Florida Gators
NCAA Indoor Championships
Five All-America Honors Highlight Opening Day of NCAA Indoors
Saturday, March 13, 2010 | Track and Field
COMPLETE RESULTS IN PDF FORMAT | PHOTO GALLERY
The University of Florida track and field teams garnered five All-America honors on Friday to highlight the opening day of the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships hosted by the University of Arkansas at its Randal Tyson Track Center.
The No. 1 Florida men are currently in second place with 20 total team points and are four points off the lead. Arkansas tops the men's team race with 24 points, while Florida State is third with 14. The Gator men qualified four athletes for the finals of their respective events on Saturday and, in total, have eight scoring opportunities remaining on the final day of the NCAA Indoor Championships. Florida's women currently are in 14th place with six points and have four scoring opportunities remaining on Saturday.
“We had a phenomenal day today,” Florida head coach Mike Holloway said. “We had incredible focus and incredible desire but, the big thing is, we have to come back and do it again tomorrow. We came in here with a goal and we need to finish that goal tomorrow. We thought that on the men's side, we needed to score between 18-22 points and we scored 20 today. On the women's side, I think we weren't quite where we wanted to be, but we're not that far off. We have to line up tomorrow and do our jobs. We have to continue doing what we did today on the men's side and do a little bit better than what we did today on the women's side. I know our athletes and I know that they will come out here and do that.”
The final day of the NCAA Indoor Championships commences at 12 p.m. ET Saturday from the Randal Tyson Track Center. Live results will be available at www.flashresults.com and live, free video will be available through www.ArkansasRazorbacks.com and www.espn360.com.
Junior thrower Kemal Mesic (Sarajevo, Bosnia), who entered the meet ranked eighth in the nation in the men's shot put, turned in a spectacular performance to finish second with a personal-best toss of 19.26m/63-2.25, after winning his flight to earn All-America honors. That goes down as the second-best indoor men's shot put toss in Florida program history. Mesic earned the third All-America honor of his career after garnering the same recognition both indoors and outdoors last year.
Sophomore jumper Christian Taylor (Fayetteville, Ga.), who entered the meet ranked 13th in the nation in the men's long jump, recorded his finest display of the season in that event, placing second with a season-best leap of 7.93m/26-0.25 to earn All-America honors.
Senior sprinter Calvin Smith (Lutz, Fla.) and freshman sprinter Tony McQuay (Riviera Beach, Fla.) ran valiant races in the men's 200-meter dash finals to place sixth and eighth, respectively in the event. The race was lightning fast as Smith entered the NCAA meet with the nation's fastest time at 20.67, but the winner, Curtis Mitchell of Texas A&M, logged the fastest time in the world this year on Friday night at a blazing speed of 20.38. Smith clocked a 20.72 in the finals, while McQuay ran 20.88 in the finals. Both earned All-America honors.
Smith's All-America honor marked the 14th of his collegiate career (indoor and outdoor combined). That ties him with former Gator Mike Morrison for the men's school record for most All-America honors at 14. He will have two opportunities to break that record tomorrow – the 400m and the 4x400m relay.
Senior jumper Shara Proctor (The Valley, Anguilla), the 2010 SEC women's long jump and triple jump champion, struggled through the first three attempts of the women's long jump, but regrouped in the finals to place third at 6.64m/21-9.50 and earn All-America honors.
Junior distance runner Charlotte Browning (Pullborough, England), the national leader in the women's mile, won her heat and finished fifth overall in the mile prelims to automatically qualify for Saturday's final with a time of 4:43.35. The finals of the women's mile is slated for 7:25 p.m. ET Saturday.
Sophomore heptathlete Gray Horn (Waynesfield, Ohio) finished the opening four events of the heptathlon in eighth place with 3,122 total points. Horn placed fifth in the men's 60-meter dash in a time of 7.03, before struggling through the long jump and shot put. He concluded the day with a collegiate-best leap of 2.02m/6-7.50 to place third in the high jump. The heptathlon continues Saturday beginning at 12 p.m. ET.
Smith and McQuay each qualified for the finals of the men's 400-meter dash, placing third and fifth, respectively. Smith finished in 46.15, while McQuay clocked a time of 46.43 to advance to Saturday's final slated for 7:55 p.m. ET.
Freshman sprinter Jeff Demps (Winter Garden, Fla.) blazed through the men's 60-meter dash field with a school-record time of 6.56 to finish first in the preliminaries. Teammate Jeremy Hall (Jacksonville, Fla.) was third, tying his personal-best time at 6.62. The finals of that event are slated for 8:15 p.m. ET Saturday.
Sophomore sprinter Alishea Usery (St. Louis, Mo.) just missed qualifying for the finals of the women's 60-meter dash, finishing ninth in a personal-record time of 7.29. Usery entered the meet ranked tied for 15th in the nation in that event. The top-eight times advanced to Saturday's final.
For all of the latest information on Florida track and field, please log on to www.GatorZone.com/trackfield or 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
Heptathlon 60m (AUTO: 6.60; PROV: 6.71)
5. Gray Horn – 7.03 (872 points)
Heptathlon Long Jump (AUTO: 7.85m; PROV: 7.50m)
5. Gray Horn – 7.10m/23-3.50 (838 points)
Heptathlon Shot Put (AUTO: 19.30m; PROV: 17.75m)
13. Gray Horn – 11.73m/38-6 (590 points)
Heptathlon High Jump (AUTO: 2.24m; PROV: 2.14m)
3. Gray Horn – 2.02m/6-7.50 (822 points)
Men's Shot Put – 3:45 p.m. ET (AUTO: 19.30m; PROV: 17.75m)
2. Kemal Mesic – 19.26m/63-2.25 (8 points)
Women's Mile Prelims – 6:10 p.m. ET (AUTO: 4:37.00; PROV: 4:46.70)
5. Charlotte Browning – 4:43.35 Q
Men's Long Jump – 6:25 p.m. ET (AUTO: 7.85m; PROV: 7.50m)
2. Christian Taylor – 7.93m/26-0.25 (8 points)
Men's 400m Prelims – 6:55 p.m. ET (AUTO: 46.15; PROV: 47.25)
3. Calvin Smith – 46.15 q
5. Tony McQuay – 46.43 q
Men's 60m Prelims – 7:25 p.m. ET (AUTO: 6.60m; PROV: 6.71)
1. Jeff Demps – 6.56 Q
3. Jeremy Hall – 6.62 Q
Women's 60m Prelims – 7:40 p.m. ET (AUTO: 7.26; PROV: 7.44)
9. Alishea Usery – 7.29
Women's Long Jump – 8:25 p.m. ET (AUTO: 6.38m; PROV: 6.13m)
3. Shara Proctor – 6.64m/21-9.50 (6 points)
Men's 200m Prelims – 8:25 p.m. ET (AUTO: 20.83; PROV: 21.23)
2. Calvin Smith – 20.67 q
4. Tony McQuay – 20.70q
Women's 5,000m Run – 9:20 p.m. ET (AUTO: 13:47.00; PROV: 14:10.00)
13. Rebecca Lowe – 16:19.32
Men's 200m Final – 9:45 p.m. ET (AUTO: 20.83; PROV: 21.23)
6. Calvin Smith – 20.67 (3 points)
8. Tony McQuay – 20.80 (1 point)
FLORIDA ALL-AMERICANS ON FRIDAY (5)
- Tony McQuay – Men's 200m – 20.80 (8th)
- Kemal Mesic – Men's Shot Put – 19.26m/63-2.25 (2nd)
- Shara Proctor – Women's Long Jump – 6.64m/21-9.50 (3rd)
- Calvin Smith – Men's 200m – 20.67 (6th)
- Christian Taylor – Men's Long Jump – 7.93m/26-0.25 (2nd)
FLORIDA QUALIFIERS FOR SATURDAY'S FINALS (5)
- Charlotte Browning – Women's Mile – 4:43.35
- Jeff Demps – Men's 60m – 6.56
- Jeremy Hall – Men's 60m – 6.62
- Tony McQuay – Men's 400m – 46.43
- Calvin Smith – Men's 400m – 46.15
MEN'S TEAM STANDINGS (FOLLOWING DAY 1)
1. Arkansas – 24
2. Florida – 20
3. Florida State – 14
4. Arizona State – 12
T5. Texas A&M – 10
T5. Northern Arizona – 10
T5. Oregon – 10
T5. Washington – 10
9. Minnesota – 9
T10. Indiana – 8
T10. Liberty – 8
T10. Rice – 8
13. Penn State – 7
T14. South Carolina – 6
T14. Air Force – 6
T16. Cal – 5
T16. Georgia Tech – 5
T16. Auburn – 5
T16. New Mexico – 5
T16. LSU - 5
WOMEN'S TEAM STANDINGS (FOLLOWING DAY 1)
1. Auburn – 18
2. Tennessee – 16
3. Arizona – 15.50
4. Oregon – 13
5. Penn State – 11
T6. Iowa State – 10
T6. UTEP – 10
T6. Louisville – 10
9. West Virginia – 9
10. Nebraska – 8.50
T11. Hawaii – 8
T11. UConn – 8
T11. BYU – 8
T14. Florida – 6
T14. LSU – 6
T14. Western Michigan – 6
T14. Georgetown – 6
T18. San Diego State – 5
T18. Southern Illinois – 5
T18. Villanova - 5
END OF REPORT
