You Can Feel It In The Air
Wednesday, January 9, 2008 | Men's Track and Field
There is a buzz surrounding the Florida track & field program this year. Coaches, athletes, staff – they're all eager for the new season, and that sentiment is spreading by the day. With a nucleus of talented veterans that has found success throughout its time at UF returning to mentor a promising group of young athletes, the 2008 campaign will be anything but dull in Gainesville.
“This fall was one of the best we've ever had, and the guys are starting to get a sense of what they are capable of accomplishing this year,” Florida head coach Mike Holloway says. “Everyone on the roster wants to work hard and be a part of that. When everybody's working towards the same goal with a high level of intensity, the work will more often than not translate into positive results. Everyone associated with this program is excited right now.”
The 2008 roster is chock-full of athletes who have accomplished success on all levels of the track & field spectrum, from national junior champions to NCAA point-scorers to athletes who have been on the verge of a top-50 world ranking in their respective events.
“I've been excited about this year's team for awhile, and it's a testament to the athletes we have that they've progressed well enough and worked hard enough to merit that excitement for such a long time,” Holloway says. “We're healthy, we're focused and we have a group of guys who are not only talented on the track, but who are also quality people.”
Sprints
With a talented veteran nucleus and an exciting batch of newcomers, the Florida sprints squad could shape up to be one of the most formidable in the country in 2008. With a trio of returning All-Americans, and the reigning Southeastern Conference 60m and outdoor 400m champions, the group appears primed to carry on UF's rich tradition in the sprint events.
Senior All-American Bernard Middleton is once again the elder statesmen of the sprints unit, and will look to close out his collegiate career on a high note after collecting the fourth All-America honor of his career last season as part of the Gators' eighth-place 4x400m relay at the NCAA Outdoor Championships. Leading the group that will run alongside Middleton are junior Willie Perry and sophomore Calvin Smith, each of whom own three All-America accolades. Perry battled injuries a year ago and is looking to return to the form that won him the 2006 U.S. Junior National titles in both the 100m and 200m, while Smith burst onto the scene last season with All-America honors in the 400m at both NCAA meets. He also earned SEC Outdoor Freshman Runner of the Year recognition after becoming just the second freshman in school history to claim the league outdoor 400m crown.
Sophomore Jeremy Hall is also back in the mix after a productive rookie season in which he became the first freshman in more than 30 years to win the 60m title at the SEC Championships.
“Having guys who have been All-Americans and SEC champions on your roster is something for which there is no substitute,” Holloway says. “They have been there before and they know what it takes, and we expect each of those guys to perform up to that level again this season. In order to be successful, we need our veteran sprinters to lead the way.”
Junior R.J. Anderson, a transfer from Baylor, headlines a talented class of incoming sprinters, having earned a Big 12 championship in the 4x100m relay last season and has collected a pair of All-Midwest Region accolades in his career. Freshmen Terrell Wilks, who finished the 2007 campaign ranked fifth in the nation in the 55m and 10th in the 100m, has also drawn praise from the coaching staff during the early part of his freshman year.
“We have a great group of sprinters entering the program this season,” Holloway says. “They have all put in the work this fall and have looked terrific. There isn't one guy in that group who we look at and don't get excited about.”
Hurdles
While not large in terms of numbers, a veteran group of UF hurdlers will look to continue their development into one of the finer squads in the SEC. Junior Dennis Martin, the 2006 U.S. Junior National champion in the 110mH, will carry the load again this season, a year after taking All-East Region honors in his signature event. He is a also a key component of Florida's relay efforts, having also earned All-East Region acclaim in the 4x100m in 2007.
Senior Joe Taylor narrowly missed advancing to the finals of the 110mH at the 2007 NCAA East Regional, and returns to the lineup looking to close out his career with a solid year. Junior Kallinka Pitt also ran well at the end of last season, finishing ninth in the 110mH at the SEC Championships, and will look to build on that momentum when the 2008 campaign commences.
Freshman Jarius Cooper will bring both youth and excitement to the Florida hurdles lineup, as he concluded his senior year of high school as Florida's top-ranked 110m hurdler. He owns a best of 13.85 in the 110mH, and capped his prep career by winning the state 110mH crown.
“I feel good about the hurdles this year because of the experience we have coming back,” Holloway says. “Dennis Martin, Joe Taylor and Kallinka Pitt are guys who have been at national meets, they've been at SEC meets, and they know how to run in those situations. We're excited to see what Jarius Cooper is going to do for us, and he's got a great group of upperclassmen to help him get adjusted.”
Middle Distance
All-Americans Eric Alberter and Carlos Phillips return in 2008 to lead a middle distance squad enters the season with the potential to make an impact for the Gators on the conference and national levels. Both were members of the Gators' 4x400m relay that took eighth at the NCAA Outdoor Championships, while Alberter claimed a runner-up finish in the 800m at the SEC Indoor Championships and Phillips finished seventh in the same race.
“This group has had an unbelievable fall, and they've really taken steps towards having a great year,” Holloway says. “We expect big things out of them, and they expect big things out of themselves. It's always good to have guys back who have had success at the national and conference levels.”
Part of the excitement over the Florida middle distance unit centers on the addition of freshmen LaMarr Davis and Solomon Taylor. Davis, who owns the North Carolina record in the indoor 400m, spent his final year of high school concentrating on the 400m, and ultimately turned in a time of 47.04 that ranked 18th in the nation. A two-time Marion County Distance Runner of the Year, Taylor finished second in the 800m at the 2007 Florida Class 3A state meet, marking his third top-five finish in a row.
Distance
With the cross country season under their belts, the distance runners of the UF track & field squad head into the season with talent from the top of the roster to the bottom. Junior Jeremy Criscione, fresh off of his third-straight appearance at the NCAA Cross Country Championships, will look to build upon his 10th-place finish in the 10,000m at the SEC Outdoor Championships.
“In order to do well at the national and conference levels, you have to score points in the distance events,” Holloway says. “We have guys who can do that. Some of our guys have been to the national meet, and some of them have been on the verge of getting there. We need to find a way to make sure they are at their best at the end of the season, and that will help us out tremendously.”
Experienced seniors Jose Garcia, Steven Hassen, Ryder Leary, Jeremy Miller and Enoch Nadler return for their final collegiate campaigns and will provide leadership to a distance unit that features several talented youngsters. Garcia had a strong season in 2007, finishing ninth in the mile at the SEC Indoor Championships and turning in a top-15 showing in the steeplechase at the indoor conference meet, while Nadler ran the ninth-fastest steeplechase time in school history to take fifth at the SEC outdoor meet. The team's depth can be seen in the presence of its five juniors – Scott Hans, Al Matheny, Chris Mullaney, Drew Smith and Justin Taylor – who will be counted on to provide guidance for their younger teammates, as will sophomore Sean Blaney and redshirt freshmen Matt Hensley and Aaron Kindt.
Andrew Revelle, a seven-time Maryland state champion and the 2006 Washington Post Track & Field Athlete of the Year, and Alex Wills, who turned in the top 3,200m time by a high school runner in the state of Florida at last year's Pepsi Florida Relays, headline a deep and talented freshman class of distance runners. Local products Geoffrey and Michael Anderson, the latter of whom won six state titles during his high school days, will join with 2007 high school All-American Anthony Morales to complete the young nucleus of the UF distance team.
Relays
With a core group of sprinters that has known success early and often in its time at Florida, one of the Gators' greatest strengths in 2008 will be their relay squads. Alberter, Middleton, Phillips and Smith all return from the 4x400m unit that earned All-America honors with an eighth-place finish at the NCAA Outdoor Championships, and will look to reach higher this year.
Smith and Hall were also members of UF's 4x100m team, along with returners Hall and Perry, that placed 16th at the NCAA outdoor meet a year ago.
“When I look at the guys we have coming back this year individually, I immediately get excited about seeing them run together on relays because there is some serious talent there,” Holloway says. “One of the best things about them, though, is that they aren't just talented guys. They are guys that all want to do their part to help the team win, and that's what gives us our strength in the relays.”
Leary, Nadler and sophomore Ethan Philpot all return from the distance medley relay team that took fourth at the SEC Indoor Championships in 2007, while Justin Taylor is a mainstay from the 2006 squad that claimed the conference title.
Jumps
Though there may be no way to truly replace the most decorated All-American in school history, Holloway is confident that junior Eugene Martin and freshman Theo Fulger have the potential to make an impact for the Gators this season in the jumps.
“You don't replace Mike Morrison – it's that simple,” Holloway says, “What you do is coach your athletes to their strengths and make them the best they can be. With Eugene and Theo, that's going to be fun. They are both extremely coachable and hard-working, and they are going to surprise some people this year.”
Martin won the high jump at a pair of meets last season and placed in the top-10 in the event at both SEC Championships. A Gainesville native, he is an explosive athlete whose experience in championship situations will be invaluable to a relatively young UF team this season.
The multi-talented Fulger, another local product, was a three-sport athlete in high school and also owns a black belt in karate. His dynamic talent allowed him to clear the winning height, a mark of 6-8, in the high jump at the 2007 Florida Class 4A state meet, though he finished second due to previous misses.
Pole Vault
Much like the overall team in 2008, the Gators' pole vault unit will be a mixture of experience and youth with a pair of upperclassmen leading the way for a group of four freshman and sophomores. Senior Kurt Lee, also a multi-event specialist, is the most tenured member of the group, and he has followed up strong showings in the pole vault at both SEC meets last season with a great fall to precede his final collegiate campaign.
Junior Justin Semeyn also returns to the fold in 2008 following a sophomore season in which he finished sixth at the SEC Outdoor Championships and qualified for his first NCAA East Regional. He also won the pole vault competition at last year's Pepsi Florida Relays with a PR of 5.05m/16-6.75.
The leader of the young nucleus of the Florida pole vaulters this season is undisputedly sophomore Mike Morrison, the SEC Indoor and Outdoor Freshman Field Athlete of the Year from 2007. Also a multi-events specialist, Morrison was the top heptathlete in the pole vault at the SEC Indoor Championships and finished 10th in the event at the outdoor conference meet.
Throws
The 2007 season saw Wes Stockbarger have one of the most productive throws campaigns in recent UF history, and the good news for the Gators this season is that he is back for more in 2008. Stockbarger took third in the discus at the 2007 NCAA Outdoor Championships to bring home Florida's highest-ever finish in the event, and that effort was an encore performance to the SEC outdoor title that he won a month earlier to become just the second athlete in school history to win back-to-back league crowns in the discus. He highlighted the indoor season by finishing eighth in the shot put at the NCAA Championships to cement his name as the first Gator to claim indoor and outdoor All-America honors in two different throwing events.
He capped off his successful collegiate season this summer with a 10th-place showing at the USA Outdoor Nationals.
“Wes is a guy that you know is going to do his job,” Holloway says. “He's a guy you can build around. When you have a guy like that, it's great for your whole team because it pushes everyone to do their part, and the end result is better because of it.”
Stockbarger will form one half of a potent one-two Florida punch in the throws this season, as junior Adam Montague, a transfer from North Carolina, arrives as the top returning javelin thrower in the nation. The Aussie took second in the javelin at the 2007 NCAA Outdoor Championships, and won the event with a PR of 73.86m/242-4 at the NCAA East Regional that was held at James G. Pressly Stadium.
“Adam had a great fall and he continues to set new markers of success for himself,” Holloway says. “We're happy to have him on board, and we expect him to make a difference at the national level.”
Juniors Beau Burroughs, who finished sixth in the shot put at the SEC Outdoor Championships and qualified for the NCAA East Regional last season, and Scott Clayman will give UF depth in the throws this season.
Multi-Events
One of the areas about which Holloway is most excited is the multi-events, where two key returners and a newcomer with high-level experience have the potential to make an impact for the Gators this season. Morrison is the top veteran on the squad, having posted the nation's second-best decathlon score by a freshman last season with a total of 7,316 at the SEC Outdoor Championships. He broke the school heptathlon record in his first career performance, and was the lone freshman to compete in the event at the NCAA Indoor Championships.
“We're healthy, we're focused and we're stronger than we were last year in the multis,” Holloway says. “The guys we have coming back have put in a lot a work and taken pride in what they are doing, and the new guys have really followed the lead. It's going to be a good year for us in the multi-events.”
Lee finished the 2007 season with strong performances in the decathlon, placing fourth at the SEC meet and recorded the ninth-best score in school history (6,632) at the Mt. SAC Relays. He has shown a propensity for stepping up in big meets, having also finished seventh in the decathlon at the 2006 SEC Championships.
One of the most exciting newcomers on the 2008 UF roster is Steffan Hommel, who will begin his Florida career as a sophomore after transferring from the University of Stuttgart in his native Germany. Hommel owns a PR of 7,746 in the decathlon that ranked 52nd in the world in 2006 and eclipses the current UF record. His lifetime-best of 5,722 in the heptathlon would also stand as a Florida record.
Schedule
As he enters his first season at the helm of a combined Florida program, Holloway has put together a challenging 2008 schedule that will send the Gators to virtually all parts of the country.
The slate is highlighted by a pair of home events, beginning with the Tom Jones Memorial Classic at the Stephen C. O'Connell Center on Jan. 26. During the outdoor season, the Gators will host the Pepsi Florida Relays from April 4-5.
“It's our goal at Florida to be at our best at the championship-level meets, and this schedule was designed with that goal in mind,” Holloway said. “The schedule has some challenging meets on it, but you can't run against light competition all year and expect to have success at the conference and national levels. Competition breeds success, and we are going to see some of the best in the country this season.”
UF will open the indoor season at the SEC & Big Ten Challenge in Bloomington, Ind., on Jan. 19 before returning home for the Tom Jones Memorial Classic. The team's multi-events specialists will branch off from the team for Florida's home indoor competition, traveling to Clemson, S.C., for the Clemson Multi-Events Invite. The Orange and Blue will then use the Rod McCravy Memorial and the Iowa State Classic to tune up for the SEC Indoor Championships, which are scheduled for Feb. 29-March 2 in Fayetteville, Ark. If necessary, Florida will send athletes to Last Chance meets at Notre Dame and Iowa State prior to returning to Fayetteville from March 14-15 for the NCAA Indoor Championships.
Florida's outdoor campaign will commence from March 22-23 with the Florida State Relays before the team travels to Miami for the Hurricane Classic on March 29. UF will host the Pepsi Florida Relays from April 4-5, then the team will send representatives to the Mesa Classic, the Sun Angel Track Classic and the Spec Towns Invitational over the weekend of April 11-12. After the Azusa Pacific on April 16, the Gators will compete at the Mt. SAC Relays, the Penn Relays, the Drake Relays and the Ole Miss Invitational on successive weekends in preparation for the SEC Outdoor Championships, which will take place in Auburn, Ala., from May 15-18. UF will take a weekend off from competition before heading to Tallahassee, Fla., from May 30-31 for the NCAA East Regional, then will travel to Des Moines, Iowa, to wrap up the collegiate season at the NCAA Outdoor Championships from June 11-14.
