Florida Gators
Azusa Invitational
No. 6/4 T&F Records Six Personal Bests, Seven Regional Marks At Azusa Invitational
Saturday, April 19, 2008 | Track and Field
The No. 6 (men)/4 (women) University of Florida track & field team added to an already successful trip to California on Friday, winning seven events, collecting seven NCAA regional-qualifying marks and posting six personal bests at the Azusa Invitational on the campus of Azusa Pacific University.
“We came here with the goal of having a huge weekend, and I couldn't be happier with what we've been able to accomplish so far,” Florida jumps and multi-events coach Rana Reider said. “The competition here is excellent, and we've been competing hard and setting personal bests in nearly every event. This has been a great weekend across the board so far, and we've got more work left to do on Sunday.”
Senior Wes Stockbarger (Port Charlotte, Fla.) set the tone for the Gators on Friday, as he was the first to compete in the men's shot put. The three-time All-American topped the collegiate field in the event with a career-best mark of 19.23m/63-1.25, which ties for the second-best outdoor performance in school history. The effort also placed Stockbarger third on the overall NCAA descending order list, as well as first on the NCAA East Region chart. He came back hours later to pace all collegians in the discus with a throw of 55.84m/183-2.
“Wes had been struggling with his rhythm a little bit lately, and we've had some great training sessions that hadn't translated to success at meets, but he was great today,” Reider said. “The shot put was huge for him in terms of helping regain some confidence, and he was able to throw far despite not being at his technical best. His technique in the discus was great, but it just wasn't flying far today. That happens sometimes, and he'll hopefully come back on Sunday and get a big number.”
Redshirt freshman Eric Foran (Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.) also used a career-best mark to pick up a victory on Friday, winning the pole vault at the Azusa Invitational with an NCAA regional-qualifying clearance of 5.25m/17-2.25. The mark, which registered as the 10th-best outdoor clearance in UF history, was a foot higher than the next-best competitor at the meet, and moved Foran into a tie for ninth on the NCAA charts this season. Junior Justin Semeyn (Tampa, Fla.) tied for second after negotiating a bar at 4.95m/16-2.75.
“Eric has been a personal-best machine this year,” Reider said. “One of the great things about him is that he never changes his mindset depending on who he's competing against. He comes out and takes care of himself, and that can be seen in the results he's had this season. He keeps getting better and moving up to bigger poles, and I think he's still got a few bars left in him.”
On the women's side, senior Natalie Knight (Snellville, Ga.), the lone UF runner in action this weekend, opened the day with a career-best and NCAA regional-qualifying time of 11.59 in the 100m, good for second overall and tops among collegians. The time moved Knight into ninth place on UF's all-time chart. She returned to the track after a short rest period to take the overall win in the 200m with an NCAA-qualifying time of 23.04, which ranks third in the nation and first in the east region this year.
Sophomore Shara Proctor (The Valley, Anguilla) also picked up a pair of wins on Friday, taking third overall and first among collegians with a career-best mark of 6.52m/21-4.75 and repeating that outcome in the triple jump with a personal-best effort of 13.22m/43-4.50. The long jump performance moved her into third place on this year's NCAA descending order list, and second in UF's outdoor history, while her triple jump mark stands ninth in the NCAA and also ranks second in school history.
“Shara really loaded up and performed well today, even though she didn't have her best technical stuff,” Reider said. “She loves to compete, and she's out to do her best every time. After setting a PR in the long jump, it was her choice to come out and try for some good things in the triple jump, and it paid off for her with another personal best. It's that competitive attitude that is going to take her a long way as we get to the conference and NCAA meets.”
The Gators will be back in action again on Sunday, when the Mt. SAC Relays resume in Walnut, Calif. Live results will be available via www.GatorZone.com.
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