Friday, March 9
College Station, TX
6:30 PM
Florida Gators
at
NCAA Indoor Championships
Lloydricia Cameron had her best-ever finish at an NCAA Championship, finishing fourth in the shot put.
Gators in NCAA Championships Trophy Hunt after Day One
Friday, March 9, 2018 | Track and Field
Florida sits in the top three of both the men's and women's competitions
COLLEGE STATION, Texas – Florida's women scored 13 points, while its men tallied 11, highlighted by sophomore Grant Holloway's runner-up finish in the long jump, on day one of the NCAA Indoor Championships.
The Gators enter Saturday's final competitions ranked second on the women's side and tied for third on the men's side of the team standings.
Holloway fouled his first two attempts of the long jump, but climbed to third place and kept his night alive with a leap of 7.96 meters (26 feet, 1.5 inches). Still in third entering his fifth run, Holloway seized the lead with an eight-centimeter personal record of 8.13 meters (26 feet, 8.25 inches)—which ties Dion Bentley for No. 2 on the program's All-Time Indoor Top 10.
(Literally) moments later, Holloway posted the fastest 60-meter hurdles preliminary time, clocking 7.58 seconds and automatically qualifying for Saturday's final.
Also in the men's long jump, senior KeAndre Bates finished sixth, recording a season-best mark of 7.90 meters (25 feet, 11 inches). The El Paso, Texas native has scored in all six NCAA Championships long jump competitions he's qualified for during his career, and he joined the aforementioned Dion Bentley (1990-93) as the only Gator in history to do so four times at NCAA Indoors.
Senior Lloydricia Cameron, who finished seventh at each of the last three NCAA Championships, took fourth place in the shot put. It is the highest finish by a Gator since 2010, when Mariam Kevkhishvili won her third consecutive national title. Cameron's top mark was 17.33 meters (56 feet, 10.25 inches), leaving her just four centimeters behind the bronze medalist.
Junior Yanis David and senior Darrielle McQueen combined for eight points in the women's long jump, finishing fourth and sixth, respectively. David's top mark of 6.42 meters (21 feet, 0.75 inches) was only seven centimeters off her personal record. Both her and McQueen's finishes were the best by a Gator at NCAA Indoors since 2010, when Shara Proctor took third. McQueen's finish was the second best of her career in any NCAA Championships competition.
Junior Sharrika Barnett was the only other Gator with a preliminary Friday night, and she posted the second-fastest 400 meters qualifying time to earn a spot in Saturday's final. Barnett's time of 51.49 shaved 0.15 seconds off her personal best, making her the No. 2-ranked quarter-miler on the program's All-Time Indoor Top 10.
ESPN3 will provide live streaming Saturday at 5 p.m. ET. A condensed television replay will air Sunday, March 11 at 7 p.m. on ESPN2, and again at 9 p.m. on ESPNU. A third replay will air Monday, March 12 at 1 p.m. on ESPNU.
QUOTES
Head coach Mike Holloway on the scores posted by the men's and women's teams…
"You always hope you can get a little bit more, but (Grant and KeAndre) come in here, Grant a huge PR, KeAndre a big season best in an incredible long jump competition. I'm just proud of them because they got up there and engaged in the competition. For us to come out of (the men's long jump) with 11 points, very proud of those guys. Grant coming back and just walking off the long jump runway and running the fastest time in the hurdles, with no hurdle warmup, was just a phenomenal job.
"Thought Sharrika Barnett was phenomenal today. Big personal best for her, and looked comfortable doing it. Girls in the long jump, battled again. They stuck their noses in there and got us eight big points. (Lloydricia Cameron) was Lolo. I'm very proud of Lolo because of the way she's matured over the last year. I know she's happy she was fourth and scored points for the team, but I know she wants more and I'm looking forward to watching her compete outdoors."
Coach Holloway on Grant's performance Friday night…
"Honestly, I've never seen anything like that in my life. It was totally mind-boggling. In between the prelims and finals of the long jump, I walked over to him and said we've got to make a decision. Do you want to keep jumping, or do you want to go back and do a hurdle warmup? He said, 'I'm (going to keep) jumping.' I said, 'You're just going to walk over and just jump in the blocks for the hurdles?' He said, 'Yes, I am.' That's what it was. Phenomenal job by him. We train that way, so it's not like he hasn't done it before, but doing it in the heat of the battle at NCAA Championships is a different deal."
Coach Holloway on Barnett's personal record in the 400 meters preliminary…
"I just challenged her to trust her training. Like most Florida kids, she doesn't like indoors. I just told her we were ready to run 51 low, maybe 50 in the right race. She went out and executed very well. Very proud of her. She doesn't like indoors, and absolutely can't stand to be out in front with everybody chasing her; she had two monsters in the back of her head today, and she exorcised both of those."
Grant Holloway on his performance Friday night…
"The day was awesome. PR in the long jump. I can't really be upset with Will's (Williams) performance; he's at home, he's got the crowd behind him. Big shout-out to Will. In the hurdles, I did what I had to do with, basically, no hurdle warmup at all. I'm very pleased with my time going into tomorrow. Got a lot of momentum. I can't wait to go out there and kill it."
Holloway on whether he was nervous having two fouls entering what could have been his final jump…
"I was nervous. But that's the same situation I was in at outdoor nationals (last year). I kind of knew what I had to do, but at the same time I didn't want to foul out … that would just completely take us out of the team running. I did what I had to do in a clutch situation."
Holloway whether or not he's had a day where the hurdles and long jump were so close together…
"I had it a lot in high school, but doing it in high school versus the NCAA level is completely different. Whenever I take off my shoes, it's kind of like another de-shift, and trying to focus on another event."
Lloydricia Cameron on her best-ever finish at an NCAA Championship…
"I'm really happy about placing fourth. All my indoor and outdoor nationals, I've been placing seventh. I'm really thankful I was able to place higher. That's the biggest plus I had today. My season has been great indoors. It didn't go the way I wanted it to go today, but I'm thankful because I had better days this season. I'm thankful. This year, I felt so much more confident. I just felt a good vibe from the beginning of the season. I'm happy about this indoor season."
NCAA INDOOR CHAMPIONSHIPS INFORMATION (all times Eastern)
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The Gators enter Saturday's final competitions ranked second on the women's side and tied for third on the men's side of the team standings.
Holloway fouled his first two attempts of the long jump, but climbed to third place and kept his night alive with a leap of 7.96 meters (26 feet, 1.5 inches). Still in third entering his fifth run, Holloway seized the lead with an eight-centimeter personal record of 8.13 meters (26 feet, 8.25 inches)—which ties Dion Bentley for No. 2 on the program's All-Time Indoor Top 10.
(Literally) moments later, Holloway posted the fastest 60-meter hurdles preliminary time, clocking 7.58 seconds and automatically qualifying for Saturday's final.
Also in the men's long jump, senior KeAndre Bates finished sixth, recording a season-best mark of 7.90 meters (25 feet, 11 inches). The El Paso, Texas native has scored in all six NCAA Championships long jump competitions he's qualified for during his career, and he joined the aforementioned Dion Bentley (1990-93) as the only Gator in history to do so four times at NCAA Indoors.
Senior Lloydricia Cameron, who finished seventh at each of the last three NCAA Championships, took fourth place in the shot put. It is the highest finish by a Gator since 2010, when Mariam Kevkhishvili won her third consecutive national title. Cameron's top mark was 17.33 meters (56 feet, 10.25 inches), leaving her just four centimeters behind the bronze medalist.
Junior Yanis David and senior Darrielle McQueen combined for eight points in the women's long jump, finishing fourth and sixth, respectively. David's top mark of 6.42 meters (21 feet, 0.75 inches) was only seven centimeters off her personal record. Both her and McQueen's finishes were the best by a Gator at NCAA Indoors since 2010, when Shara Proctor took third. McQueen's finish was the second best of her career in any NCAA Championships competition.
.@Yaniis_Dav came to the U.S. barely able to speak English.
— Gators Track and Field & Cross Country (@GatorsTF) March 8, 2018
Luckily, she said plenty with her emotions and handshttps://t.co/cHJDo19dJR
Junior Sharrika Barnett was the only other Gator with a preliminary Friday night, and she posted the second-fastest 400 meters qualifying time to earn a spot in Saturday's final. Barnett's time of 51.49 shaved 0.15 seconds off her personal best, making her the No. 2-ranked quarter-miler on the program's All-Time Indoor Top 10.
ESPN3 will provide live streaming Saturday at 5 p.m. ET. A condensed television replay will air Sunday, March 11 at 7 p.m. on ESPN2, and again at 9 p.m. on ESPNU. A third replay will air Monday, March 12 at 1 p.m. on ESPNU.
QUOTES
Head coach Mike Holloway on the scores posted by the men's and women's teams…
"You always hope you can get a little bit more, but (Grant and KeAndre) come in here, Grant a huge PR, KeAndre a big season best in an incredible long jump competition. I'm just proud of them because they got up there and engaged in the competition. For us to come out of (the men's long jump) with 11 points, very proud of those guys. Grant coming back and just walking off the long jump runway and running the fastest time in the hurdles, with no hurdle warmup, was just a phenomenal job.
"Thought Sharrika Barnett was phenomenal today. Big personal best for her, and looked comfortable doing it. Girls in the long jump, battled again. They stuck their noses in there and got us eight big points. (Lloydricia Cameron) was Lolo. I'm very proud of Lolo because of the way she's matured over the last year. I know she's happy she was fourth and scored points for the team, but I know she wants more and I'm looking forward to watching her compete outdoors."
Coach Holloway on Grant's performance Friday night…
"Honestly, I've never seen anything like that in my life. It was totally mind-boggling. In between the prelims and finals of the long jump, I walked over to him and said we've got to make a decision. Do you want to keep jumping, or do you want to go back and do a hurdle warmup? He said, 'I'm (going to keep) jumping.' I said, 'You're just going to walk over and just jump in the blocks for the hurdles?' He said, 'Yes, I am.' That's what it was. Phenomenal job by him. We train that way, so it's not like he hasn't done it before, but doing it in the heat of the battle at NCAA Championships is a different deal."
Coach Holloway on Barnett's personal record in the 400 meters preliminary…
"I just challenged her to trust her training. Like most Florida kids, she doesn't like indoors. I just told her we were ready to run 51 low, maybe 50 in the right race. She went out and executed very well. Very proud of her. She doesn't like indoors, and absolutely can't stand to be out in front with everybody chasing her; she had two monsters in the back of her head today, and she exorcised both of those."
Grant Holloway on his performance Friday night…
"The day was awesome. PR in the long jump. I can't really be upset with Will's (Williams) performance; he's at home, he's got the crowd behind him. Big shout-out to Will. In the hurdles, I did what I had to do with, basically, no hurdle warmup at all. I'm very pleased with my time going into tomorrow. Got a lot of momentum. I can't wait to go out there and kill it."
Holloway on whether he was nervous having two fouls entering what could have been his final jump…
"I was nervous. But that's the same situation I was in at outdoor nationals (last year). I kind of knew what I had to do, but at the same time I didn't want to foul out … that would just completely take us out of the team running. I did what I had to do in a clutch situation."
Holloway whether or not he's had a day where the hurdles and long jump were so close together…
"I had it a lot in high school, but doing it in high school versus the NCAA level is completely different. Whenever I take off my shoes, it's kind of like another de-shift, and trying to focus on another event."
Lloydricia Cameron on her best-ever finish at an NCAA Championship…
"I'm really happy about placing fourth. All my indoor and outdoor nationals, I've been placing seventh. I'm really thankful I was able to place higher. That's the biggest plus I had today. My season has been great indoors. It didn't go the way I wanted it to go today, but I'm thankful because I had better days this season. I'm thankful. This year, I felt so much more confident. I just felt a good vibe from the beginning of the season. I'm happy about this indoor season."
NCAA INDOOR CHAMPIONSHIPS INFORMATION (all times Eastern)
- Meet Notes (PDF)
- Live Results (Flash Results)
- Saturday Stream – 5 p.m. (ESPN3)
- Television Replays: Sunday, March 11 – 7 p.m. (ESPN2); 9 p.m. (ESPNU); Monday, March 12 – 1 p.m. (ESPNU)
- Venue: Gilliam Indoor Stadium (Texas A&M University)
| Friday, March 9 (unless denoted by *, all events are finals) | |
| Event | Place (Points), Gator – Time / Mark | Notes |
| 400m (W)* | 2. Sharrika Barnett – 51.49 | No. 2-ranked time on UF's All-Time Indoor Top 10; second-fastest NCAA Indoor Championships preliminary time in meet history; advanced to final (time) |
| 60mH (M)* | 1. Grant Holloway – 7.58 | Advanced to final (automatic) |
| LJ (M) | 2 (8). Grant Holloway – 8.13 meters (26-8.25) | Tied No. 2-ranked time on UF's All-Time Indoor Top 10; topped personal record by 8 centimeters |
| 6 (3). KeAndre Bates – 7.90 meters (25-11) | |
| LJ (W) | 4 (5). Yanis David – 6.42 meters (21-0.75) |
| 6 (3). Darrielle McQueen – 6.40 meters (21-0) | |
| SP (W) | 4 (5). Lloydricia Cameron – 17.33 meters (56-10.25) | Best finish by a Gator since 2010 |
| Pentathlon | 9. Amanda Froeynes – 4,160 points | Third-best finish in program history |
| Pentathlon Event-by-Event Results | |
| 60mH | 14. Froeynes – 8.76 [961 points] | Topped personal record by 0.06 seconds |
| HJ | 6. Froeynes – 1.75 meters (5-8.75) [916 points] |
| SP | 15. Froeynes – 10.77 meters (35-4) [580 points] |
| LJ | 9. Froeynes – 5.78 meters (18-11.75) [783 points] |
| 800m | 2. Froeynes – 2:13.07 [920 points] | Topped personal record by 1.24 seconds |
| Saturday, March 10 (all events are finals) | |
| Time | Gator – Event |
| 3 p.m. | Thomas Mardal; AJ McFarland – Men's Weight Throw |
| 4:30 p.m. | Yanis David – Women's Triple Jump |
| 6 p.m. | Sharrika Barnett – Women's 400 meters |
| KeAndre Bates; Clayton Brown – Men's Triple Jump | |
| 6:10 p.m. | Grant Holloway – Men's 60-meter Hurdles |
| 7:40 p.m. | Kunle Fasasi-Holloway-Chantz Sawyers-Benjamin Lobo Vedel – Men's 4x400 Relay |
| 7:55 p.m. | Taylor Sharpe-Taylor Manson-Lauryn Ghee-Barnett – Women's 4x400 Relay |
| Top 5 Men's Teams | |
| Place | Team – Points |
| 1. | No. 12 Virginia Tech – 16 |
| 2. | No. 6 Texas A&M – 15.5 |
| t-3. | No. 3 Florida – 11 |
| No. 8 Alabama – 11 | |
| t-5. | No. 23 Colorado State – 10 |
| Kansas – 10 | |
| No. 14 Syracuse – 10 | |
| Top 5 Women's Teams | |
| Place | Team – Points |
| 1. | No. 1 Georgia – 33 |
| 2. | No. 6 Florida – 13 |
| 3. | No. 8 New Mexico – 12 |
| 4. | No. 22 Arizona State – 10 |
| No. 2 Arkansas – 10 | |
| No. 14 Missouri – 10 | |
| North Carolina – 10 | |
FOLLOW THE GATORS
SOCIAL: Twitter | Facebook | YouTube | Instagram
JOIN THE CONVERSATION: #GoGators; #PushTheButton; #TheMissionContinues
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