Florida Gators
SEC Championships-Day 3
Gator Track Teams Gain Ground At SEC Championships
Sunday, May 12, 2002 | Track and Field
With one day remaining in the Southeastern Conference Track and Field Championships, the Florida Gators are in position for a tandem of top three finishes tomorrow. The Gator men's team received a boost from its field events and sophomore sprinter Rickey Harris, while its throwers and a school record in the steeplechase are leading the women's team
Harris ran a 44.84-second lap in the preliminaries of the 400m dash to be the top qualifier for the finals. His time ranks as the top time in the nation this season and fifth fastest in the world this year. Harris is also the top qualifier for the 400m hurdles final tomorrow. Harris inches closer to Tyrone Kemp's school record of 44.66.
The Gator women's team received 14 points from the discus throw, garnering second and third place finishers. After four events UF had a total of 31 points in the meet, all of which came from the throws. LaQuanda Cotton scored the second place finish with a mark of 175-11, which is a provisional qualifier and a personal best. Cotton also finished third in the hammer throw yesterday. Rachel Longfors was third with a mark of 172-0.
Finishing fourth in the 3,000m steeplechase, Mason Cathey set a school record of 10:42.82. She beats the old record by nearly 50 seconds. For the men's team, Chris Duncan was also fourth with a time of 9:07.29. Steve Zieminski joined him in the scoring places, finishing sixth at 9:15.42. Donnell Bowen was ninth in 9:21.75.
Brian DaCunha was third in the pole vault with a height of 17-3. The height is a provisional qualifier and a personal best outdoors. Krystle Moss was third in the high jump after clearing 5-7. The Gator men's team received a boost from the shot put with a second place finish from Jeff Rubenstein who had a seasonal best of 57-4.5 and Nick Briley who finished fourth with a personal best of 55-6.5
Keyon Soley was another third-place finisher for the Gators. She had a long jump mark of 21-1.5, which improves her provisional qualifying status for the NCAA Championships.
Advancing along with Harris to final events tomorrow, the Gators will have three representatives in the men's 1500m. Duncan was an automatic qualifier for the finals with a time of 3:53.31. Moise Joseph (3:48.58) and Courtney Chambers (3:51.06) both qualified on time and will run in the final. Norma Vega qualified for tomorrow's final with a time of 4:32.20 in the women's race.
Faith Rein was the final qualifier for the women's 400m race with a time of 54.36. Josh Walker and Paul Brown will run in the finals of the 110m hurdles as the final two qualifiers from three fast heats. Amber Robinson made the finals of the 100m dash, the only Lady Gator to advance. Taylor Jacobs ran 10.44 to improve his provisional qualifying time to advance to the finals.
The meet will conclude tomorrow afternoon and evening.
UF Champions This Weekend (1)
Men (0): none
Women (1): Candice Scott-Hammer Throw (60.54m/198-7)
UF Qualifiers This Weekend (6):
Men (3)
Automatic: Rickey Harris-400m (44.84)
Provisional: Brian DaCunha-Pole Vault (5.26m/17-3); Taylor Jacobs-100m (10.44)
Women (3)
Automatic: Melissa DeLeon-800m (2:04.59)
Provisional: LaQuanda Cotton-Discus (53.62m/175-11); Keyon Soley-Long Jump (6.44m/21-1.5)
Men's Team Scoring (after seven events)
1. Tennessee, 50
1. Arkansas, 50
3. Georgia, 38
4. Florida, 31
5. LSU, 25
6. Alabama, 23
7. Auburn, 17
8. South Carolina, 14
9. Mississippi, 13
10. Kentucky, 14
11. Mississippi State, 2
Women's Team Scoring (after seven events)
1. Arkansas, 63
2. Florida, 48
3. Auburn, 41
4. South Carolina, 32
5. Kentucky, 20
6. Georgia, 16.5
7. LSU, 16
8. Vanderbilt, 15.5
9. Tennessee, 15
10. Mississippi, 4
10. Mississippi State, 2
End of Report
