Florida Gators
Virginia Tech Elite Meet
Track and Field Caps off Stellar Weekend at Virginia Tech
Sunday, February 7, 2010 | Track and Field
While the Florida track and field team is stocked with talented athletes and the 2010 season has been characterized by a number of impressive individual performances, head coach Mike Holloway has been looking forward to the day when each competitor's performance, effort and focus would be at their absolute best.
He found that day Saturday, on the final afternoon of the Virginia Tech Elite Meet at Rector Field House on the campus of Virginia Tech.
Over the course of the weekend, the Gators recorded seven event victories, four NCAA automatic-qualifying marks and 12 NCAA provisional-qualifying marks and times.
“You're never going to have that perfect day, but today was a very, very good day,” Holloway said. “We had a lot of really good things this weekend and that's just indicative of the effort and hard work of the University of Florida track and field team. Looking across the board, I am very proud of our team and our performances today.”
Senior jumper Shara Proctor (The Valley, Anguilla) turned in her second school record and NCAA automatic-qualifying mark of the weekend, claiming the women's triple jump with a personal-best leap of 13.88m/45-6.50. Proctor's jump goes down as the eighth-best women's triple jump in collegiate history and is the best in the nation so far this season.
Saturday's triple jump victory capped off a highly-successful weekend for Proctor, who finished the Virginia Tech Elite Meet with automatic qualifying marks, school records and event victories in both the women's long jump and women's triple jump.
“I am very pleased with Shara's performance today,” said assistant coach Brian O'Neal, who works directly with Proctor. “She has been willing to put in a lot of hard work to achieve her goals. Just like last night, nearly every jump this season has been her lifetime personal-best. It's impressive that each of her jumps have been automatic qualifiers. I'm proud of what she has been able to accomplish this season, but know there is a lot more left to come from her.”
Senior thrower Mariam Kevkhishvili (Tbilisi, Georgia), a member of the preseason watch list for The Bowerman – track and field's highest honor, shattered her personal best and the school record in the process, turning in the No. 3 mark in collegiate history in the women's shot put with a toss of 18.56m/60-10.75.
Kevkhishvili won her 10th consecutive indoor competition dating back to March 2008 against an impressive field that included postcollegian Cleopatra Borel, a two-time Olympian and the 2007 NACAC women's shot put champion.
“Mariam was awesome today,” said assistant coach for throws Steve Lemke. “It was the first time all season that she's had some competition and there was someone who had the potential to beat Mariam. She needs that opportunity to have her feet in the fire. She had a great first throw and really put some pressure on the other competitors. Mariam had a consistent series and this will help down the road in bigger competitions.”
Both Kevkhishvili and Proctor lead the nation in their respective events.
“Shara and Mariam are two very special athletes,” Holloway said. “To have two athletes who record the No. 3 and No. 8 all-time marks in collegiate history in the same weekend, there's not a lot of teams across the country that can say that.”
Sophomore jumper Christian Taylor (Fayetteville, Ga.), the defending NCAA Indoor Champion in the men's triple jump, punched his ticket to the upcoming NCAA Championships with an automatic-qualifying mark of 16.26m/53-4.25 to claim the event on Saturday.
“Christian's whole weekend has been excellent,” said assistant coach Dick Booth, who works directly with Taylor. “He is doing exactly what we want him to do. He worked extremely hard during the off-season to become a better machine and we want him to use that to jump farther. Obviously there's an adjustment period when you have a new philosophy and we have to iron our a few things, but he had the best jump in the nation this season and that's what we expect from him. I'm also very proud of the leadership he has shown in helping Omar [Craddock] since he joined our team.”
Omar Craddock (Kileen, Texas), who just joined the Florida track and field team at the start of the 2010 spring semester and was competing in just his second collegiate meet, charted a personal-best leap and an NCAA provisional-qualifying mark for the second week in a row, placing third in the men's triple jump with a leap of 15.77m/51-9. That went down as the eighth-best men's indoor triple jump mark in school history.
Sophomore thrower Keely Medeiros (Luziana, Brazil) posted a personal-best throw of 16.39m/53-9.25 to finish third in the women's shot put competition. That goes down as the eighth-best indoor women's shot put mark in school history.
“This was a great competition for Keely,” Lemke said. “To have her throw a personal-best and be a player on the national level shows us that she's heading in the right direction as we get closer to the indoor championship season.”
The men's 4x400-meter relay team won its race in an NCAA provisional-qualifying time of 3:07.79. The quartet of Lamarr Davis (Knightdale, N.C.), Tony McQuay (West Palm Beach, Fla.), Jovon Toppin (Port of Spain, Trinidad) and Calvin Smith (Lutz, Fla.) benefitted from a speedy second leg by Toppin and a great finish by Smith to secure the victory. The time was just out of Florida's all-time top-10 list.
McQuay also posted an NCAA provisional-qualifying time of 21.18 to place second in the men's 200-meter dash invitational, his first career indoor 200m race.
The women's 4x400-meter relay team posted a season-best time and the school's fastest since the 2005 season at 3:39.93. That bettered the previous season-best time of 3:39.96 recorded at the Kentucky Invitational in mid-January. The quartet consisted of Alishea Usery (St. Louis, Mo.), Danielle Williams (Jacksonville, Fla.), Michelle Stegall (Fayetteville, Ga.) and Lanie Whittaker (Miami, Fla.).
Junior thrower Kemal Mesic (Sarajevo, Bosnia) was the top collegian in the men's shot put, notching an NCAA provisional-qualifying throw of 18.99m/62-3.75. Mesic's mark is one of the top six in the NCAA this season.
High jumpers Frankie Hammond (Hollywood, Fla.) and Bryan Turner (Gainesville, Fla.) each recorded collegiate-bests in the event. Hammond was second with an NCAA provisional-qualifying leap of 2.14m/7-0.25, while Turner was fifth at 2.04m/6-8.25.
Alishea Usery picked up just the second event victory of her career, winning the women's 200-meter dash invitational in a time of 24.11. Whittaker was fourth in 24.24.
“I am really proud of our results this weekend,” Holloway said. “There was a lot of improvement in every area. What we need to do now is go back to Gainesville and get focused on trying to improve and get better for next weekend.”
Florida returns to action next weekend when it sends split squads to the Tyson Invitational in Fayetteville, Ark., the Iowa State Classic in Ames, Iowa, and the Washington Invitational in Seattle. Complete coverage will be available at www.GatorZone.com.
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.
Virginia Tech Elite Meet (Blacksburg, Va. – Saturday, Feb. 6, 2010)
Men's High Jump (AUTO: 2.24m; PROV: 2.14m)
2. Frankie Hammond – 2.14m/7-0.25 P
5. Bryan Turner – 2.04m/6-8.25
Men's Shot Put (AUTO: 19.30m; PROV: 17.75m)
2. Kemal Mesic – 18.99m/62-3.75 P
18. Gray Horn – 11.27m/36-11.75
Women's Triple Jump (AUTO: 13.30m; PROV: 12.65m)
1. Shara Proctor – 13.88m/45-6.50 A
17. Daniela Griffin – 11.36m/37-3.25
Men's Triple Jump (AUTO: 16.15m; PROV: 15.45m)
1. Christian Taylor – 16.26m/53-4.25 A
3. Omar Craddock – 15.77m/51-9 P
Women' 400m Dash Open (AUTO: 52.40; PROV: 54.40)
6. Ije Iheoma – 56.89
9. Ugonna Ndu – 57.92
12. Ashley Usery – 58.49
Women's 200m Dash Invitational (AUTO: 23.20; PROV: 23.90)
1. Alishea Usery – 24.11
4. Lanie Whittaker – 24.24
Men's 200m Dash Invitational (AUTO: 21.83; PROV: 21.23)
2. Tony McQuay – 21.18 P
4. Calvin Smith – 21.30
7. Jeremy Rankin – 22.39
8. Terrell Wilks – 22.44
Women's Shot Put (AUTO: 16.90; PROV: 15.20)
1. Mariam Kevkhishvili – 18.56m/60-10.75 A
3. Keely Medeiros – 16.39m/53-9.25 P
Women's 4x400m Relay (AUTO: 3:33.00; PROV: 3:40.00)
3. Florida – 3:39.93 P
(Alishea Usery, Danielle Williams, Michelle Stegall, Lanie Whittaker)
Men's 4x400m Relay (AUTO: 3:06.50; PROV: 3:10.40)
1. Florida – 3:07.79 P
(Lamarr Davis, Tony McQuay, Jovon Toppin, Calvin Smith)
FLORIDA EVENT VICTORIES (ENTIRE WEEKEND) [7]
? Mariam Kevkhishvili – Women's Shot Put – 18.56m/60-10.75 A
? Shara Proctor – Women's Long Jump - 6.67m/21-10.75 A
? Shara Proctor – Women's Triple Jump – 13.88m/45-6.50 A
? Christian Taylor – Men's Triple Jump – 16.26m/53-4.25 A
? Alishea Usery – Women's 200m Dash – 24.11
? Lanie Whittaker – Women's 400m Dash – 54.06 P
? Men's 4x400m Relay – 3:07.79 P
FLORIDA AUTOMATIC QUALIFIERS (ENTIRE WEEKEND) [4]
? Mariam Kevkhishvili – Women's Shot Put – 18.56m/60-10.75 A
? Shara Proctor – Women's Long Jump - 6.67m/21-10.75 A
? Shara Proctor – Women's Triple Jump – 13.88m/45-6.50 A
? Christian Taylor – Men's Triple Jump – 16.26m/53-4.25 A
FLORIDA PROVISIONAL QUALIFIERS (ENTIRE WEEKEND) [12]
? Omar Craddock – Men's Triple Jump – 15.77m/51-9 P
? Jeff Demps – Men's 60m Dash Prelims – 6.64 P
? Jeff Demps – Men's 60m Dash Finals – 6.61 P
? Frankie Hammond – Men's High Jump – 2.14m/7-0.25 P
? Tony McQuay – Men's 400m Dash – 46.90 P
? Tony McQuay – Men's 200m Dash – 21.18 P.39m/53-9.25 P
? Keely Medeiros – Women's Shot Put - 16
? Kemal Mesic – Men's Shot Put – 18.99m/62-3.75 P
? Chris Rainey – Men's 60m Dash Finals – 6.70 P
? Lanie Whittaker – Women's 400m Dash – 54.06 P
? Women's 4x400m Relay – 3:39.93 P
? Men's 4x400m Relay – 3:07.79 P
END OF REPORT
