Track and Field Teams Vie For NCAA Titles This Weekend
Thursday, March 11, 2010 | Track and Field
The University of Florida track and field teams begin their quest for the NCAA Indoor Championships this weekend when they travel to Fayetteville, Ark., to participate in the two-day event this Friday and Saturday at the Randal Tyson Track Center.
The NCAA Indoor Championships commence at 11 a.m. ET on Friday, March 12 and continue at 12 p.m. ET Saturday, March 13. ESPN360.com will stream the championships LIVE beginning at 9 p.m. ET on Friday and 7:10 p.m. ET on Saturday. To access the live stream, visit www.ESPN360.com. Click on the FAQs link for software and system requirements, etc. Anyone with a .edu e-mail address is able to obtain access to ESPN360 at no cost. NCAA.com and ArkansasRazorbacks.com will stream supplemental coverage as available when ESPN360.com is not live. Live results can be found at www.flashresults.com.
The Gators enter the meet ranked among the top-five nationally on both sides, according to the latest poll by the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association poll. The men currently are ranked No. 1 in the nation entering the meet, while the women check in at No. 4 nationally.
“We've put ourselves in a good position to go in and challenge for the title on both the men's and women's sides,” Florida head coach Mike Holloway said. “I'm extremely confident that we're going to go in and put our best foot forward and our goal, as always, is that the Gator Nation is going to be very proud of both track and field programs at the end of the day.”
The Florida women will be looking for their first NCAA Indoor Championship since the 1992 campaign, while the men are looking for their first NCAA Indoor Championship in program history after a second-place finish at last season's event in College Station, Texas.
Five UF athletes enter the meet ranked first in the nation in their respective events. That list includes Charlotte Browning (women's mile), Jeff Demps (men's 60m), Mariam Kevkhishvili (women's shot put), Calvin Smith (men's 200m) and Christian Taylor (men's triple jump). The Gators have qualified 12 spots on the men's side and seven spots on the women's side for the upcoming NCAA Indoor Championships.
Florida received five honors from the USTFCCCA on Tuesday evening as Holloway was named the South Region Men's and Women's Head Coach of the Year, assistant coach for distance Todd Morgan was named the South Region Women's Assistant Coach of the Year, Browning was named South Region Women's Track Athlete of the Year and Taylor was named South Region Men's Field Athlete of the Year for the second consecutive season.
The Florida women are coming off their first SEC Indoor Championship since the 2004 campaign, after winning the league crown in Fayetteville two weeks ago. The men placed second at the event, coming up four points shy of first-place Arkansas.
Two Gators – Kevkhishvili (women's shot put) and Taylor (men's triple jump) – will be looking to defend their NCAA Indoor Championships in their individual events. Kevkhishvili is attempting to become just the second person in NCAA history to claim three consecutive NCAA individual indoor titles in the women's shot put. Regina Cavanaugh of Rice claimed three consecutive women's indoor shot put titles from 1984-86.
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, please follow the team's Twitter account @GZTrackField or www.twitter.com/GZTrackField.
NCAA INDOOR CHAMPIONSHIPS (MARCH 12-13, 2010, FAYETTEVILLE, ARK.)
Friday, March 12, 2010
Men's Heptathlon – 11 p.m. ET (AUTO: 5,675; PROV: 5,325)
- Gray Horn
Men's Shot Put – 3:45 p.m. ET (AUTO: 19.30m; PROV: 17.75m)
- Kemal Mesic
Women's Mile Prelims – 6:10 p.m. ET (AUTO: 4:37.00; PROV: 4:46.70)
- Charlotte Browning
Men's Long Jump – 6:25 p.m. ET (AUTO: 7.85m; PROV: 7.50m)
- Christian Taylor
Men's 400m Prelims – 6:55 p.m. ET (AUTO: 46.15; PROV: 47.25)
- Tony McQuay
- Calvin Smith
Men's 60m Prelims – 7:25 p.m. ET (AUTO: 6.60m; PROV: 6.71)
- Jeff Demps
- Jeremy Hall
Women's 60m Prelims – 7:40 p.m. ET (AUTO: 7.26; PROV: 7.44)
- Alishea Usery
Women's Long Jump – 8:25 p.m. ET (AUTO: 6.38m; PROV: 6.13m)
- Shara Proctor
Men's 200m Prelims – 8:25 p.m. ET (AUTO: 20.83; PROV: 21.23)
- Tony McQuay
- Calvin Smith
Men's 200m Final – 9:45 p.m. ET (AUTO: 20.83; PROV: 21.23)
- Tony McQuay
- Calvin Smith
Saturday, March 13, 2010
Men's Heptathlon – 12 p.m. ET (AUTO: 5,675; PROV: 5,325)
- Gray Horn
Women's Shot Put – 5:30 p.m. ET (AUTO: 16.90m; PROV: 15.20m)
- Mariam Kevkhishvili
- Keely Medeiros
Men's Triple Jump – 6:30 p.m. ET (AUTO: 16.15m; PROV: 15.45m)
- Omar Craddock
- Christian Taylor
Women's Mile Final – 7:25 p.m. ET (AUTO: 4:37.00; PROV: 4:46.70)
- Charlotte Browning
Women's Triple Jump – 7:30 p.m. ET (AUTO: 13.30m; PROV: 12.65m)
- Shara Proctor
Men's 400m Final – 7:55 p.m. ET (AUTO: 46.15; PROV: 47.25)
- Tony McQuay
- Calvin Smith
Men's 60m Final – 8:15 p.m. ET (AUTO: 6.60; PROV: 6.71)
- Jeff Demps
- Jeremy Hall
Women's 60m Final – 8:25 p.m. ET (AUTO: 7.26; PROV: 7.44)
- Alishea Usery
Men's 4x400m Relay – 9:25 p.m. ET (AUTO: 3:06.50; PROV: 3:10.40)
- Florida (Tony McQuay, Christian Taylor, Jovon Toppin, Calvin Smith)
END OF REPORT
