Florida Gators
SEC Indoor Championships
Gators Claim Three SEC Individual Titles on Saturday
Sunday, February 28, 2010 | Track and Field
Complete Results in PDF Format | Photo Gallery
The Florida track and field team captured three individual Southeastern Conference titles Saturday to highlight a solid second day at the 2010 SEC Indoor Championships hosted by the University of Arkansas at its Randal Tyson Track Center.
Heading into the final day of competition, the Florida women lead the team standings with 50 total points, while Arkansas is second with 30 and Tennessee is third with 25. The Gator men are currently in fourth place in the team standings with 23 total points. Arkansas leads the men's team competition with 57 points, while Georgia is second with 25 points and LSU third with 23 points.
In total, Florida captured three SEC individual championships, notched three NCAA automatic-qualifying times, charted 12 NCAA provisional-qualifying marks/times and charted 10 top-eight (scoring) finishes among the event finals contested on Saturday.
“I thought we had a good day today,” Florida head coach Mike Holloway said. “We came up a little short on the men's side of what we thought we could do, but we also had some pleasant surprises as well. The big thing is, we have to come out tomorrow and fight a little harder than anyone else does, and I think we're going to be fine. I feel very confident that at the end of the day tomorrow, the Gator Nation is going to be very proud of the accomplishments of the track and field program.”
Junior distance runner Charlotte Browning (Pullborough, England) captured the 3,000-meter SEC Championship in a personal-best time of 9:21.77, which goes down as the fifth-fastest time in that event in school history. She is the first Florida woman to capture the 3,000-meter indoor conference title since Becki Wells won the event in 1997.
“At the beginning of the race, I wanted to move to the front of the pack because I started on the outside,” Browning said. “I also wanted to run as a team and try not to make it too easy for anyone. I was kind of hoping for an NCAA qualifying time, but I was thinking about helping the team first.”
Browning headlined a group of four Gators who finished among the event's top six. Sophomore Rebecca Lowe (Vancluse, Australia) was third at 9:27.75, sophomore Genevieve LaCaze (Queensland, Australia) was fourth in 9:42.83 and junior Stacey Johnson (Lichfield, England) was sixth in 9:47.51. Browning and Lowe each turned in NCAA provisional-qualifying times and Lowe's was the seventh-fastest in school history.
The women's 3,000-meter run resulted in 24 team points for the Gators.
“We've been talking about really trying to go all out in the 3K and help the team as much as we could in that event,” said Todd Morgan, assistant coach for distance. “The way it worked with the schedule, we thought we'd be able to do that and it went well for us.”
Senior thrower Mariam Kevkhishvili (Tbilisi, Georgia) won her second consecutive SEC Indoor Shot Put Championship, marking her 12th consecutive victory in the women's shot put dating back to the 2008 season. Kevkhishvili, a candidate for The Bowerman – track and field's highest honor, broke her own SEC indoor meet record with a toss of 18.09m/59-4.25. Each of Kevkhishvili's finishes this season have been better than 18 meters and all have been automatic-qualifying marks.
“These were not my best throws today,” Kevkhishvili said. “I am really happy that I was able to get 10 points for my team. I am glad that I was able to beat my own record and win the competition.”
Sophomore thrower Keely Medeiros (Luziana, Brazil) placed third in the women's shot put, matching her personal-best throw with a toss of 16.39m/53-9.25. The Gators scored 16 team points in the women's shot put competition.
“I was proud of both Mariam and Keely today,” said Steve Lemke, assistant coach for throws. “They both came out here and did their jobs. Mariam wasn't at 100 percent physically today – she's been sick all week – but she broke her own conference record and did her job. Keely did a great job today coming out and equaling her personal-best early on. She got beat (for second place), but she made her (Tennessee's Annie Alexander) earn it.”
Senior jumper Shara Proctor (The Valley, Anguilla), also a candidate for The Bowerman, claimed Florida's first indoor long jump title since the 1997 season with an NCAA automatic-qualifying leap of 6.47m/21-2.75. Proctor's SEC indoor long jump title marks her second career indoor league title, after claiming the SEC indoor triple jump last season. Proctor has recorded an NCAA automatic-qualifying leap in each of her performances so far this season.
“I am really satisfied with my performance today,” Proctor said. “It wasn't my best series, but it was good enough to pick up the points I needed to help my team go for a championship.”
Sophomore multi-event athlete Gray Horn (Waynesfield, Ohio) turned in a personal-record score of 5,653 to finish second in the men's heptathlon. Horn's showing bested his previous personal-best of 5,586 and goes down as the second-best heptathlon score in school history and is an NCAA provisional-qualifying mark.
Horn recorded a valiant second-day effort recording personal-record marks/times in each of his three events on Saturday. Horn opened the day by winning the men's 60-meter hurdles in a personal-record time of 8.06. He followed that up with a collegiate-best pole vault of 4.60m/15-1, which placed second among the field. Horn then concluded the day with a personal-record time of 2:43.40 in the 1,000-meter run.
Sophomore jumper Christian Taylor (Fayetteville, Ga.) finished third in the men's long jump competition with a season-best leap of 7.79m/25-6.75 to pick up six points for the Gators.
Florida freshmen Jeremy Postin (Andover, Kan.) and David Triassi (Jacksonville, Fla.) each recorded sizeable personal-best tosses in the men's weight throw to finish fifth and sixth, respectively. Postin was fifth with a throw of 19.09m/62-7.75, which goes down as the second-best weight throw in school history, while Triassi was sixth at 18.65m/61-2.25 with the fourth-best throw in school history.
Jumper Frankie Hammond (Hollywood, Fla.) finished seventh in the men's high jump with a leap of 2.10m/7-0.25.
In total, Florida advanced 15 athletes from Saturday's preliminaries on to Sunday's event finals.
Senior sprinter Calvin Smith (Lutz, Fla.) recorded an especially impressive day with automatic-qualifying times in both the 200-meter dash and the 400-meter dash. Smith blazed through the 200m field, tying for the nation's fastest time this season at 20.67. It marked a personal-record time and moved him up to fifth-place on the school's all-time indoor 200m, automatically punching his ticket to the upcoming NCAA Indoor Championships.
Smith also finished second among all competitors in the preliminaries of the men's 400-meter dash in a personal-record and NCAA automatic-qualifying time of 45.88, the fourth-fastest time in school history.
Freshman sprinter Tony McQuay (West Palm Beach, Fla.) finished third in both the 200m and the 400m, advancing to the event finals in both. McQuay was third in the 400 in a personal-record time of 46.59 and also was third in the 200m in a personal-record time of 20.87. McQuay's 200m time is the 10th-fastest in school history.
Florida qualified three athletes for the finals of the highly competitive men's 60-meter dash, all coming out of the same heat. Freshman Jeff Demps (Winter Garden, Fla.), the national leader in the event, won his heat and finished second overall in 6.62. Teammates Jeremy Hall (Jacksonville, Fla.) and Terrell Wilks (New Haven, Conn.) also qualified with times of 6.69 and 6.73, respectively. Those three runners already hold the top-three fastest times in UF school history.
Two Gators advanced to the finals of the women's mile. Browning, the national leader in that event, finished with the fastest qualifying time in 4:46.96. Johnson placed fifth in 4:49.66, while junior Kaitlin Shiver (Satellite Beach, Fla.) just missed qualifying for the finals, finishing 11th in 4:53.46.
Hurdlers Jarius Cooper (Palm Coast, Fla.) and Horn each advanced to the finals of the men's 60-meter hurdles. Cooper was fifth overall in the prelims in a personal-record time of 7.98, while Horn was sixth in 8.13.
Sophomore Alishea Usery (St. Louis, Mo.) qualified for the finals in both the women's 60-meter dash and the 200-meter dash. She matched her personal best in the 60m at 7.33 and finished fifth in the 200m prelims in a time of 23.71. Both went down as NCAA provisional-qualifying times.
Freshman sprinter Lanie Whittaker (Miami, Fla.) qualified for the finals of the women's 400-meter dash, charting a personal-record time of 53.93. It marked the first time in her collegiate career she broke the 54-second barrier in the event.
Senior distance runner Justin Taylor (St. Augustine, Fla.) qualified for the finals of the men's mile, placing fifth overall in the prelims in a time of 4:07.39.
The final day of the 2010 SEC Indoor Championships commence at 11 a.m. ET Sunday from the Randal Tyson Track Center. The Gators are seeking their first SEC indoor team titles since the 2004 campaign.
For all of the latest information on Florida track and field, please 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.
SEC INDOOR CHAMPIONSHIPS (FAYETTEVILLE , ARK. – Feb. 27, 2010)
Men's Weight Throw – 11 a.m. ET (AUTO: 21.50m; PROV: 19.50m)
5. Jeremy Postin – 19.09m/62-7.75 (4 points)
6. David Triassi – 18.65m/61-2.25 (3 points)
Women's Pole Vault – 1 p.m. ET (AUTO: 4.25m; PROV: 4.00m)
11. Daisy Glasser – 3.88m/12-8.75
T12. Kaitlin Schuessler – 3.73m/12-2.75
Women's 60m Hurdles Prelims – 2:30 p.m. ET (AUTO: 8.14; PROV: 8.43)
11. Ugonna Ndu – 8.80
Men's 60m Hurdles Prelims – 2:50 p.m. ET (AUTO 7.70; PROV: 7.91)
5. Jarius Cooper – 7.98 Q
6. Gray Horn – 8.13 Q
Men's Heptathlon – 2:10 p.m. ET (AUTO: 5,676; PROV: 5,325)
2. Gray Horn – 5,653 P (8 points)
Heptathlon 60m Hurdles (AUTO: 7.70; PROV: 7.91)
1. Gray Horn – 8.06
Heptathlon Pole Vault (AUTO: 5.50; PROV: 5.20)
2. Gray Horn – 4.60m/15-1 (790 points)
Heptathlon 1,000m Run (Not an NCAA Championship Event)
3. Gray Horn – 2:43.40 (836 points)
Women's 60m Dash Prelims – 3:30 p.m. ET (AUTO: 7.26; PROV: 7.44)
4. Alishea Usery – 7.33 P q
18. Madison McNary – 7.56
Men's 60m Dash Prelims – 3:50 p.m. ET (AUTO: 6.60; PROV: 6.71)
2. Jeff Demps – 6.62 P Q
6. Jeremy Hall – 6.69 P q
8. Terrell Wilks – 6.73 q
9. Chris Rainey – 6.75
10. Jeremy Rankin – 6.75
Men's Long Jump – 4 p.m. ET (AUTO: 7.85m; PROV: 7.50m)
3. Christian Taylor – 7.79m/25-6.75 (6 points) P
Women's Long Jump – 4 p.m. ET (AUTO: 6.38m; PROV: 6.13m)
1. Shara Proctor – 6.47m/21-2.75 (10 points) A
22. Ugonna Ndu – 5.16m/16-11.25
Women's Mile Prelims – 4:10 p.m. ET (AUTO: 4:37.00; PROV: 4:46.70)
1. Charlotte Browning – 4:46.96 Q
5. Stacey Johnson – 4:49.66 Q
11. Kaitlin Shiver – 4:53.46
Men's Mile Prelims – 4:30 p.m. ET (AUTO: 3:59.00; PROV: 4:03.50)
5. Justin Taylor – 4:07.39 Q
Women's 400m Prelims – 4:50 p.m. (AUTO: 52.40; PROV: 54.40)
6. Lanie Whittaker – 53.93 P q
18. Michelle Stegall – 56.57
Men's 400m Prelims – 5:10 p.m. ET (AUTO: 46.15; PROV: 47.25)
2. Calvin Smith – 45.88 A q
3. Tony McQuay – 46.59 P q
17. Preston Wilson – 48.66
Women's Shot Put – 5:10 p.m. ET (AUTO: 16.90m; PROV: 15.20m)
1. Mariam Kevkhishvili – 18.09m/59-4.25 A (10 points)
3. Keely Medeiros – 16.39m/53-9.25 P (6 points)
15. Fidela James – 13.88m/45-6.50
Men's High Jump – 5:10 p.m. ET (AUTO: 2.24m; PROV: 2.14m)
7. Frankie Hammond – 2.10m/6-10.75 (2 points)
Women's 800m Prelims – 5:30 p.m. ET (AUTO: 2:05.00; PROV: 2:09.00)
15. Ashley Usery – 2:18.85
Men's 800m Prelims – 5:50 p.m. ET (AUTO: 1:48.00; PROV: 1:50.50)
10. Ethan Philpot – 1:53.31
18. Lamarr Davis – 2:05.72
Women's 200m Prelims – 6:20 p.m. ET (AUTO: 23.20; PROV: 23.90)
5. Alishea Usery – 23.71 P q
17. Danielle Williams – 24.68
20. Madison McNary – 24.82
Men's 200m Prelims – 6:45 p.m. ET (AUTO: 20.83; PROV: 21.23)
1. Calvin Smith – 20.67 A q
3. Tony McQuay – 20.87 P q
19. Jovon Toppin – 21.64
Women's 3,000m – 7:15 p.m. ET (AUTO: 9:13.00; PROV: 9:32.00)
1. Charlotte Browning – 9:21.77 P (10 points)
3. Rebecca Lowe – 9:27.75 P (6 points)
4. Genevieve LaCaze – 9:42.83 (5 points)
6. Stacey Johnson – 9:47.51 (3 points)
Men's 3,000m – 7:35 p.m. ET (AUTO: 7:54.50; 8:05.00)
18. Josh Izewski – 8:36.61
FLORIDA AUTOMATIC-QUALIFIERS ON SATURDAY (3)
? Mariam Kevkhishvili – Women's Shot Put – 18.09m/59-4.25 A
? Shara Proctor – Women's Long Jump – 6.47m/21-2.75 A
? Calvin Smith – Men's 400m – 45.88 A
FLORIDA PROVISIONAL-QUALIFIERS ON SATURDAY (12)
? Charlotte Browning – Women's 3,000m – 9:21.77 P
? Jeff Demps – Men's 60m – 6.62 P
? Jeremy Hall – Men's 60m – 6.69 P
? Gray Horn – Men's Heptathlon – 5,653 P
? Rebecca Lowe – Women's 3,000m – 9:27.75 P
? Tony McQuay – Men's 400m – 46.59 P
? Tony McQuay – Men's 200m – 20.87 P
? Keely Medeiros – Women's Shot Put – 16.39m/53-9.25 P
? Christian Taylor – Men's Long Jump – 7.79m/25-6.75 P
? Alishea Usery – Women's 60m – 7.33 P
? Alishea Usery – Women's 200m – 23.71 P
? Lanie Whittaker – Women's 400m – 53.93 P
FLORIDA SEC EVENT CHAMPIONS ON SATURDAY (3)
? Charlotte Browning – Women's 3,000m – 9:21.77 P
? Mariam Kevkhishvili – Women's Shot Put – 18.09m/59-4.25 P
? Shara Proctor – Women's Long Jump – 6.47m/21-2.75 A
FLORIDA TOP-EIGHT FINISHERS (EVENT FINALS ONLY) (10)
? Charlotte Browning – Women's 3,000m – 9:21.77 (1st) P
? Shara Proctor – Women's Long Jump – 6.47m/21-2.75 (1st) A
? Gray Horn – Men's Heptathlon – 5,653 (2nd) P
? Rebecca Lowe – Women's 3,000m – 9:27.75 (3rd) P
? Christian Taylor – Men's Long Jump – 7.79m/25-6.75 (3rd) P
? Genevieve LaCaze – Women's 3,000m – 9:42.83 (4th)
? Jeremy Postin – Men's Weight Throw – 19.09m/62-7.75 (5th)
? Stacey Johnson – Women's 3,000m – 9:47.51 (6th)
? David Triassi – Men's Weight Throw – 18.65m/61-2.25 (6th)
? Frankie Hammond – Men's High Jump – 2.10m/6-10.75 (7th)
FLORIDA ATHLETES ADVANCING TO SUNDAY'S FINALS (15)
? Charlotte Browning – Women's Mile – 4:46.96
? Jarius Cooper – Men's 60m Hurdles – 7.98
? Jeff Demps – Men's 60m – 6.62 P
? Jeremy Hall – Men's 60m – 6.69 P
? Gray Horn – Men's 60m Hurdles – 8.13
? Stacey Johnson – Women's Mile – 4:49.66
? Tony McQuay – Men's 400m – 46.59 P
? Tony McQuay – Men's 200m – 20.87 P
? Calvin Smith – Men's 400m – 45.88 A
? Calvin Smith – Men's 200m – 20.67 A
? Justin Taylor – Men's Mile – 4:07.39
? Alishea Usery – Women's 60m – 7.33
? Alishea Usery – Women's 200m – 23.71 P
? Lanie Whittaker – Women's 400m – 53.93
? Terrell Wilks – Men's 60m – 6.73
MEN'S TEAM TOTALS (AFTER DAY 2)
1. Arkansas – 57
2. Georgia – 26
3. LSU – 25
4. Florida – 23
5. Ole Miss – 22
6. Auburn – 17
7. South Carolina – 14
8. Alabama – 8
9. Tennessee – 3
WOMEN'S TEAM TOTALS (AFTER DAY 2)
1. Florida – 50
2. Arkansas – 30
3. Tennessee – 25
4. LSU – 17.5
T5. South Carolina – 16
T5. Alabama – 16
7. Kentucky – 14
8. Ole Miss – 13
9. Georgia – 4.5
10. Mississippi State – 4
11. Auburn – 3
12. Vanderbilt - 2
END OF REPORT
