Track and Field Holds Annual Banquet
Tuesday, December 14, 2010 | Track and Field
The University of Florida track and field team held its annual banquet on Saturday night at Touchdown Terrace in Ben Hill Griffin Stadium to reflect on a remarkable 2010 season that was highlighted by four top-four finishes at NCAA Championship events.
The list of accomplishments for the 2010 team is long and decorated, including the men's 2010 NCAA Indoor Championship, the men's 2010 Southeastern Conference Outdoor Championship and the women's 2010 SEC Indoor Championship. Along with a number of individual awards presented on Saturday night, the Gators also recognized eight athletes who won at least one NCAA individual championship last season and 12 athletes who won one or more SEC individual championship a year ago.
It was the final official gathering for a decorated Florida senior class that included five-time NCAA Champion Mariam Kevkhishvili (Tbilisi, Georgia) and 18-time All-American Calvin Smith (Lutz, Fla.).
The list of honors and awards presented on Saturday evening are below:
Women's Awards
Most Valuable Sprinter: Alishea Usery
Most Valuable Freshman Sprinter: Lanie Whittaker
Most Valuable Distance Runner: Charlotte Browning
Most Valuable Field Athlete: Mariam Kevkhishvili
Most Improved Distance Runner: Julie Northrup
Most Improved Field Athlete: Fidela James
Most Valuable Freshman Field Athlete: Ashley Miller
Men's Awards
Most Valuable Sprinter: Calvin Smith
Most Valuable Distance Runner: Justin Taylor
Most Valuable Field Athlete: Christian Taylor
Most Improved Distance Runner: Josh Izewski
Most Improved Field Athlete: Jeremy Postin
Most Improved Sprinter: Preston Wilson
Most Valuable Freshman Sprinter: Tony McQuay
Most Valuable Freshman Field Athlete: Omar Craddock
Most Valuable Freshman Distance Runner: Josh Izewski
Captain's Award: Preston Wilson
Women's Scholar-Athlete Awards
Freshman Scholar-Athlete Award: Kaitlin Davis
Upperclassman Scholar-Athlete Award: Rebecca Lowe
Men's Scholar-Athlete Awards
Freshman Scholar-Athlete Award: David Triassi
Upperclassman Scholar-Athlete Award: Alex Schanen
NCAA Champions
• Charlotte Browning
• Evelien Dekkers
• Jeff Demps
• Jeremy Hall
• Mariam Kevkhishvili
• Chris Rainey
• Christian Taylor
• Terrell Wilks
SEC Champions
• R.J. Anderson
• Charlotte Browning
• Evelien Dekkers
• Jeff Demps
• Gray Horn
• Mariam Kevkhishvili
• Tony McQuay
• Kemal Mesic
• Shara Proctor
• Calvin Smith
• Christian Taylor
• Jovon Toppin
Florida opens its 2011 season on Jan. 15, when it travels to State College, Pa., to participate in the Nittany Lion Challenge.
For all of the latest information on Florida track and field, log on to www.GatorZone.com/trackfield, or for up-to-the-minute updates, follow the team's Twitter account @GZTrackField or www.twitter.com/GZTrackField.
