Gators Head to Fayetteville Looking for SEC Titles

The University of Florida track and field teams embark on Fayetteville, Ark., this weekend to participate in the 2011 Southeastern Conference Indoor Track and Field Championships hosted by the University of Arkansas at its Randal Tyson Track Center. The Gator men are seeking their first SEC Indoor Championship since the 2004 season, while the Gator women are looking to repeat as SEC Indoor Champions.

The three-day event begins at 2 p.m. ET on Friday and continues at 11 a.m. ET Saturday and 11 a.m. ET Sunday. Live results for the SEC Indoor Championships will be available through www.flashresults.com.

Florida's men enter the meet ranked No. 1 in the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association poll for the third consecutive week, while the Gator women rank No. 21 nationally. The Gators return SEC Champions from a year ago in the men's shot put (Kemal Mesic) and the men's triple jump (Christian Taylor). The Florida men's 4x400-meter relay team also claimed an SEC Championship last season.

“We are very excited about the weekend,” Florida head coach Mike Holloway said. “It's the SEC meet – it's going to be a challenge. We're going to Fayetteville, Ark., which is one of the fastest, if not the fastest tracks in the country. We're expecting nothing but great things from the Gators, but we're also expecting tough competition from around the league. It's going to be a great competition. Even the teams that aren't in the team hunt have great individual athletes.”

The Florida men have claimed five SEC Indoor titles in the program's history, but have not won the event since 2004. The Gators have won men's SEC Indoor Championships in 1975, 1976, 1987, 1988 and 2004. The Florida women have won six SEC Indoor Championships, which ranks second all-time in league history behind LSU. The Gators have claimed women's SEC Indoor Championships in 1990, 1992, 1997, 2002, 2004 and 2010.

Entering the weekend, Florida has five athletes who lead the SEC in their respective events – Will Claye (men's triple jump), Jeff Demps (men's 60m), Dumisani Hlaselo (men's mile), Gray Horn (men's heptathlon) and Cory McGee (women's mile).

The Gators boast a powerful 1-2-3 punch in the men's triple jump as Will Claye (Phoenix, Ariz.), Omar Craddock (Killeen, Texas) and Christian Taylor (Fayetteville, Ga.) hold three of the top-five spots on the conference lists. All three are NCAA automatic-qualifiers in the men's triple jump. Claye has also automatically-qualified in the men's long jump.

Junior multi-event athlete Gray Horn (Waynesfield, Ohio) will be looking for his first SEC heptathlon title after winning two consecutive league decathlon crowns. Horn ranks first in the conference and second in the nation in the event with a personal-best score of 5,747, recorded at the Texas A&M Challenge on Jan. 29.

Junior distance runner Dumisani Hlaselo (South Africa) is Florida's school record-holder in the men's mile, becoming the first person in school history to break the sub-4-minute barrier. He ranks fourth in the nation with an NCAA automatic-qualifying time of 3:56.84.

Freshman distance runner Cory McGee (Pass Christian, Miss.) leads the conference and ranks fourth in the nation in the women's mile with a personal-best time of 4:36.53, which ranks third all-time in UF school history. She is the NCAA's top freshman this season in the women's mile.

The Randal Tyson Track Center in Fayetteville, Ark., served as the host of the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships from 2000-08 and again in 2010. The facility also served as the home of the 2000, 2002, 2005, 2007 and 2010 SEC Indoor Championships. The six-lane banked oval track has been touted by insiders and the casual fan as perhaps the fastest indoor track in the world, thanks to its steep curves and long straightaways.

For all of the latest information on Florida track and field, 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 (FEB. 25-27 :: FAYETTEVILLE, ARK.)

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2011

Women's Pentathlon – 2 p.m. ET (AUTO: 4,075)

· Brittany Harrell

Pentathlon 60m Hurdles (AUTO: 8.14)

· Brittany Harrell

Pentathlon High Jump (AUTO: 1.85m/6-0.75)

· Brittany Harrell

Pentathlon Shot Put (AUTO: 16.90m/55-5.50)

· Brittany Harrell

Pentathlon Long Jump (AUTO: 6.38m/20-11.25)

· Brittany Harrell

Pentathlon 800m (AUTO: 2:05.00)

· Brittany Harrell

Men's Heptathlon – 2:30 p.m. ET (AUTO: 5,675)

· Gray Horn

Heptathlon 60m (AUTO: 6.60)

· Gray Horn

Heptathlon Long Jump (AUTO: 7.90m/25-11)

· Gray Horn

Heptathlon Shot Put (AUTO: 19.30m/63-4)

· Gray Horn

Heptathlon High Jump (AUTO: 2.24m/7-4.25)

· Gray Horn

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 26

Women's Weight Throw – 11 a.m. ET (AUTO: 21.00m/68-10)

· Fidela James

· Ashley Miller

Men's Pole Vault – 1 p.m. ET (AUTO: 5.50m/18-0.50)

· Eric Foran

· Max Lang

Men's Long Jump – 2 p.m. ET (AUTO: 7.90m/25-11)

· Will Claye

· Christian Taylor

Women's Long Jump – 2 p.m. ET (AUTO: 6.38m/20-11.25)

· Lorraine Graham

· Daniela Griffin

Men's 60m Hurdles (prelim) – 2:30 p.m. ET (AUTO: 7.70)

· Jarius Cooper

· Gray Horn

· Eddie Lovett

· William Wynne

Women's 60m Hurdles (prelim) – 2:50 p.m. ET (AUTO: 8.14)

· Lorraine Graham

· Ugonna Ndu

Men's Heptathlon – 3:10 p.m. ET (AUTO: 5,675)

· Gray Horn

Heptathlon 60m Hurdles (AUTO: 7.70)

· Gray Horn

Heptathlon Pole Vault (AUTO: 5.50m/18-0.50)

· Gray Horn

Heptathlon 1,000m (Not an NCAA Championship Event)

· Gray Horn

Men's 60m (prelim) – 3:30 p.m. ET (AUTO: 6.60)

· Jeff Demps

· Leonardo Seymore

· Terrell Wilks

Women's 60m (prelim) – 3:50 p.m. ET (AUTO: 7.26)

· Darshay Davis

· Lauren Smith

Men's Mile (prelim) – 4:10 p.m. ET (AUTO: 3:59.00)

· Michael Anderson

· Dumisani Hlaselo

· Derek Wehunt

Women's Mile – 4:30 p.m. ET (AUTO: 4:37.00)

· Shelby Hayes

· Cory McGee

· Mandy Perkins

· Stephanie Strasser

Men's 400m (prelim) – 4:50 p.m. ET (AUTO: 46.15)

· Blake Heriot

· Tony McQuay

· Jovon Toppin

Women's 400m (prelim) – 5:10 p.m. ET (AUTO: 52.60)

· Ebony Eutsey

· Lanie Whittaker

Men's Shot Put – 5:10 p.m. ET (AUTO: 19.30m/63-4)

· Kemal Mesic

· Stipe Zunic

Women's High Jump – 5:10 p.m. ET (AUTO: 1.85m/6-0.75)

· Brittany Harrell

· Alexis Muniz

Men's 800m (prelim) – 5:30 p.m. ET (AUTO: 1:48.00)

· John Mitchell

· Sean Obinwa

· Daniel Wehunt

Women's 800m (prelim) – 5:50 p.m. ET (AUTO: 2:05.00)

· Ashley Usery

Men's 200m (prelim) – 6:20 p.m. ET (AUTO: 20.83)

· Blake Heriot

· Tony McQuay

· Leonardo Seymore

Women's 200m (prelim) – 6:45 p.m. ET (AUTO: 23.20)

· Darshay Davis

· Ebony Eutsey

· Ugonna Ndu

· Michelle Stegall

Men's 3,000m – 7:15 p.m. ET (AUTO: 7:54.50)

· Dumisani Hlaselo

Women's 3,000m – 7:35 p.m. ET (AUTO: 9:13.00)

· Callie Cooper

· Genevieve LaCaze

· Cory McGee

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 27

Men's Weight Throw – 11 a.m. ET (AUTO: 21.50m/70-6)

· Jeremy Postin

· David Triassi

Men's Triple Jump – 12:30 p.m. ET (AUTO: 16.15m/53-0)

· Will Claye

· Omar Craddock

· Christian Taylor

Women's Pole Vault – 1:30 p.m. ET (AUTO: 4.30m/14-1.25)

· Daisy Glasser

· Claire Spurling

Men's 60m Hurdles (final) – 1:35 p.m. ET (AUTO: 7.70)

· Jarius Cooper

· Gray Horn

· Eddie Lovett

· William Wynne

Women's 60m Hurdles (final) – 1:45 p.m. ET (AUTO: 8.14)

· Lorraine Graham

· Ugonna Ndu

Men's 60m (final) – 1:55 p.m. ET (AUTO: 6.60)

· Jeff Demps

· Leonardo Seymore

· Terrell Wilks

Women's 60m (final) – 2:05 p.m. ET (AUTO: 7.26)

· Darshay Davis

· Lauren Smith

Men's Mile (final) – 2:15 p.m. ET (AUTO: 3:59.00)

· Michael Anderson

· Dumisani Hlaselo

· Derek Wehunt

Women's Mile (final) – 2:25 p.m. ET (AUTO: 4:37.00)

· Shelby Hayes

· Cory McGee

· Mandy Perkins

· Stephanie Strasser

Men's 400m (final) – 2:35 p.m. ET (AUTO: 46.15)

· Blake Heriot

· Tony McQuay

· Jovon Toppin

Women's 400m (final) – 2:45 p.m. ET (AUTO: 52.60)

· Ebony Eutsey

· Lanie Whittaker

Women's Shot Put – 2:45 p.m. ET (AUTO: 16.90m/55-5.50)

· Fidela James

Men's 5,000m – 2:55 p.m. ET (AUTO: 13:47.00)

· Mark Parrish

· James Uthmeier

Women's Triple Jump – 3 p.m. ET (AUTO: 13.30m/43-7.75)

· Daniela Griffin

Men's 800m (final) – 3:15 p.m. ET (AUTO: 1:48.00)

· John Mitchell

· Sean Obinwa

· Daniel Wehunt

Women's 800m (final) – 3:25 p.m. ET (AUTO: 2:05.00)

· Ashley Usery

Men's 200m (final) – 3:35 p.m. ET (AUTO: 20.83)

· Blake Heriot

· Tony McQuay

· Leonardo Seymore

Women's 200m (final) – 3:45 p.m. ET (AUTO: 23.20)

· Darshay Davis

· Ebony Eutsey

· Ugonna Ndu

· Michelle Stegall

Women's 5,000m – 3:55 p.m. ET (AUTO: 16:07.50)

· Callie Cooper

· Ali Crabb

· Genevieve LaCaze

Men's DMR – 4:15 p.m. ET (AUTO: 9:32.00)

· Florida (J. Mitchell, J. Toppin, Da. Wehunt, De. Wehunt)

Men's 4x400m Relay – 4:45 p.m. ET (AUTO: 3:06.50)

· Florida (B. Heriot, T. McQuay, S. Obinwa, C. Taylor)

Women's 4x400m Relay – 5 p.m. ET (AUTO: 3:34.00)

· Florida (E. Eutsey, L. Whittaker, D. Williams, U. Ndu)

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