Florida Gators
Cal. Collegiate Challenge
Stockbarger Records Third-Best Shot Put In School History
Sunday, April 29, 2007 | Men's Track and Field
One day after breaking the school record in the discus, junior All-American Wes Stockbarger (Port Charlotte, Fla.) posted the third-best mark in Florida history in the shot put to lead the men's team on Saturday at the California Collegiate Challenge.
Stockbarger won his second event of the weekend with the No. 1 mark in the Southeastern Conference this season in the shot put (18.80m/61-8.25). Sophomore Dennis Martin (Anderson, S.C.) was the top collegian finisher with a career-best time of 14.03 in the 110m hurdles, sophomore All-American Willie Perry (Lenoir, N.C.) recorded an NCAA regional time in his first 200m of the season (20.88), freshman Calvin Smith (Lutz, Fla.) registered a regional mark in the 200m for the third time in as many tries in 2007 and the 4x400m relay of freshman Carlos Phillips (Winter Park, Fla.), Smith, junior All-American Bernard Middleton (Jacksonville, Fla.) and junior Eric Alberter (Benton, Ill.) won the event with a regional time of 3:06.82.
“We had a very solid day out there with some great efforts from Wes, Willie, Calvin, Dennis and the 4x400,” Florida men's coach Mike Holloway said. “The guys were focused today and we built up some momentum towards competing at the SEC Championships. The biggest thing now is that we have to stay focused and keep doing what we've been doing. While I'm pleased with how we performed today, we can't become satisfied between now and SECs.”
Stockbarger won the shot put by nearly two feet and posted the three-best throws of the day to claim the 10th victory of his career. His winning mark of 18.80m/61-8.25 on his fourth attempt is the top throw in the SEC this season and ranks third in the NCAA East Region and ninth nationally. Stockbarger's toss was a PR by more than a foot and ranked third in school history.
After battling through injuries all season, Perry stepped on the track for his first 200m of the outdoor campaign and registered an NCAA regional time of 20.88 to finish as the No. 2 collegian and in third overall. His time of 20.88 ranks as the sixth-fastest in the SEC and ties for seventh in the NCAA East Region. Smith ran a wind-aided NCAA regional time of 21.01 to finish one spot behind Perry in fourth.
Martin shaved 0.02 off his PR to rank as the No. 1 collegian in the 110m hurdles with a time of 14.03 – good enough for fourth overall. Martin's regional clocking ranks sixth in the SEC and seventh in the NCAA East Region.
The 4x400m relay claimed the victory by more than five seconds as the foursome crossed the finish line in 3:06.82. It was a season best for the Gators by nearly two seconds and ranks as the second-best time in the NCAA East Region, fourth-fastest in the SEC and seventh best in the nation.
Freshman Ethan Philpot (Titusville, Fla.) also performed well for the Gators with a fifth-place finish in the 800m. Philpot shaved nearly 1.5 seconds off his previous best to cross the finish line in 1:53.08
