Florida Track & Field Season Preview
Tuesday, January 3, 2006 | Men's Track and Field
The University of Florida men's track and field team opens the 2006 season Sunday, Jan. 15 by hosting the Florida Intercollegiate at the Stephen C. O'Connell Center.
Florida returns six All-Americans who have combined to earn 25 All-America honors as the Gators will look to continue their streak of consecutive top-two finishes at championship meets, which currently stands at 10 and dates to the 2004 season.
Florida will host five indoor meets and one outdoor meet during the 2006 season. The Florida Intercollegiate is slated to begin at 10:30 a.m. with the last event scheduled for 7:10 p.m. Fans can attend the event for free and will receive a free 2006 Florida Track & Field poster.
2006 Florida Season Preview
It seems like a simple question: How does a team follow up the greatest season in its history?
Actually, it is a rudimentary question with a simple answer: By matching or surpassing the success the following year.
The tricky part is getting there. But the University of Florida men's track and field team didn't let anything obstruct its path from following up the 2004 season with a stellar 2005 campaign in which the Gators finished second or better at every championship meet for the second consecutive season.
In 2006, the Gators will look to make what could be construed as a trend into a yearly reality. Florida has the components in place with six returning All-Americans who have combined to earn 25 honors in their careers in addition to 14 athletes who have scored at the Southeastern Conference level.
Sprints
Long the strength of the Florida squad, the Gators suffered losses in the area, but also return several key scorers that will continue to make UF one of the top sprint schools in the nation.
“We've got some good guys coming back and a very solid recruiting class coming in,” said Florida head coach Mike Holloway, who coaches sprints. “The great thing this year is that we have some leadership. We expect this group to be the backbone of the team as it always has.”
Senior Sekou Clarke leads the way as the eight-time All-American will head the 400m core in addition to running the 200m on occasion. Sophomore two-time All-American Bernard Middleton burst on the scene as a freshman and, along with Clarke, is a key cog on relays and the 400m.
Sophomore Richard Adu-Bobie enrolled in January in 2005 and promptly made his mark by taking third in the 60m at the NCAA Indoor Championships before running the leadoff leg of the second-place 4x100m relay at the outdoor meet.
In typical fashion, Holloway brought in a strong newcomer class that will complement the returning group of athletes.
“Before they're done here, they are going to make a very serious mark on Florida track and field,” Holloway said. “They're a very talented group. I don't know if I've ever had a freshman class that's as motivated and hard-working as this group. When it's all said and done I think this is going to be one of the best classes to ever come through here.”
Hurdles
Without question, the Gators have been the best hurdle school in the nation in recent years as evidenced by back-to-back sweeps of the 110m hurdle and 400m hurdle titles at the last two NCAA outdoor meets.
“Obviously, when you lose the NCAA champion in both events during the last two years, that's a big hit,” Holloway said. “But I also know that we're very capable of producing those kinds of results in the future. The hurdles is something that we take very seriously here and we have a proud tradition.”
Sophomore Joe Taylor is a veteran in the group who nearly scored in the 400m hurdles at the SEC Outdoor Championships and finished 13th at the NCAA East Regional in the same event. Sophomore Eric Ballotta also returns and should contend at the SEC level, while the Gators have a strong group of newcomers who will carry on the proud tradition of hurdlers at Florida.
Middle Distance
Historically an institution of excellence in the middle distance events, Florida is on the cusp of recapturing that glory with a strong mix of veterans and newcomers.
“We had the breakthrough with the cross country team and our first conversation afterwards was that we needed to help the track team get over the hump and win the national title,” distance coach Jeff Pigg said. “We've raised the bar and I think we're getting the mentality and the ability to help us get over that hump.”
Senior All-American Shane Stroup is paving the way for the Gators as he ran a pair of incredible races to cap his junior campaign in moving from the back of the pack on the final lap to capture second at the NCAA East Regional and later fifth at the NCAA Outdoor Championships in the 1,500m. He also broke Pigg's school record at the NCAA meet (3:38.57).
Sophomore Jeremy Miller and freshman Justin Taylor are a pair of Gators who also should have an impact in the 1,500m.
Florida returns several athletes in the 800m, led by juniors Brandon Saltmarsh and Andrew Martin, who both scored at the 2005 SEC Indoor Championships as part of the distance medley relay that took second. In addition, the Gators have several newcomers who are ready to step up.
Distance
The Gators bring back a trio of runners who have scored at SEC meets over the years and, combined with an influx of young talent, should help boost Florida into the national scene.
“As a group, we've got the best environment that I've ever been around in my 16 years of coaching,” Pigg said. “These guys care about each other and take a lot of pride in the Gators getting it done. It's a classy group of guys and they intend to be good.”
Senior All-American Daniel Parker is a diverse athlete capable of running the 3,000m, steeplechase and the 5,000m who has competed at the NCAA Outdoor Championships in the steeplechase and scored at the SEC meet in the same event.
Sophomore Enoch Nadler also returns coming off a promising cross country season and freshman campaign having finished eighth at the SEC meet in the steeplechase.
Junior Steven Hassen is back in the 5,000m and 10,000m after suffering through injuries in 2005, while freshman Jeremy Criscione helped the Gator cross country team to a top-10 ranking in 2005 and should fare well in the 3,000m.
Relays
Florida was named the No. 1 relay school in the nation for 2005 by Track and Field News and the 2006 edition of UF relays will look to keep the streak going.
“We'll be competitive,” Holloway said. “We run relays here at Florida. We always have. Our goal is to always have a solid 4x100m and 4x400m to put on the track. I don't see why there's any reason we shouldn't have that same thing this year.”
The 2005 4x400m indoor relay team broke the collegiate record and captured the NCAA title, while the 4x100m finished second at the outdoor meet. Clarke and junior Mike Morrison ran on the 2004 4x100m that took home the NCAA title, while Adu-Bobie was the leadoff leg of the 2005 relay. Clarke and Middleton return on the 4x400m with Florida having numerous possibilities for the remaining two slots.
The Gators finished second at the SEC meet in the distance medley relay with Martin, Saltmarsh and Stoup all returning for another shot to bring the relay back to national prominence.
Jumps
Another strength of the squad, Florida boasts a pair of national contenders and team leaders in Mike Morrison and Alex Harris, while a strong contingency of freshmen could make waves in the SEC.
“Mike and Alex have been tremendous leaders,” field events coach Dan Pfaff said. “They understand the system and are invaluable in everyday work. I also think we have four or five freshmen who can be SEC scorers right out of the box and a large majority can be SEC scorers at least by their second year.”
Morrison won the high jump at both the SEC indoor and outdoor meets in 2005 and is a threat in the long jump as well, while entering his junior season just two All-America honors shy of the school record with 10. Harris, like Morrison, battled injuries in the outdoor season, but has competed at NCAAs and is again a candidate to make the national meet in the long jump and triple jump.
Under the tutelage of the Harris-Morrison tandem is a large group of Gators that will no doubt continue the legacy of outstanding Florida leapers in the years to come.
Throws
Yet another area where the Gators will have several veterans coupled with a talented incoming class that should provide Florida with points it missed out on in the last few seasons.
Sophomore Wes Stockbarger only competed outdoors, but advanced to nationals in the discus and will also provide the Gators will a threat in the shot put and weight throw.
“Wes had no Fall last year because of an injury,” Pfaff said. “In essence, he started in January and for him to make it to nationals and score at SECs was a pretty amazing accomplishment for a freshman. It's nice that we were able to redshirt him indoors.”
Juniors Jet Theriac, Jeff Hoffman and Tim Skeper each return and are expected to translate gains made in the offseason to SEC Championship meets. All three posted PRs in at least one event in 2005: Theriac (weight throw), Hoffman (weight throw), Skeper (javelin). Pfaff expects the trend to continue.
“We've got several returners who have the ability to be SEC scorers, but that's predicated on them growing in the system and filling in the weaknesses they have,” Pfaff said. “I think all those guys, if they can stay healthy, stay focused, stay committed – I see no reason why they can't score.”
Pole Vault
Though the Gators struggled in the event mainly due to nagging injuries in 2005, the pole vault carries a storied history at UF and will likely take an upswing in 2006 if the squad remains healthy.
“It's a weak spot for us,” Pfaff said. “Unfortunately, Garrett Penton was hurt most of last year and that limited his progress. I think Garrett is definitely an SEC scorer-type person. Kurt Lee came close to scoring last year as well. But, we really need to move a standard deviation in this event. We have a rich tradition of vaulters in this program and within the state of Florida. There's no reason why we can't have a strong vault group.”
Penton tied for sixth at the 2004 SEC Outdoor Championships and will come back for his final go-round. Lee will compete in multi-events, but is well-rounded enough to score in the vault as well.
Multi-Events
With a renewed emphasis on multi-events, Pfaff is excited about the group of returners who gained valuable experience in 2005 and should thrive during the 2006 season.
“In my philosophy, this is a cornerstone of a field event program,” Pfaff said. “We try to get guys who can not only do the decathlon, but score at a conference level in open events. One of my commitments to Coach Holloway is to get this multiple event group strong and noteworthy and at a level where we're not only qualifying for nationals in the multi-events, but these guys are scoring in open events at the SEC level.”
Senior Kayne DaKoski will conclude his collegiate career for the Gators in 2006. He last competed for Miami, Ohio at the 2004 MAC Outdoor Championships where he posted the seventh-best score in school history (6,830) and finished fourth.
Sophomores Kurt Lee and Blake Taylor were initiated in the multi-event genre in 2005 and are back with the proper experience needed to contend for scoring honors at the SEC Championship meets. Lee also excels in the pole vault, while Taylor is a threat in the long jump and triple jump.
Schedule
Under Holloway, Florida has always scheduled tough so that the Gators will be at peak performance by the championship season and 2006 will be no different. Florida will host the 2006 SEC Indoor Championships for the second time in four years and will take its athletes from coast to coast at prestigious meets during the course of the year.
"Our schedule reflects our desire to compete against the best programs in the country, at the best meets in the country,” Holloway said. “I am very excited about the upcoming season and am anxious to watch this great group of athletes compete."
The Gators will stay in Gainesville for five of eight meets during the indoor campaign: Florida Intercollegiate (Jan. 15), Gator Invitational (Jan. 21), Pepsi Invitational (Feb. 5), SEC Indoor Championships (Feb. 24-26), Florida Fast Times (March 2). The Gators will also compete at the Clemson Heptathlon Championships Jan. 27-28 and the Tyson Invitational in Fayetteville, Ark., Feb. 10-11 before returning to the same site for the NCAA Indoor Championships March 10-11.
Florida opens the outdoor season with a pair of meets with the bulk of the team traveling down I-10 for the Florida State Relays March 23-25 and the Stanford Invitational March 24. Florida will host a single-day meet in Gainesville - the Diet Pepsi Classic on April 1 at Percy Beard Track. The Gators are then off to Austin for the Texas Relays April 5-8 and the Miami Gatorade Invitational on April 15 before trekking to Iowa for the Drake Relays April 26-29. UF will make its way back to Fayetteville for the SEC Outdoor Championships May 11-14 before traveling to Greensboro, N.C. where North Carolina A&T will host the NCAA East Regional Championships May 26-27. The Gators will then close out the year with a trip to Sacramento for the NCAA Outdoor Championships June 7-10.
