Track and Field Sweeps SEC Weekly Freshman Honors
Tuesday, April 21, 2009 | Track and Field
Florida freshmen Genevieve LaCaze (Queensland, Australia) and William Wynne (Marietta, Ga.) have been named the Female and Male Southeastern Conference Freshmen of the Week, respectively, for their stellar performances this past weekend at the War Eagle Invitational, the league offices in Birmingham, Ala., announced Tuesday.
LaCaze was named the SEC's Female Freshman of the Week for the second time in three weeks and the third time this season (indoors and outdoors).
LaCaze captured the women's invitational 1,500-meter run on Friday at the War Eagle Invitational in an NCAA regional-qualifying and personal-best time of 4:20.90. That broke her own freshman school record of 4:22.18, set two weeks prior at the Pepsi Florida Relays on April 3. Prior to LaCaze's record-breaking times this season, the previous freshman school record was 4:30.67.
LaCaze now ranks third in the SEC in the women's 1,500-meter run and has the top time of any freshman in the conference this season. Her time in that event at the War Eagle Invitational marked the seventh-fastest women's outdoor 1,500-meter time in school history.
Wynne earned the first SEC weekly honor of his career as he was named the league's Male Freshman of the Week.
Wynne finished second and was the top collegian in the men's 110-meter hurdles, running a personal-best and NCAA regional-qualifying time of 13.73 (+1.7) in the prelims and following that up with a time of 13.75 (+0.0) in the event's finals. That time goes down as the fastest in the SEC so far this season and currently ranks eighth in the nation in the men's 110-meter hurdles.
Wynne's time in the 110-meter hurdles was the seventh best in outdoor school history and shattered his previous collegiate-best time of 13.92. He also ran the third leg of Florida's 4x400-meter relay team that finished in an NCAA regional-qualifying time of 3:05.92 on Saturday.
The Gators return to action on Thursday when they travel to Philadelphia, Pa., to participate in the Penn Relays.
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 OUTDOOR WEEK 4 ATHLETES OF THE WEEK
Male Runner of the Week: Felix Kiboiywo, Auburn
Male Field Athlete of the Week: Alain Bailey, Arkansas
Male Freshman of the Week: William Wynne, Florida
Female Runner of the Week: Joanna Atkins, Auburn
Female Field Athlete of the Week: Katie Stripling, Arkansas
Female Freshman of the Week: Genevieve LaCaze, Florida
END OF REPORT
