Men's Track and Field Has Nation's Top Recruiting Class
Tuesday, December 2, 2008 | Track and Field
The University of Florida's 2008-09 incoming men's track and field freshman class has been named the nation's No. 1 recruiting class by Track & Field News, as published in the magazine's December 2008 issue.
Three of the Gators' incoming freshmen were named Track & Field News All-Americans last season and each of those athletes – Jeff Demps (Groveland, Fla.), Christian Taylor (Atlanta, Ga.) and William Wynne (Atlanta, Ga.) were No. 1 in the nation in their respective events.
“I think our new crew may possibly be the best recruiting class we've ever had from top to bottom,” Florida head coach Mike Holloway said. “Adding them to the group we already have may make this overall the best team we've had here in a long time.”
Demps, a standout on the Florida football team who currently ranks No. 1 in the nation in average yards per carry (9.6), is the high school and world junior record-holder in the 100-meter dash with a time of 10.01 at the U.S. Olympic Trials. He was the 2008 Gatorade State Athlete of the Year for Florida and qualified for the semifinals at the Olympic Trials. Demps is a two-time FHSAA state champion in the 100m. Demps has recorded six rushing touchdowns for the football team this year with an average touchdown length of 36.8 yards.
Taylor, part of a gold-medal winning 4x400 relay team at the 2008 IAAF World Junior Championships, is the 2008 Gatorade State Athlete of the Year for Georgia. He is a 10-time state champion, winning titles in the long jump, triple jump, 400m and 4x100m and 4x400m relays in both his junior and senior seasons.
Wynne, the 2008 USATF National Junior Olympics Champion in the 400m hurdles, set the world youth record in that event with a time of 49.01. He was a three-time Georgia high school state champion in the 110m hurdles and the 2007 400m champion at the world youth championships.
Standouts in the nation's top recruiting class also include Ben Davies (Nashville, Tenn.), the No. 1 high school junior decathlete of all time; Gray Horn (Wapakoneta, Ohio), the 2008 Nike Indoor Pentathlon Champion.
“Florida's Mouse Holloway scored one of the bigger recruiting coups in recent memory,” The magazine's profile of the Gators said. “Giving the Gators No. 1 here was the consummate no-brainer.”
Florida begins its 2009 track and field season Jan. 16-17, when it travels to Lexington, Ky., to participate in the two-day Kentucky Invitational.
For all of the latest information on Florida track and field, please log on to www.GatorZone.com.
2008-09 FLORIDA TRACK AND FIELD RECRUITING CLASS
- Ben Davies –Multi Events – Nashville, Tenn./Brentwood Academy
- Jeff Demps – Sprints – Groveland, Fla./South Lake
- Frankie Hammond – Jumps – Hallandale, Fla./Hallandale
- Gray Horn – Pole Vault/Multi Events - Wapakoneta, Ohio/Waynesfield-Goshen
- Josh Izewski – Distance – Doylestown, Penn./Central Bucks East
- Kemal Mesic – Throws - Sarajevo, Bosnia/ Cantom Sarajevo
- Jeremy Postin – Throws – Andover, Kan./Andover
- Christian Taylor – Jumps – Atlanta, Ga./Sandy Creek
- William Wynne – Hurdles – Atlanta, Ga./McEachern
END OF REPORT
