Gators Look For Fifth-Straight Top-10 Finish At NCAA Outdoor Championships
Monday, June 5, 2006 | Men's Track and Field
The No. 11 University of Florida men's track and field team will travel to the west coast looking to extend its streak of top-10 finishes at the 2006 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships from June 7-10 at the Alex G. Spanos Sports Complex.
The men's squad enters the competition with eight individual entries and one relay. The Gators have ended the meet inside the top 10 in each of the last four seasons and in six of the last seven years.
Coming off a runner-up finish at the East Regional Championships, Florida will boast seven athletes competing in eight individual events in addition to the 4x100m relay. Senior All-American Shane Stroup (Highland, Md.) will compete in the 1,500m, senior All-American Sekou Clarke (Kingston, Jamaica) will run in the 400m, senior Alex Harris (Tampa, Fla.) will take part in the triple jump, senior Kayne Dakoski (Palm Harbor, Fla.) will compete in the decathlon, junior All-American Mike Morrison (Willingboro, N.J.) made the field in the long jump and high jump, sophomore Wes Stockbarger (Port Charlotte, Fla.) will throw the discus, freshman All-American Willie Perry (Lenoir, N.C.) qualified in both the 100m and 200m, but will run in only the 200m and the Gators will also have a 4x100m relay.
The men are tied for 10th among all the teams in the field with five athletes or relays ranked among the top 10. Stroup, the East Regional 1,500m champion, leads the way as he's second in the event with a top time of 3:40.85. Morrison, despite injuries that continue to hamper him, claimed both the high jump and long jump titles at the East Regional meet and enters NCAAs fourth in the long jump (7.96m/26-1.50) and tied for 10th in the high jump (2.19m/7-2.25).
Perry, who owns the top junior time in the world in 2006 at 20.42 in the 200m, will arrive in Sacramento tied for fifth after finishing fourth in the 200m during the indoor season. Clarke, who took sixth at the indoor NCAA meet in the 400m this year, ranks ninth in the same event with a top time of 45.82.
In his first season of full-fledged competition for the Gators, Dakoski is ranked 17th in the decathlon with a best of 7,303 points, which he earned at the Southeastern Conference Championships by taking third. Harris will compete at NCAAs for the second time in his career and first in the triple jump with a qualifying leap of 15.86m/52-0.50 - a mark that earned him fourth at the regional meet. Stockbarger, who finished fifth in the discus at regionals and 17th at NCAAs in 2005, is ranked 20th in the event with a best of 57.50m/188-8 this season.
The men also have the No. 8 4x100m relay. Sophomore All-American Bernard Middleton (Jacksonville, Fla.), Morrison, Perry and Clarke clocked a season-best time of 39.46 at the Miami Elite Invitational on April 15. Freshman All-American Chris Gilchrist (Broken Arrow, Okla.) and freshman Dennis Martin (Anderson, S.C.) will also make the trip as candidates to run on the 4x100m relay.
The final two days of the NCAA Outdoor Championships will air live on television. Competition from Friday, June 9, will air live on CSTV at 8 p.m., while the final day's events will air live on CBS at 3:30 p.m. Live results will also be available at www.ncaasports.com.
Schedule of Events
Wednesday, June 7, 2006
Decathlon*
10:00 100m
Long Jump
Shot Put
High Jump
400 Meters
Field Events
11:00 Hammer Qualifying - M
11:30 Javelin Qualifying - W
3:30 Long Jump Qualifying - W
4:15 High Jump Qualifying - M*
4:30 Discus Qualifying - W
4:45 Pole Vault Qualifying - M
7:00 High Jump Qualifying - W
7:00 Discus Qualifying - M*
7:15 Long Jump Qualifying - M*
Track Events
3:00 4x100m Semifinal - W
3:20 4x100m Semifinal - M*
3:40 800m 1st Round - W
3:55 800m1st Round - M
4:30 100mH 1st Round - W
4:50 110mH 1st Round - M
5:10 200m 1st Round - W
5:30 200m 1st Round - M*
5:50 400m 1st Round - W
6:10 400m 1st Round - M*
6:30 100mH Semifinal - W
6:45 110mH Semifinal - M
7:00 Steeplechase Semifinal - W
7:25 Steeplechase Semifinal - M
7:50 5,000m Semifinal - W
8:30 5,000m Semifinal - M
Thursday, June 8, 2006
Decathlon*
10:00 110mH
Discus
Pole Vault
Javelin
1,500m
Field Events
11:00 Hammer Qualifying - W
1:15 Javelin Qualifying - M
4:30 Pole Vault Qualifying - W
5:30 Shot Put Qualifying - M
6:30 Long Jump Final - W
6:30 Long Jump Final - M*
7:15 Shot Put Qualifying - W
Track Events
3:30 100m 1st Round - W
3:50 100m 1st Round - M
4:10 400mH 1st Round - W
4:30 400mH 1st Round - M
4:50 800m Semifinal - W
5:05 800m Semifinal - M
5:20 100m Semifinal - W
5:35 100m Semifinal - M
6:00 1,500m Semifinal - W
6:15 1,500m Semifinal - M*
6:30 4x400m Semifinal - W
6:55 4x400m Semifinal - M
7:20 10,000m Final - W
8:00 10,000m Final - M
Friday, June 9, 2006
Heptathlon
10:00 100mH
High Jump
Shot Put
200m
Field Events
Noon Hammer Final - M
1:00 Triple Jump Qualifying - W
1:15 Javelin Final - W
3:00 Triple Jump Qualifying - M*
3:45 Discus Final - W
3:45 High Jump Final - W
4:30 Pole Vault Final - M
6:15 Discus Final - M*
6:30 High Jump Final - M*
Track Events
4:00 4x100m Final - W
4:10 4x100m Final - M*
5:00 100mH Final - W
5:15 110mH Final - M
5:25 400m Semifinal - W
5:35 400m Semifinal - M*
5:45 200m Semifinal - W
5:55 200m Semifinal - M*
6:10 400mH Semifinal - W
6:20 400mH Semifinal - M
6:35 Steeplechase Final - W
7:00 5,000m Final - W
7:30 5,000m Final - M
Saturday, June 10, 2006
Heptathlon
10:30 Long Jump
Javelin
800m
Field Events
10:00 Hammer Final - W
10:00 Javelin Final - M
11:45 Pole Vault Final - W
12:30 Shot Put Final - W
12:30 Shot Put Final - M
12:30 Triple Jump Final - W
12:30 Triple Jump Final - M*
Track Events
12:05 800m Final - W
12:15 800m Final - M
12:35 100m Final - W
12:42 100m Final - M
12:52 400mH Final - W
1:02 400mH Final - M
1:10 400m Final - W
1:20 400m Final - M*
1:30 200m Final - W
1:40 200m Final - M*
1:52 1,500m Final - W
2:04 1,500m Final - M*
2:20 Steeplechase Final - M
2:32 4x400m Final - W
2:45 4x400m Final - M
All times Pacific
* UF athlete competing in event
