Shara Proctor, Christian Taylor Earn SEC Athlete of Week Honors
Tuesday, February 17, 2009 | Track and Field
A pair of Florida jumpers – Shara Proctor (The Valley, Anguilla) and Christian Taylor (Fayetteville, Ga.) – each have earned weekly track and field honors from the Southeastern Conference, the league office in Birmingham, Ala., announced Tuesday afternoon.
Proctor was named the Female Field Athlete of the Week, while Taylor was named the Male Field Athlete of the Week. Both earned the honors for their strong performances at the Tyson Invitational in Fayetteville, Ark., this past weekend. The distinctions are the first indoor weekly honors for either athlete in his/her career.
Taylor, just a freshman, had a remarkable weekend, highlighted by an NCAA automatic-qualifying mark in the men's long jump. Taylor's leap of 26-3.75/8.02m is the best long jump mark in the country so far this season and goes down as the second-best indoor long jump in Florida school history.
Taylor becomes just the second athlete in the SEC so far this season to notch an NCAA automatic-qualifying mark in the men's long jump and the only freshman in the nation to accomplish such a feat. He shattered his previous collegiate-best mark of 25-4/7.72m in that event.
Taylor came back later Friday night to run the first leg of the men's 4x400m relay that participated in a challenging invitational section. Taylor ran an unofficial time of 46.5 on his leg and the relay finished second in an NCAA provisional-qualifying time of 3:09.02.
The next day, Taylor notched an NCAA provisional-qualifying mark in the men's triple jump with a leap of 52-4.50/15.96m, which goes down as the fourth-best men's indoor triple jump mark in Florida school history. He currently ranks fourth in the SEC in the triple jump so far this season.
Proctor, a junior, notched SEC-leading and NCAA provisional-qualifying marks in the women's triple jump and women's long jump this past weekend at the Tyson Invitational.
Proctor broke the Florida school record in the women's indoor triple jump, finishing second in the event with an NCAA provisional-qualifying and personal-best leap of 43-5.75/13.25m. That mark broke the previous school record of 43-1.75/13.15m, set by Leah Kirklin in 1992.
Proctor won the women's long jump event at the Tyson Invitational with a season best and NCAA provisional-qualifying leap of 20-9.25/6.33m. She now holds Florida's indoor school records in both the triple jump and the long jump.
Proctor is one of only two athletes in the SEC so far this season to have provisionally qualified in both the women's long jump and the women's triple jump.
Florida has a week off from competition before traveling to Lexington, Ky., Feb. 26-March 1 to participate in the SEC Indoor Championships.
The University of Florida is home of the 2009 Southeastern Conference Outdoor Track and Field Championships. For all of the latest information on Gator Track and Field, log on to www.GatorZone.com.
SEC TRACK AND FIELD ATHLETES OF THE WEEK – FEBRUARY 17, 2009
Female Runner of the Week: Joanna Atkins, Auburn
Female Field Athlete of the Week: Shara Proctor, Florida
Female Freshman of the Week: Rachel Laurent, LSU
Male Runner of the Week: Torrin Lawrence, Georgia
Male Field Athlete of the Week: Christian Taylor, Florida
Male Freshman of the Week: Tyler Campbell, Alabama
END OF REPORT
