Gators Sign 21 for 2011 Season
Monday, August 9, 2010 | Track and Field
The University of Florida track and field program, coming off of one of its finest seasons in school history, has inked 21 student-athletes for the upcoming 2011 season, head coach Mike Holloway announced on Monday.
The Gators, who are coming off of five top-seven national finishes in six opportunities during the 2010 campaign, add 11 women and 10 men to their highly decorated 2011 roster.
“I'm very excited about this year's signing class,” Holloway said. “We take great pride in being a balanced program and I feel that we were able to get stronger in all areas with this class. If we are to continue to be one of the premier programs in the country, we have to recruit well. My hats off to my staff for their tremendous efforts in helping put this fine class together.”
2010 FLORIDA WOMEN'S SIGNEES
| Darshay Davis | Fr. | Sprints | Mirimar, Fla./Everglades |
| Sarah Davis | Fr. | Distance | Jacksonville, Fla./Bishop Kenny |
| Ebony Eutsey | Fr. | Sprints | Miami, Fla./Miami Southridge |
| Lorraine Graham | Fr. | Hurdles/Jumps | Springdale, Md./C.H. Flowers |
| Brittany Harrell | Fr. | Hurdles | McComb, Miss./McComb |
| Shelby Hayes | Fr. | Distance | Winter Park, Fla./Winter Park |
| Brittany Koziara | R-Fr./TR | Distance | Orlando, Fla./Baylor |
| Cory McGee | Fr. | Distance | Pass Christian, Miss./Pass Christian |
| Fawn Miller | Fr. | Throws | Stoneboro, Pa./Lakeview |
| Stephanie Strasser | Fr. | Distance | Fernandina Beach, Fla./Fernandina Beach |
| Gisell Warner | Fr. | Jumps | Hollywood, Fla./Chaminade-Madonna |
Darshay Davis is a sprinter from Everglades High School in Mirimar, Fla. She placed second at the 2010 FHSAA Class 4A State meet in both the 100 and 200 meter dashes. She has recorded personal-best marks of 11.61 (100m), 24.03 (200m) and 55.9 (4x400m split). Davis was the Sun-Sentinel's Broward girls track athlete of the year.
Sarah Davis is a distance runner from Bishop Kenny High School in Jacksonville, Fla. Her personal bests include 5:00.99 (1,600m), 10:45.40 (3,000m) 11:07.66 (3,200m) and 18:24.00 (5,000m). Davis won the FHSAA Class 2A Region 1 Championship in both the 1,600m and the 3,200m as a senior and placed fourth at the FHSAA Class 2A State Finals in the 3,200m.
Ebony Eutsey is a sprinter from Miami Southridge High School in Miami, Fla. She is rated the nation's No. 1 recruit in the ESPNU DyeStat Rankings and is a two-time Gatorade State Track and Field Athlete of the Year. She is the 2010 FHSAA Class 4A State Champion in the 400m and the 2009 World Youth 400m and 4x400m Champion. Eutsey, who was named to the FlRunners.com All-Decade Team, has clocked personal-best time of 23.67 (200m) and 52.07 (400m).
Lorraine Graham is a hurdler/jumper from C.H. Flowers High School in Springdale, Md. She was the 2010 national scholastic indoor champion in the long jump and placed second at the Maryland State Championships in both the 100m hurdles and the 300m hurdles. She holds personal bests of 8.09 55mH), 13.92 (100mH) and 20-2.50 (LJ). Graham recorded the second-best girls long jump mark in the country this past season, according to USA Today. Graham was Maryland's female recipient of the Gatorade Track and Field Athlete of the Year award in 2008-09.
Brittany Harrell is a hurdler from McComb High School in McComb, Miss. She was the 2010 Mississippi Class 5A State Champion in the 100m hurdles, 300m hurdles and the high jump. She also helped anchor McComb's relat teams that won the 400, 800 and 1,600m relay events. Harrell has recorded personal-best times/marks of 14.31 (100mH), 42.93 (300mH) and 5-8 (HJ).
Shelby Hayes is a distance runner from Winter Park High School in Winter Park, Fla. She was named to the USA Today All-USA High School Track and Field team in 2010, after winning FHSAA Class 4A State Championships in the 1,600m and 3,200m. Hayes also won the 800-meter run in the 2010 Golden South Classic. She has recorded personal-best marks of 2:11.54 (800m), 4:43.00 (1,600m), 9:47.22 (3,000m), 10:27 (2-mile) and 17:12.00 (5,000m). Hayes set the Florida high school state mile record with a time of 4:43.00.Hayes, originally from Gainesville, turned in a dominant senior season in cross country, winning the Class 4A cross country state championship in 18:13.02, twice breaking the 18-minute mark at the 5K distance. She set a personal-best time of 17:12 at the Foot Locker South Region Championships. Hayes also played soccer during her prep career.
Brittany Koziara is a redshirt freshman transfer from Baylor, who originally is from William R. Boone High School in Orlando, Fla. At Boone, Koziara was a four-year letterwinner in both track and field and cross country, setting her school records in the 800m, 1,600m, 3,200m and cross country 5K. She was a first-team all-state selection in cross country, each of her last two years in high school. She was the 2008 Central Florida Track Athlete of the Year and the Central Florida Spring Athlete of the Year that year. She won the 1,600m title at the 2008 FHSAA State Championships. Her personal bests include 2:13.3 (800m), 4:52.03 (1,600m), 10:36.14 (3,200m) and 16:59 (XC 5K). She also was a two-year letterwinner in soccer and lettered one year in weightlifting.
Cory McGee is a distance runner from Pass Christian High School in Pass Christian, Miss. McGee is the 2010 Mississippi Class 4A State Champion in the 800m and 1,600m and placed second at the Nike Indoor Championships in the mile. McGee, who claimed the high school mile at the 2010 Millrose Games, has personal-record times of 2:10.04 (800m) 4:25.88 (1,500m), 4:49 (1,600m), 10:39.57 (3,200m), 17:29 (XC 5K).
Fawn Miller is a thrower from Lakeview High School in Stoneboro, Pa. She competed at the 2009 World Youth Championships, placing 11th in the javelin competition. She was the 2008 and 2009 PIAA State Champion in the javelin and finished as the runner-up at the 2010 event. Miller holds a personal-record throw of 167-2.
Stephanie Strasser is a distance runner from Fernandina Beach High School in Fernandina Beach, Fla. A two-time All-First Coast girls cross country runner of the year by the Florida Times Union, Strasser placed second at the 2009 FHSAA State Cross Country Championships. She holds personal-record times of 5:00.01 (1,600m), 11:04.84 (32,00m) and 17:56.50 (XC 5K). She had the only sub-18 minute 5K cross country time in the First Coast area this past season.
Gissell Warner is a horizontal jumper from Chaminade-Madonna College Prep in Hollywood, Fla. She is a two-time state champion in the girls triple jump, winning in both 2008 and 2009. Warner has recorded a personal-best leap of 40-10.
2010 FLORIDA MEN'S SIGNEES
| Will Claye | Jr./TR | Jumps | Phoeniz, Ariz./Oklahoma |
| Tyler Davidson | Fr. | Distance | Cocoa Beach, Fla./Cocoa Beach |
| Blake Heriot | Fr. | Sprints | Gahanna, Ohio/Gahanna Lincoln |
| Dumisani Hlaselo | Fr. | Distance | South Africa |
| Eddie Lovett | Fr. | Hurdles | West Palm Beach, Fla./Palm Beach Lakes |
| Matt Mizereck | Fr. | Distance | Tallahassee, Fla./Leon |
| Eric Montoya | Fr. | Distance | Estero, Fla./Estero |
| Mark Parrish | Fr. | Distance | Tampa, Fla./Chamberlain |
| Cody Riggs | Fr. | Hurdles | Ft. Lauderdale, Fla./St. Thomas Aquinas |
| Stipe Zunic | Fr. | Throws | Zadar, Croatia/Medical School of Ante Kuzmanic |
Will Claye is a junior transfer jumper from the University of Oklahoma, originally hailing from Phoenix, Ariz. Claye is the 2009 NCAA outdoor men's triple jump champion and a four-time All-American. He competes in the triple jump and long jump events, holding Oklahoma's school record in the triple jump both indoors (16.80m/55-1.50) and outdoors (17.19m/56-4.75). Claye, who won the U.S. Junior Championship in the triple jump in the summer of 2009 with a mark of 17.14m/56-3, also claimed the triple jump at the Pan Am Junior Championships that summer with a mark of 16.57m/54-4.50. He also holds a personal best in the long jump of 7.89m/25-10.75.
Tyler Davidson is a distance runner from Cocoa Beach High School in Cocoa Beach, Fla. Davidson was his team's Most Valuable Runner from 2007-09 and placed third at the 2009 FHSAA Class 2A Cross Country Championships. He was named to the FLRunners.com First-Team All-Florida Cross Country Team as a senior. Davidson's personal bests include 4:22.88 (1,600m), 9:49.79 (3,200m) and 15:17 (XC 5K). He was the Class 4A District and Regional Cross Country Champion in both 2008 and 2009.
Blake Heriot is a sprinter from Gahanna Lincoln High School in Gahanna, Ohio. He is the 2010 World Junior Champion in the 4x400m, and was the 2009 Ohio State Champion in the 200m and 400m. He holds the Ohio state meet record in the 100m dash (10.47). Heriot, who directed his Gahanna Lincoln team to the 2009 Ohio state team championship, holds personal-best times of 10.42 (100m), 20.99 (200m), 46.77 (400m) and 6.75 (60m).
Dumisani Hlaselo is a distance runner from South Africa. He holds the South African Junior National Record in the 1,500-meter run (3:38.15) and his other personal-bests include 1:48.41 (800m), 8:17.19 (3,000m) and 13:48.67 (5,000m).
Eddie Lovett is a hurdler from Palm Beach Lakes High School in West Palm Beach, Fla. He is the 2010 New Balance Outdoor Nationals Champion in the 110-meter hurdles and the 2010 Golden South Classic Champion in the 110-meter hurdles. Lovett won the 2010 FHSAA Class 3A State Champion in the 110-meter hurdles and holds personal-best times of 13.46 (110mH) and 37.3 (300mH). His 110mH time is the fastest in the nation this season and the fastest in Florida state high school history. He also is the state meet record-holder in the 110-meter hurdles.
Matt Mizereck is a distance runner from Leon High School in Tallahassee, Fla. He was the 2010 New Balance Outdoor Nationals 5K Champion and was named a National Scholastic Sports Foundation All-American. He won the 2010 FHSAA Class 3A State Championship in both the 1,600m and the 3,200m. Mizeric recorded the fastest 3,200m time in the state at 8:55 his senior campaign. He was the FLRunners.com 2009 Runner of the Year and was named to the FLRunners All-Decade Team. As the individual FHSAA cross country champion, he led his Leon team to the 2009 FHSAA Class 3A state cross country championships. In his junior year, he claimed the 2009 FHSAA State Champion in the 1,600m and went on to place 10th at the 2009 Foot Locker Nationals. He has clocked personal-record times of 3:44.64 (1,500m), 4:11.76 (1,600m), 8:55.75 (3,200m) and 14:37.19 (5,000m).
Eric Montoya is a distance runner from Estero High School in Estero, Fla. He placed second in the 1,600m and the 3,200m at the 2010 FHSAA State Championships. He also placed second in the 1,600m at the 2009 FHSAA State Championships and second in the 3,200 at the 2008 FHSAA State Championships. He placed second at the 2008 state cross country championships. Montoya holds personal-record times of 4:14.55 (1,600m), 9:08.03 (3,200m), 15:06.03 (XC 5K).
Mark Parrish is a distance runner from Chamberlain High School in Tampa, Fla. He placed second at the 2009 FHSAA Class 4A State Cross Country Championships, following a third-place finish in 2008. He was named the St. Petersburg Times Hillsborough Country Cross Country Runner of the Year and earned the Ben Walker Outstanding Cross Country Runner Award. He has clocked personal-best time of 4:22.65 (1,600m), 9:09.26 (3,200m) and 15:15 (XC 5K).
Cody Riggs is a hurdler from St. Thomas Aquinas in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., who also is a member of the Florida football squad. He was the 2009 and 2010 FHSAA Class 4A State Champion in the 300-meter hurdles and has run the nation's fastest time in that event at 36.44. Other personal-bests include 14.03 (110mH) and 53.31 (400mH). Riggs also claimed the long jump championship (23-5.50) at the 2009 FHSAA Class 3A State Championships.
Stipe Zunic is a thrower from Zadar, Croatia. He is the Croation national record holder in the javelin at 74.80m and captured his country's national championship in 2009 and 2010. He holds the national junior record in the javelin (74.32). Zunic, a 2007 World Youth Competitor and a 2008 World Junior Competitor, holds personal-best marks of 74.80m (javelin) and 17.70m (shot put).
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 information, follow the team's Twitter account @GZTrackField or www.twitter.com/GZTrackField.
END OF REPORT
