – Men's 3,000-meter Steeplechase
9:55 p.m.	Hannah Brookover – Women's 3,000-meter Steeplechase

*Saturday, May 13 (all events are finals)*
Time	Gators – Event
11:00 a.m.	Megan Reed; Marija Vucenovic – Women's Javelin Throw
1:00 p.m.	KeAndre Bates; Clayton Brown – Men's Triple Jump
1:30 p.m.	Lloydricia Cameron; Jontavia Dykes – Women's Discus Throw
2:30 p.m.	Michael Harris; Aaron Owens – Men's Pole Vault
3:15 p.m.	Michael Timpson Jr.-Grant Holloway-Eric Futch-Ryan Clark – Men's 4x100 Relay
3:25 p.m.	Skylar Ross-Ransom-Shayla Sanders-Destinee Gause-Kyra Jefferson – Women's 4x100 Relay
3:35 p.m.	Jack Guyton; Mac Reynolds – Men's 1,500 meters
3:45 p.m.	Becky Greene; Amber Johnson – Women's 1,500 meters
3:55 p.m.	Marques Burgman; Caleb Chambliss; Yanick Hart; Holloway – Men's 110-meter Hurdles
4:05 p.m.	Brandee' Johnson; Ryann McEnany; Ross-Ransom – Women's 100-meter Hurdles
4:10 p.m.	Yanis David; Asa Garcia; Darrielle McQueen – Women's Triple Jump
4:15 p.m.	Kunle Fasasi; Jabari Hill; Nick Uruburu – Men's 400 meters
4:25 p.m.	Sharrika Barnett; Destinee Gause; Taylor Sharpe – Women's 400 meters
4:35 p.m.	Clark; Damien Daniels; Timpson Jr. – Men's 100 meters
4:45 p.m.	Sanders – Women's 100 meters
4:55 p.m.	Andres Arroyo – Men's 800 meters
5:15 p.m.	Futch; TJ Holmes – Men's 400-meter Hurdles
5:25 p.m.	B. Johnson – Women's 400-meter Hurdles
5:45 p.m.	Jefferson – Women's 200 meters
5:55 p.m.	Jack Guyton; Carlos Miranda; Mac Reynolds – Men's 5,000 meters
6:15 p.m.	Taylor Tubbs – Women's 5,000 meters
6:40 p.m.	Fasasi-Futch-Holmes-Holloway – Men's 4x400 Relay
6:50 p.m.	Sharpe-Jefferson-Barnett-Gause – Women's 4x400 Relay