Florida Gators
SEC Indoor Championships
Women's Track and Field Wins 2010 SEC Indoor Championship
Monday, March 1, 2010 | Track and Field
Complete Results in PDF Format | Photo Gallery
The No. 3 University of Florida women's track and field team, on the strength of five individual titles, claimed the 2010 Southeastern Conference Indoor Championship, its first indoor league team crown since the 2004 season, on Sunday at the Randal Tyson Track Center on the campus of the University of Arkansas.
The UF women scored 110 total points to win the championship, while No. 6 Arkansas finished second with 82 points and No. 4 Tennessee was third with 77. The host Razorbacks won the men's team title with 123 points, while the No. 4 Gators were second with 119 and No. 3 LSU placed third with 108.5.
“I am extremely proud of the Florida track and field program as a whole,” Florida head coach Mike Holloway said. “I have an incredible coaching staff and they do a phenomenal job of making sure our athletes are prepared. We were very successful today, but we can't rest on our laurels in this league.
“On the women's side, we looked to the leadership of Charlotte [Browning], Mariam [Kevkhishvili] and Shara [Proctor] and those three showed up and got it done,” Holloway continued. “But I'm also extremely proud of the rest of the group for coming in and doing their jobs. It's not easy to come in as the favorite, but I'm proud of the team as a whole. As far as the men, I thought all of our guys did a great job putting their best foot forward and giving great effort this weekend. We're tired of being second, but we're not going anywhere. We're going to continue to fight for championships.”
The Gator women earned their sixth SEC indoor team title in school history, the second-most of any program in league history. En route to that championship, the Florida women won five SEC individual titles – women's shot put (Mariam Kevkhishvili), women's long jump (Shara Proctor), women's triple jump (Shara Proctor), women's mile (Charlotte Browning) and women's 3,000m (Charlotte Browning).
Junior distance runner Charlotte Browning (Pullborough, England) and senior jumper Shara Proctor (The Valley, Anguilla) were co-recipients of the 2010 Cliff Harper Trophy, awarded to the meet's high-points scorer. Each captured two SEC individual event titles apiece over the course of the weekend, marking Florida's first high-points trophy on the women's side since Candice Scott earned the honor in 2005.
The men's track and field claimed four SEC individual event titles during the weekend – men's shot put (Kemal Mesic), men's triple jump (Christian Taylor), men's 200m (Calvin Smith) and the men's 4x400m relay.
Browning, the national leader in the women's mile, opened the day by winning that event in an NCAA provisional-qualifying time of 4:37.29. It marked her second SEC championship of the weekend after capturing the women's 3,000m on Saturday. She became the first Florida women to capture the mile championship since Erin Merten did so in 2002.
“I'm so pleased that this was my second medal this weekend,” Browning said. “My team did really well and I think having such good runners here at Florida really helped me to train better and push myself more.”
Proctor defended her SEC Championship in the women's triple jump, winning for the second consecutive year, using an NCAA automatic-qualifying leap of 13.48m/44-2.75 on her first attempt of the afternoon to earn her second league title of the weekend. Proctor won the women's long jump on Saturday.
Sprinter Calvin Smith (Lutz, Fla.) was extraordinary on Sunday, competing in three events and finishing as a part of two SEC championships. Smith, who set a personal-record and nation-leading time in the prelims of the men's 200m on Saturday, came back in the finals with an NCAA automatic-qualifying time of 20.73 to claim the first SEC men's indoor 200-meter dash championship in program history.
Smith ran a 45.64 split on the anchor leg of Florida's SEC Championship 4x400-meter relay team that finished in an NCAA automatic-qualifying time of 3:05.53. It was just shy of the team's season-best time of 3:05.52 in the 4x400m, which also is the third-fastest time in school history.
The men's 4x400m relay quartet consisted of freshman Tony McQuay (West Palm Beach, Fla.), sophomore Christian Taylor (Fayetteville, Ga.), freshman Jovon Toppin (Port-of-Spain, Trinidad) and Smith.
“I just went out there and tried to run fast, just like my teammates did before me [in the relay],” Smith said. “We did good and we're ready to go back and practice really hard for the NCAA Championships.”
Smith placed third overall in the men's 400-meter dash in an NCAA automatic-qualifying time of 45.61. That was a personal-best time for Smith and goes down as the second-fastest time in school history. He did so against an incredibly fast field, that included four times under 46 seconds and a new league meet record.
McQuay, competing in the first SEC Championships of his young career, finished fourth in the men's 400-meter dash in an NCAA automatic-qualifying time of 45.91, which goes down as the fifth-fastest time in school history. He also placed third in the men's 200m dash in an NCAA provisional-qualifying time of 20.84, which went down as a personal-best and the 10th-fastest indoor 200m time in program history.
Junior thrower Kemal Mesic (Sarajevo, Bosnia) won the men's shot put championship on Sunday with a toss of 18.62m/61-1.25. It was Florida's first SEC indoor men's shot put title since Beau Burroughs claimed the event in 2008.
Taylor defended his SEC men's triple jump championship, winning for the second consecutive year, with an NCAA automatic-qualifying and season-best leap of 16.83m/55-2.75. That goes down as the best men's triple jump mark in the nation so far this season.
Freshman jumper Omar Craddock (Kileen, Texas) was especially impressive in the men's triple jump, turning in an NCAA automatic-qualifying jump of 16.19m/53-1.50 in his first collegiate SEC meet. Craddock, who finished third on Sunday, charted the third-best men's triple jump mark in Florida school history.
Florida picked up 17 total points in the men's 60-meter dash. Freshman Jeff Demps (Winter Garden, Fla.) placed second in a time of 6.66, while teammate Jeremy Hall (Jacksonville, Fla.) was third in a season-best 6.68. Junior Terrell Wilks (New Haven, Conn.) placed sixth overall in 6.76.
Senior distance runner Justin Taylor (St. Augustine, Fla.) turned in a stellar second-place finish in the men's mile in a time of 4:06.17. Fellow distance runner Stacey Johnson (Lichfield, England) was sixth in the women's mile in 4:52.68.
Taylor came back to help the men's distance medley relay team finish sixth overall and earn three points for the team. The quartet of Taylor, Lamarr Davis (Knightdale, N.C.), Ethan Philpot (Titusville, Fla.) and Josh Izewski (Doylestown, Pa.) clocked a time of 9:59.03.
The women's 4x400-meter relay team posted the school's fastest time in that event since the 2005 season with an NCAA provisional-qualifying time of 3:38.08. The women's 4x4 consisted of sophomore Alishea Usery (St. Louis, Mo.), junior Danielle Williams (Jacksonville, Fla.), freshman Lanie Whittaker (Miami, Fla.) and freshman Michelle Stegall (Fayetteville, Ga.).
Whittaker placed fourth in the women's 400-meter dash to score five points for the team in a personal-record and NCAA provisional-qualifying time of 53.78.
The women's distance medley relay team charted a fourth-place finish in a time of 11:47.95. The quartet consisted of junior Kaitlin Shiver (Satellite Beach, Fla.), sophomore Ashley Usery (St. Louis, Mo.), sophomore Ije Iheoma (Holland, Pa.) and senior Julie Northrup (Vero Beach, Fla.).
The Gators picked up 10 points in the women's 5,000-meter run. Sophomore Rebecca Lowe (Vancluse, Australia), who has already automatically qualified for that event in the upcoming NCAA indoor championships, was third overall in 16:24.72. Sophomore Genevieve LaCaze (Queensland, Australia) was fifth, clocking a time of 16:56.03.
Alishea Usery recorded a pair of top-eight (scoring) finishes in the short sprints for the Gators. She was fourth in the women's 60-meter dash in an NCAA provisional-qualifying time of 7.35.
Men's hurdlers Jarius Cooper (Palm Coast, Fla.) and Gray Horn (Waynesfield, Ohio) scored five points in the 60m hurdles final, placing fifth and eighth, respectively. Cooper finished in 8.03, while Horn was eighth in 8.21.
Sophomore thrower Fidela James (Jacksonville, Fla.) placed fourth in the women's weight throw with a personal-best mark of 18.59m/61-0.
Florida will send select athletes to several last-chance meets next weekend before returning to Fayetteville, Ark., to compete in the NCAA Indoor Championships March 12-13.
“We need to get back to Gainesville and see who we need to take to what last-chance meets,” Holloway said. “We need to try to get some more people qualified for the NCAA Indoor Championships. We also need to get some mental and physical rest and prepare for the national meet in two weeks.”
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. 28, 2010)
Women's Weight Throw – 11 a.m. ET (AUTO: 21.00m; PROV: 18.75m)
4. Fidela James – 18.59m/61-0 (5 points)
14. Keely Medeiros – 16.93m/55-6.50
Women's Triple Jump – 1 p.m. ET (AUTO: 13.30m; PROV: 12.65m)
1. Shara Proctor – 13.48m/44-2.75 A (10 points)
18. Daniela Griffin – 11.32m/37-1.75
Men's 60m Hurdles – 1:45 p.m. ET (AUTO: 7.70; PROV: 7.91)
5. Jarius Cooper – 8.03 (4 points)
8. Gray Horn – 8.21 (1 point)
Women's 60m – 1:55 p.m. ET (AUTO: 7.26; PROV: 7.44)
4. Alishea Usery – 7.35 P
Men's 60m – 2:05 p.m. ET (AUTO: 6.60; PROV: 6.71)
2. Jeff Demps – 6.66 P (8 points)
3. Jeremy Hall – 6.68 P (6 points)
6. Terrell Wilks – 6.76 (3 points)
Women's Mile – 2:15 p.m. ET (AUTO: 4:37.00; PROV: 4.46.70)
1. Charlotte Browning – 4:37.29 P (10 points)
6. Stacey Johnson – 4:52.68 (3 points)
Men's Mile – 2:25 p.m. ET (AUTO: 3:59.00; PROV: 4:03.50)
2. Justin Taylor – 4:06.17 (8 points)
Women's 400m – 2:35 p.m. ET (AUTO: 52.40; PROV: 54.40)
4. Lanie Whittaker – 53.78 P (5 points)
Men's 400m – 2:45 p.m. ET (AUTO: 46.15; PROV: 47.25)
3. Calvin Smith – 45.61 A (6 points)
4. Tony McQuay – 45.91 A (5 points)
Men's Shot Put – 2:45 p.m. ET (AUTO: 19.30m; PROV: 17.75m)
1. Kemal Mesic – 18.62m/61-1.25 P (10 points)
13. Jeremy Postin – 13.59m/44-7
Women's High Jump – 2:45 p.m. ET (AUTO: 1.85m; PROV: 1.78m)
15. Alexis Muniz – 1.65m/5-5
Women's 5,000m – 2:55 p.m. ET (AUTO: 16:07.50; PROV: 16:44.50)
3. Rebecca Lowe – 16:24.72 P (6 points)
5. Genevieve LaCaze – 16:56.03 (4 points)
Men's Triple Jump – 3 p.m. ET (AUTO: 16.15m; PROV: 15.45m)
1. Christian Taylor – 16.83m/55-2.75 A (10 points)
3. Omar Craddock – 16.19m/53-1.50 A (6 points)
Women's 200m – 3:35 p.m. ET (AUTO: 23.20; PROV: 23.90)
6. Alishea Usery – 23.74 P (3 points)
Men's 200m – 3:45 p.m. ET (AUTO: 20.83; PROV: 21.23)
1. Calvin Smith – 20.73 A (10 points)
3. Tony McQuay – 20.84 P (6 points)
Men's 5,000m – 3:55 p.m. ET (AUTO: 13:47.00; PROV: 14:10.00)
15. Jeremy Criscione – 14:40.12
Women's DMR – 4:15 p.m. ET (AUTO: 11:05.50; PROV: 11:26.50)
4. Florida – 11:47.95 (5 points)
(Kaitlin Shiver, Ashley Usery, Ije Iheoma, Julie Northrup)
Men's DMR – 4:30 p.m. ET (AUTO: 9:30.00; PROV: 9:41.70)
6. Florida – 9:59.03 (3 points)
(Justin Taylor, Lamarr Davis, Ethan Philpot, Josh Izewski)
Women's 4x400m Relay – 4:45 p.m. ET (AUTO: 3:33.00; PROV: 3:40.00)
5. Florida – 3:38.08 P (4 points)
(Alishea Usery, Danielle Williams, Lanie Whittaker, Michelle Stegall)
Men's 4x400m Relay – 5 p.m. ET (AUTO: 3:06.50; PROV: 3:10.40)
1. Florida – 3:05.53 A (10 points)
(Tony McQuay, Christian Taylor, Jovon Toppin, Calvin Smith)
FLORIDA SEC EVENT CHAMPIONS (ENTIRE WEEKEND)
? Charlotte Browning – Women's Mile – 4:37.29 P
? Charlotte Browning – Women's 3,000m – 9:21.77 P
? Mariam Kevkhishvili – Women's Shot Put – 18.09m/59-4.25 P
? Kemal Mesic – Men's Shot Put – 18.63m/61-1.25 P
? Shara Proctor – Women's Long Jump – 6.47m/21-2.75 A
? Shara Proctor – Women's Triple Jump – 13.48/44-2.75 A
? Calvin Smith – Men's 200m – 20.73 A
? Christian Taylor – Men's Triple Jump – 16.83m/55-2.75 A
? Men's 4x400m Relay – 3:05.53 A
WOMEN'S FINAL TEAM STANDINGS
1. Florida – 110
2. Arkansas – 82
3. LSU – 79.5
4. Tennessee – 77
5. Georgia – 65.5
6. Auburn – 55
7. South Carolina – 53
8. Alabama – 51
9. Kentucky – 38
10. Ole Miss – 30
11. Mississippi State – 16
12. Vanderbilt - 5
MEN'S FINAL TEAM STANDINGS
1. Arkansas – 123
2. Florida – 119
3. LSU – 108.5
4. South Carolina – 67
5. Georgia – 61
6. Auburn – 50
7. Alabama – 47
8. Ole Miss – 37
9. Kentucky – 26
10. Tennessee – 24.5
END OF REPORT
