The No. 1 University of Florida men's track and field team, on the strength of eight individual titles, scored 148 total team points and captured the 2011 Southeastern Conference Indoor Championship on Sunday at the Randal Tyson Track Center, marking the school's first indoor league crown since the 2004 season. The Florida women finished the event in fifth place with 55 total team points.
Florida claimed the men's league title with 148 points, while No. 5 Arkansas was second with 136.50 points and No. 2 LSU was third with 98 total team points. No. 2 LSU won the women's championship with 135 total team points, while No. 4 Arkansas was second with 118 points and No. 6 Tennessee was third with 78 points. No. 24 Auburn (57 points) and No. 21 Florida (55 points) rounded out the women's top-five.
Over the course of the weekend, the Gators won 10 SEC individual event titles, including: Jeff Demps (men's 60m), Dumisani Hlaselo (men's mile, men's 3,000m), Gray Horn (men's heptathlon), Fidela James (women's weight throw), Eddie Lovett (men's 60m hurdles), Cory McGee (women's mile), Tony McQuay (men's 200m), Kemal Mesic (men's shot put) and Christian Taylor (men's triple jump).
Florida athletes also set four school records over the course of the weekend, including: Jeff Demps (men's 60m - 6.55), Gray Horn (men's heptathlon - 5,186), Kemal Mesic (men's shot put - 19.53m/64-1), Christian Taylor (men's triple jump - 17.36m/56-11.50). Additionally, the Gators recorded 11 NCAA automatic-qualifying marks/times.
"I challenged our team to stay focused and trust and believe in their talent and their training, and they did it," Florida head coach Mike Holloway said. "You look at what happened today and it's an accumulation of when we started working back in August. We have an incredible amount of talent, but we had to keep our focus. I'm so proud of our team today."
The SEC Championship is the 197th for Florida (all sports) in program history and the sixth SEC Indoor Championship for the Gator men's track and field program.
Florida took home at least a share of both Cliff Harper Trophies, awarded to the high-point scorers on both the men's and women's side.
Junior distance runner Dumisani Hlaselo (South Africa) claimed the men's Cliff Harper Trophy with 21.25 total points. Hlaselo won both the men's mile and 3,000-meter run and anchored Florida's fourth-place distance medley relay team. Impressively, Florida had five of the top seven individual point scorers on the men's side.
"Dumi had a tremendous weekend," said Todd Morgan, assistant coach for distance/cross country. "He just typifies the whole attitude of the team. Everyone was going to do the absolute most they could this weekend to help us win the team title. He was really on, and was able to capitalize in a lot of different ways."
Junior thrower Fidela James (Jacksonville, Fla.) turned in the finest performance of her collegiate career this weekend to earn a share of the women's Cliff Harper Trophy. James scored 18 total points by winning the women's hammer throw and placing second in the shot put. She tied Tennessee's Liz Costello as the women's high-points scorer.
"It was a weekend to remember for Fidela James," said associate head coach/throws Steve Lemke "She wasn't leading either event coming into the SEC meet, but had two really good weeks of practice. She believed in herself and it was just nice to see her execute the plan this weekend."
Florida got the day started in fine fashion by recording a 1-2-3 sweep of the men's triple jump. Junior jumper Christian Taylor (Fayetteville, Ga.), who was trailing teammate Will Claye (Phoenix, Ariz.) until his final jump, posted a school-record leap of 17.36m/56-11.50 on his final attempt. For Taylor, the mark went down as the SEC meet record and the Randal Tyson Track Record. It was the third-best indoor mark in collegiate history.
Taylor, who broke his own school record of 17.18m/56-4.50 set in 2010, won the SEC indoor men's triple jump competition for the third consecutive year. He becomes the first athlete to win three consecutive SEC indoor men's triple jump titles since Festus Igbinoghene of Mississippi State did so from 1988-90. Taylor becomes just the fourth athlete in SEC history to win three consecutive SEC indoor men's triple jump titles.
Claye, who transferred to the Gators from Oklahoma this past summer, posted a personal-best and NCAA automatic-qualifying leap of 17.17m/56-4, which goes down as the second-best men's indoor triple jump mark in school history. Claye bettered his previous best of 17.02m/55-10.25. Sophomore jumper Omar Craddock (Killeen, Texas) shattered his personal-best mark to record the third-best mark in school history in the men's indoor triple jump with an NCAA automatic-qualifying leap of 16.57m/54-4.50. That toppled his previous personal-best mark of 16.19m/53-1.50, set at the Nittany Lion Challenge earlier this season.
The Gators continued their momentum, winning the first three men's running events on the track.
Freshman Eddie Lovett (West Palm Beach, Fla.) captured the men's 60-meter hurdle title in a personal-best time of 7.73. Lovett became Florida's first men's 60m hurdle champion since Josh Walker won the event in 2004. Lovett's winning time went down as the second-best men's 60-meter hurdle time in program history. Jarius Cooper (Palm Coast, Fla.) tied his personal-best time of 7.93, recorded in Saturday's prelims, to place a career-best third in the men's 60m hurdles final. Gray Horn (Waynesfield, Ohio), who on Saturday won the 2011 SEC heptathlon title, placed sixth in 8.16.
Sophomore sprinter Jeff Demps (Winter Garden, Fla.) broke his own school record in the men's 60-meter dash to claim the SEC title in that event for the first time in his collegiate career. Demps won in a personal-best and NCAA automatic-qualifying time of 6.55, which bested his previous school-record time of 6.56 in that event. Senior sprinter Terrell Wilks (New Haven, Conn.) placed sixth in the 60-meter final in 6.73.
Hlaselo, who on Saturday won the men's 3,000-meter run, completed the difficult double by winning the men's mile on Sunday in a time of 4:04.21. Hlaselo became the first Florida athlete to win the SEC indoor championship in the men's mile since Jeremy Stallings accomplished the feat in 1997.
Standout freshman distance runner Cory McGee (Pass Christian, Miss.) won the women's mile in her first-ever SEC Championship meet, clocking a time of 4:41.10. It marked the second year that a Gator claimed the women's mile, after Charlotte Browning captured the event in 2010. Sophomore Mandy Perkins (Ormond Beach, Fla.) placed seventh in the mile in a career-best time of 4:52.49. Freshman Stephanie Strasser (Fernandina Beach, Fla.) also scored in the women's mile with a time of 4:53.15.
The finals of the men's 400-meter run was contested in two sections, with Florida's Tony McQuay (Riviera Beach, Fla.) winning the first section in what was then a world-leading time of 45.21. He finished second in the event after Alabama's Kirani James posted a world-leading time of his own (44.80) in the second section of the 400m. McQuay's NCAA automatic-qualifying time went down as the second-fastest in UF indoor school history and he became just the second person ever at Florida to break 45.5 in the men's indoor 400m.
Freshman sprinter Ebony Eutsey (Miami, Fla.) placed eighth in the finals of the women's 400-meter run in a time of 54.44 to pick up a point for the Gators.
Sophomore middle distance runner John Mitchell (Plant City, Fla.) finished fifth overall in the finals of the men's 800-meter run in a time of 1:50.50 to pick up four points. Mitchell's consistency has been key to his success, as he has run sub-1:51 in each of his last three 800m races.
McQuay then claimed the men's 200-meter dash in a personal-best time of 20.61. The event went to a Gator for the second consecutive season, as former Florida sprinter Calvin Smith won the indoor men's 200m a year ago. McQuay's time went down as the fourth-fastest in UF school history, bettering his previous PR of 20.65, set in Saturday's preliminaries.
The Florida men's 4x400-meter relay capped off the day with a season-best time of 3:05.51, which went down as the third-fastest time in school history. The Gators used the quartet of Blake Heriot (Gahanna, Ohio), McQuay, Jovon Toppin (Port-of-Spain, Trinidad) and Taylor.
The Gators picked up seven points in the men's weight throw as David Triassi (St. Johns, Fla.) placed fifth with a mark of 19.74m/64-9.25, while Jeremy Postin (Auburndale, Fla.) was fifth at 19.55m/64-1.75.
James earned eight points by winning the women's shot put competition on Sunday afternoon. James accomplished the feat with a personal-best toss of 15.98m/52-5.25, which went down as the 10th-best women's indoor shot put mark in program history. That shattered her previous personal-best mark of 15.34m/50-4, set two weeks ago at the Iowa State Classic in Ames, Iowa.
The Florida women's 4x400-meter relay ran the school's fastest time in that event since the 2005 campaign, clocking a 3:35.79 to place fourth overall. The quartet consisted of Eutsey, sophomore Lanie Whittaker (Miami, Fla.), senior Danielle Williams (Jacksonville, Fla.) and sophomore Ugonna Ndu (Newark, N.J.).
Senior pole vaulter Daisy Glasser (Atlantic Beach, Fla.) recorded the sixth-best indoor women's pole vault mark in school history with a personal-best leap of 3.95m/12-11.50 to place fifth in that competition and score four total team points.
Genevieve LaCaze (Queensland, Australia) and Callie Cooper (St. Johns, Fla.) placed fourth and sixth, respectively in the women's 5,000-meter run to earn eight points for the Gators. LaCaze was fourth in 16:51.60, while Cooper was sixth in 16:57.85.
Hlaselo wasn't done after his two SEC individual victories, as he ran an impressive anchor leg on the Florida men's distance medley relay. When Hlaselo got the baton on the final exchange, the Gators were battling between seventh and eighth place. Hlaselo's speedy leg catapulted the relay team to a fourth-place finish at 9:52.53.
Several of Florida's athletes will participate in a couple of last chance meets this upcoming weekend, before the 2011 NCAA Indoor Championships take place March 11-12 at the Gilliam Indoor Track Stadium in College Station, Texas.
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, 2011 :: FAYETTEVILLE, ARK.)
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 27
Men's Weight Throw – 11 a.m. ET (AUTO: 21.50m/70-6)
5. David Triassi - 19.74m/64-9.25 (4 points)
6. Jeremy Postin - 19.55m/64-1.75 (3 points)
Men's Triple Jump – 12:30 p.m. ET (AUTO: 16.15m/53-0)
1. Christian Taylor - 17.36m/56-11.50 (A) (SR) (MR) (FR) (10 points)
2. Will Claye - 17.17m/56-4 (A)
3. Omar Craddock - 16.57m/54-4.50 (A)
Women's Pole Vault – 1:30 p.m. ET (AUTO: 4.30m/14-1.25)
5. Daisy Glasser - 3.95m/12-11.50 (4 points)
12. Claire Spurling - 3.65m/11-11.75
Men's 60m Hurdles (final) – 1:35 p.m. ET (AUTO: 7.70)
1. Eddie Lovett - 7.73 (10 points)
3. Jarius Cooper - 7.93 (6 points)
6. Gray Horn - 8.16 (3 points)
Men's 60m (final) – 1:55 p.m. ET (AUTO: 6.60)
1. Jeff Demps - 6.55 (A) (SR) (10 points)
7. Terrell Wilks - 6.73 (2 points)
Men's Mile (final) – 2:15 p.m. ET (AUTO: 3:59.00)
1. Dumisani Hlaselo - 4:04.21 (10 points)
Women's Mile (final) – 2:25 p.m. ET (AUTO: 4:37.00)
1. Cory McGee - 4:41.10 (10 points)
7. Mandy Perkins - 4:52.49 (2 points)
8. Stephanie Strasser - 4:53.15 (1 point)
Men's 400m (final) – 2:35 p.m. ET (AUTO: 46.15)
2. Tony McQuay - 45.21 (A) (8 points)
Women's 400m (final) – 2:45 p.m. ET (AUTO: 52.60)
8. Ebony Eutsey - 54.44 (1 point)
Women's Shot Put – 2:45 p.m. ET (AUTO: 16.90m/55-5.50)v
2. Fidela James - 15.98m/52-5.25 (8 points)
Men's 5,000m – 2:55 p.m. ET (AUTO: 13:47.00)
9. James Uthmeier - 14:25.76
11. Mark Parrish - 14:38.22
Men's 800m (final) – 3:15 p.m. ET (AUTO: 1:48.00)
5. John Mitchell - 1:50.50 (4 points)
Men's 200m (final) – 3:35 p.m. ET (AUTO: 20.83)
1. Tony McQuay - 20.61 (A) (10 points)
Women's 5,000m – 3:55 p.m. ET (AUTO: 16:07.50)
4. Genevieve LaCaze - 16:51.60 (5 points)
6. Callie Cooper - 16:57.85 (3 points)
Men's DMR – 4:15 p.m. ET (AUTO: 9:32.00)
4. Florida - 9:52.53 (5 points)
(J. Mitchell, De. Wehunt, Hlaselo, Da. Wehunt)
Women's DMR - 4:30 p.m. ET (AUTO: 11:05.50)
10. Florida - 12:05.37
(Strasser, As. Usery, Hayes, Perkins)
Men's 4x400m Relay – 4:45 p.m. ET (AUTO: 3:06.50)
2. Florida - 3:05.51 (A) (8 points)
(Heriot, McQuay, Toppin, Taylor)
Women's 4x400m Relay – 5 p.m. ET (AUTO: 3:34.00)
4. Florida - 3:35.79 (5 points)
(Eutsey, Whittaker, Williams, Ndu)
Florida SEC Champions (Entire Weekend) (10 - 8 men, 2 women)
Jeff Demps - Men's 60m (6.55) (A) (SR)
Dumisani Hlaselo - Men's Mile (4:04.21)
Dumisani Hlaselo – Men's 3,000m (8:00.34)
Gray Horn – Men's Heptathlon (5,816) (A) (SR)
Fidela James – Women's Weight Throw (19.83m/65-0.75)
Eddie Lovett - Men's 60m Hurdles (7.73)
Cory McGee - Women's Mile (4:41.10)
Tony McQuay - Men's 200m (20.61) (A)
Kemal Mesic – Men's Shot Put (19.53m/64-1) (A) (SR)
Christian Taylor - Men's Triple Jump (17.36m/56-11.50) (A) (SR) (MR) (FR)
Florida NCAA Automatic-Qualifying Marks/Times (Entire Weekend) (11)
Will Claye - Men's Long Jump (7.94m/26-0.75) (A)
Will Claye - Men's Triple Jump (17.17m/56-4) (A)
Jeff Demps - Men's 60m (6.55) (A) (SR)
Omar Craddock - Men's Triple Jump (16.57m/54-4.50)
Gray Horn - Men's Heptathlon (5,816) (A) (SR)
Tony McQuay - Men's 200m (20.65) (A)
Tony McQuay - Men's 200m (20.61) (A)
Tony McQuay - Men's 400m (45.21) (A)
Kemal Mesic - Men's Shot Put (19.53m/64-1) (A) (SR)
Christian Taylor - Men's Triple Jump (17.46m/56-11.50) (A) (SR) (MR) (FR)
Men's 4x400-Meter Relay - 3:05.51 (A)
Florida School Records (Entire Weekend) (4)
Jeff Demps - Men's 60m (6.55) (A) (SR)
Gray Horn - Men's Heptathlon (5,816) (A) (SR)
Kemal Mesic - Men's Shot Put (19.53m/64-1) (A) (SR)
Christian Taylor - Men's Triple Jump (17.36m/56-11.50) (A) (SR) (MR) (FR)
Men's Final Standings
1. Florida - 148 2. Arkansas - 136.50
3. LSU - 98
4. Alabama - 65.50
5. Georgia - 55.33
6. Auburn - 47.33
7. Tennessee - 46.33
8. South Carolina - 26
9. Kentucky - 20
10. Ole Miss - 19
Women's Final Standings 1. LSU - 135
2. Arkansas - 118
3. Tennessee - 78
4. Auburn - 57
5. Florida - 55 6. Georgia - 54
7. South Carolina - 51
8. Kentucky - 38
9. Alabama - 33
10. Ole Miss - 24
11. Vanderbilt - 10
12. Mississippi State - 9
