Florida's Lowe named SEC Outdoor Freshman Runner of the Year; Several Gators on All-SEC Teams
Monday, May 26, 2008 | Track and Field
The University of Florida's Rebecca Lowe is the Southeastern Conference Freshman Outdoor Runner of the Year, the league announced Monday. The Florida track & field program is also represented by nine women and seven men on All-SEC Outdoor teams.
Lowe picked up the SEC Female Freshman Runner of the Year as she won both the 5,000 and 10,000 events at the SEC Championships. She is just the ninth athlete in conference history, and only the second Gator, to win both races in the same year. Lowe joins 1992 U.S. Olympian Shelly Steely as the other Gator to win both races in a single SEC Outdoor Championship (1985). She also became just the fifth athlete in school history to win more than one conference title in the same year, and the first since 2003. Lowe is the second Gator to be voted the SEC Outdoor Freshman Runner of the Year, as Tiandra Ponteen picked up the 2004 honor.
Event champions at the May 15-18 SEC Outdoor Championships earn a spot on the All-SEC first team. The All-SEC second-team is made up of the event runner-ups. Four Gators who collected SEC Outdoor event titles – Evelien Dekkers (javelin), Natalie Knight (200 meters), Lowe (10,000 and 5,000 meters) and Shara Proctor (triple jump) – appear on the women's All-SEC first team. Members of two runner-up relays – women's 400m (Abigail David, Lakecia Ealey, Dominique McLeggan) and men's 1600m (Eric Alberter, LaMarr Davis, Bernard Middleton, Calvin Smith) are part of the All-SEC second team. Also appearing on the league's second team is five who picked up individual runner-up honors: Mariam Kevkhishvili (women's shot put), Lindsay Sundell (women's steeplechase), Steffan Hommel (decathlon), Eugene Martin (men's high jump) and Wes Stockbarger (men's shot put).
In addition, three Gators appear on the SEC All-Freshman team. The top freshman finisher in an event at the SEC Outdoor Championships makes up the SEC All-Freshman team. Joining Lowe on the women's all-freshman team is Daisy Glasser, who took fifth in the pole vault. Terrell Wilks was the only freshman in the men's 100-meter dash final, taking seventh to earn a spot on the SEC All-Freshman Team.
Next up for the Florida track & field program is the NCAA East Regional, which begins May 30 in Tallahassee, Fla.
| 2008 SEC Freshman Runner of the Year: Rebecca Lowe, Florida |
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| University of Florida Representatives on 2008 All-Southeastern Conference Outdoor Teams |
| Women |
| First Team |
| Evelien Dekkers, Florida |
| UF's first conference javelin champion in eight years after posting a winning mark of 51.67m/169-6 at Southeastern Conference Outdoor Championships. |
| Natalie Knight, Florida |
| Equaled school record and became first UF woman to win SEC 200m title, clocking in at 22.84 … Also finished sixth in 100m with career-best time of 11.42 and anchored runner-up 4x100m relay (43.76). |
| Rebecca Lowe, Florida |
| Won both the 5,000m (16:22.33) and 10,000m (34:13.07) at SEC Outdoor Championships to become just ninth athlete in league history, and second Gator, to win both in the same year … Also became first UF athlete since 1985 to win either event at the conference meet … also part of SEC All-Freshman team |
| Shara Proctor, Florida |
| Won Florida's third SEC triple jump title, and first since 1992, at outdoor conference meet with school-record leap of 13.66m/44-9.75 … Also finished second in long jump with mark of 6.45m/21-2. |
| Second Team |
| Abigail David, Florida |
| Took 10th in 400m (54.52) at Southeastern Conference Outdoor Championships, while also leading off Gators' second-place 4x100m relay (43.76). |
| Lakecia Ealey, Florida |
| Finished sixth in 100m (11.41) and seventh in 200m (23.49), while also running on second-place 4x100m relay (43.76) at Southeastern Conference Outdoor Championships. |
| Mariam Kevkhishvili, Florida |
| Runner-up in SEC shot put competition (16.69m/54-9.25) |
| Dominique McLeggan, Florida |
| Finished seventh in 400m (54.32) and ran on second-place 4x100m relay (43.76) at Southeastern Conference Outdoor Championships. |
| Lindsay Sundell, Florida |
| Second in steeplechase (10:24.00) and ninth in 5,000m (16:38.92) at Southeastern Conference Outdoor Championships. |
| Men |
| Second Team |
| Eric Alberter, Florida |
| Finished ninth in the 800m (1:52.90) and anchored Gators' second-place 4x400m squad (3:04.75) at SEC Outdoor Championships |
| LaMarr Davis, Florida |
| Ran third leg of Gators' 4x400m relay that finished second at Southeastern Conference Outdoor Championships (3:04.75) |
| Steffan Hommel, Florida |
| Earned automatic bid to NCAA Outdoor Championships with runner-up score of 7,540 in SEC decathlon competition. |
| Eugene Martin, Florida |
| Runner-up finish in SEC high jump competition with regional-qualifying clearance of 2.10m/6-10.75 |
| Bernard Middleton, Florida |
| Ran final leg of second-place 4x400m relay (3:04.75) at SEC Outdoor Championships |
| Calvin Smith, Florida |
| Third in 400m (45.83) and ran second leg or runner-up 4x400m relay (3:04.75) at Southeastern Conference Outdoor Championships |
| Wes Stockbarger, Florida |
| Scored 14 points at Southeastern Conference Outdoor Championships with second-place finish in shot put (18.46m/60-6.75) and third-place showing in discus (58.02m/ 190-4) |
| All-Freshman Team |
| Women |
| 10,000 and 5,000m run – Rebecca Lowe, Florida (1st) |
| Pole Vault – Daisy Glasser, Florida (5th) |
| Fifth overall and tops among freshmen in pole vault at Southeastern Conference Outdoor Championships, tying career best with clearance of 3.95m/12-11.50. |
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| Men |
| 100m dash – Terrell Wilks, Florida (7th) |
| Only rookie to score in SEC Championships' 100m, taking seventh with career-best time of 10.26 |
