Florida MT&F Qualifies Six for NCAA Indoor Championships
Tuesday, March 6, 2007 | Men's Track and Field
The No. 15 University of Florida men's track and field team qualified six athletes in eight different events as the field for the 2007 NCAA Indoor Championships was announced Monday evening.
Senior 13-time All-American Mike Morrison (Willingboro, N.J.) will compete in the high jump and long jump, sophomore All-American Wes Stockbarger (Port Charlotte, Fla.) will take part in the shot put, sophomore All-American Willie Perry (Lenoir, N.C.) will run in the 200m, freshman Calvin Smith (Lutz, Fla.) will compete in the 200m and 400m, freshman Jeremy Hall (Jacksonville, Fla.) will run in the 60m and freshman Mike Morrison (Chesapeake, Va.) will participate in the heptathlon.
"In the past, there were years when we had more athletes make the NCAA meet, but the key to doing well is to bring quality and that's what we've got," Florida men's coach Mike Holloway said. "We feel very confident about each of our athletes going to Fayetteville. There's no reason why any of them can't contend for a national title in their event and that's exactly what you want when you're trying to win a team championship."
The elder Morrison will conclude his indoor career seeking his first individual national title. He enters the meet capable of claiming Florida's first NCAA title in the long jump in school history and the third national title in the high jump. He also has a chance to become the first athlete in Florida history to claim four indoor All-America honors in two individual events as he earned All-America status in both the high jump and long jump in 2004, 2005 and 2006. Only Matt Simson (shot put) and Dion Bentley (long jump) have earned four indoor All-America honors in one event in Florida history. Morrison enters the meet ranked 10th in the long jump (7.73m/25-4.50) and tied for 12th in the high jump (2.18m/7-1.75).
Stockbarger had never thrown further than 60 feet in the shot put before 2007 and now finds himself in the NCAA meet. A discus specialist by trade, Stockbarger has surpassed 60 feet every time he's competed in 2007. That includes the SEC Indoor Championships where Stockbarger claimed the conference title with a toss of 19.44m/63-9.50 - a Florida record. His mark ranks fifth in the nation entering the NCAA meet. He has a chance to become just the second athlete in Florida history to earn All-America honors in the shot put as Simson did so four consecutive years from 1991-94.
Smith has done some pretty impressive things on the track so far this season and has a chance to accomplish a feat that no other Gator freshman ever has - earning All-America honors at the NCAA Indoor Championships in the 200m and 400m. In addition, Smith is the only athlete in the nation who will compete in the 200m and 400m at the NCAA meet. He'll enter the competition ranked second in the 400m (46.05) and 10th in the 200m (20.98).
Perry finished fourth in the indoor 200m and fifth in the outdoor 200m at the NCAA Championships as a freshman. He's battled injuries in his sophomore campaign and his admittance to the NCAA meet came down to the wire. Perry entered last weekend tied for 28th in the nation in the 200m at 21.18, but clocked a time of 20.95 at the Arkansas Last Chance Qualifier to soar inside the top 10 nationally. He has a chance to become the first Gator since John Capel in 1999 and 2000 to earn All-America honors in the 200m as both a freshman and sophomore.
The younger Morrison has a chance to become the first Gator in school history to earn All-America honors in either the heptathlon or decathlon. He enters the NCAA meet as the only freshman heptathlete in the nation's top 10 at No. 7 (5,652). At the SEC Championships, Morrison came 37 points shy of becoming the first freshman in conference history to win an indoor multi-event title when he shattered his own school record with 5,652 points.
Hall secured his NCAA qualifying time by becoming the first freshman in more than 30 years to win the SEC Indoor 60m title when he crossed the finish line in a blistering time of 6.64 - third in school history. The Wolfson High School graduate enters the NCAA meet tied for sixth in the nation at 6.64 and is one of only two freshmen in the top 10 in the event. Only two other Gator freshmen in school history have earned All-America honors in the 55m/60m.
The NCAA Indoor Championships begin on Friday, March 9 at 9 a.m. with the men's heptathlon and conclude on Saturday. The meet will be broadcast tape-delayed on ESPN2 on Tuesday, March 13 at 2:30 p.m. Live results of the meet will be available at www.ncaasports.com.
Schedule of Florida Men's Athletes Competing
Friday, March 9
10 a.m. Heptathlon (Mike Morrison, Fr.)
6:50 p.m. 400m Prelim (Calvin Smith)
7 p.m. Long Jump Final (Mike Morrison, Sr.)
7:30 p.m. 60m Prelim (Jeremy Hall)
8:35 p.m. 200m Prelim (Willie Perry, Calvin Smith)
10:05 p.m. 200m Final (Willie Perry, Calvin Smith)
Saturday, March 10
Noon Hptathlon (Mike Morrison, Fr.)
5:30 p.m. Shot Put Final (Wes Stockbarger)
5:45 p.m. High Jump Final (Mike Morrison, Sr.)
8:05 p.m. 400m Final (Calvin Smith)
8:25 p.m. 60m Final (Jeremy Hall)
* All times Eastern
