No. 1 Gator Track & Field Hauls in SEC Indoor Accolades
Friday, March 7, 2014 | Track and Field
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- Under the tutelage of 2014 SEC Indoor Women's Coach of the Year Mike Holloway, the Gator track and field program boasts the 2014 SEC Indoor Men's Runner of the Year (Arman Hall), Co-Women's Runner of the Year (Cory McGee) and Women's Freshman Runner of the Year (Rebekah Greene), along with 22 combined All-SEC selections, as announced by the SEC office Friday afternoon. Women's Coach of the Year Mike Holloway, the Gator track and field program boasts the 2014 SEC Indoor Men's Runner of the Year (Arman Hall), Co-Women's Runner of the Year (Cory McGee) and Women's Freshman Runner of the Year (Rebekah Greene), along with 22 combined All-SEC selections, as announced by the SEC office Friday afternoon.
A total of 10 Florida men's track & field athletes picked up All-SEC honors, highlighted by first-team members Eddie Lovett and Hall, while eight men's athletes were named to the second team, including freshmen Andres Arroyo and Nick Uruburu, who also garnered All-Freshman Team honors. On the women's side, 11 Gators were tabbed All-SEC selections – nine on the first team – including Greene, who also accompanied freshman Skylar Ross-Ransom, Florida's 12th honoree, on the All-Freshman squad. Juniors Jayla Bostic and Taylor Burke were both second-team selections.
After leading the women's team to the 2014 SEC Indoor Championship and the men's team to its sixth-straight top-two finish at the SEC Championships in College Station Feb. 27-March 1, Holloway garnered his third SEC Indoor Women's Coach of the Year accolade in the last five seasons (2010, 2012, 2014), marking his fifth career SEC indoor coaching honor (MCOY 2004, 2011). The Gators now own 14 SEC indoor championships – six for the men, while the women nabbed their eighth with the 2014 title.
The No. 1 Gators qualified 23 for the NCAA Indoor Championships, slated for March 14-15 in Albuquerque, New Mexico, at the Albuquerque Convention Center. Follow the Gators: Facebook & Twitter
Florida SEC Runner of the Year Snapshots
ARMAN HALL – SEC Indoor Men's Runner of the Year | First Gator since Kerron Clement in 2005, second ever (Athlete or Runner of the Year)
Tied for the Cliff Harper Trophy for men's high point award at SEC Championships after contributing 20 points (200m gold, 400m & 4x4 relay silver) to Florida's 106 total, leading the Gators to a runner-up finish at the league meet – Florida's sixth-straight top-two finish… The SEC Champion in the men's 200m (20.59), while his prelim mark and career-best time of 20.58 is the second-fastest in the country and SEC next to UF teammate Dedric Dukes, and is the sixth-fastest 200m mark in the world this year… Also finished second in the 400m with a career-best 45.28, second-fastest in the SEC and country and the third-best mark in the world in the event this year… Anchored the men's 4x4 relay to a silver medal with a new school record 3:03.50, under both the SEC, facility and collegiate records – now the second fastest collegiate 4x4 all-time… Lowered his 200m from a 20.80 to start the season to his 20.58 at the SEC Championships (bettering his career-best mark from freshman year: 21.22)… Also ran sub-46 second 400m races all four times he competed in the race this season after a career-best 46.61 entering his second season at UF.
CORY McGEE – SEC Indoor Co-Women's Runner of the Year | First Gator since Tiandra Ponteen in 2005, second Gator to be named Runner of the Year (started in 2004)
The women's high point scorer at the SEC Championships earning the Cliff Harper Trophy for the women's high point award, contributing 20.5 points towards Florida's eighth SEC Championship (102 points) with a SEC individual title in the 3000m, while finishing as the runner-up in the mile and running the anchor leg of UF's DMR that won gold for the second-straight year… McGee's 3000m race counted as a PR (9:10.48), the second-fastest time in Florida history and a new SEC Meet Record; was her third SEC indoors individual title… McGee was just the second person to ever hit 9:10 in the 3000m since 1987… Ran a season-best 4:35.03 for her silver-medal performance in the mile, just her second outing in the event this season after competing at the iconic Millrose Games in the Wanamaker Mile Feb. 15… Helped the women's DMR defend their SEC title (11:08.11) for 10 Florida points and her second SEC straight SEC title as a member of the women's DMR… Has the second-fastest mile in the SEC (7th in country) and third-fastest 3000m mark (19th in country).
REBEKAH GREENE – SEC Indoor Women's Freshman Runner of the Year | First Gator since Cory McGee in 2011, fifth Gator to be SEC Freshman Runner of the Year
Helped contribute and account for 16 Florida points at the SEC Indoor Championships; was the only freshman scorer in both her distance races… Was the only freshman to qualify for finals of the mile at SEC Indoors; finished sixth (4:41.18) for three Florida points… Was additionally the only freshman scorer in the 3000m, as she added three more points for the Gators with a sixth-place finish (9:30.36)… Ran the leadoff leg of UF's winning DMR to contribute 10 points in the race to Florida's total for her first SEC title as a Gator… Ran both the 3000m and mile just one time prior to SECs after joining the squad for spring semester… Holds the top 3k (9:18.44) and mile (4:38.03) times for a freshman in the league and is fifth & seventh overall in the events; is additionally the second-fastest freshman in the country in the mile (23rd overall) and the fifth-fastest first-year student-athlete in the 3k (39th overall), as both her marks are top-five performances in the Florida record book.
2014 SEC Indoor Track & Field Awards | COMPLETE SEC RELEASE
Men's Runner of the Year: Arman Hall, Florida
Men's Field Athlete of the Year: Sam Kendricks, Ole Miss
Men's Co-Freshman Runners of the Year: Omar McLeod, Arkansas and Sean Tobin, Ole Miss
Men's Freshman Field Athlete of the Year: Jeremiah Green, Alabama
Men's Coach of the Year: Chris Bucknam
Women's Co-Runners of the Year: Kamaria Brown, Texas A&M and Cory McGee, Florida
Women's Field Athlete of the Year: Erica Bougard, Mississippi State
Women's Freshman Runner of the Year: Rebekah Greene, Florida
Women's Freshman Field Athlete of the Year: Kendell Williams, Georgia
Women's Coach of the Year: Mike Holloway, Florida
Men's First-Team All-SEC (Gator Honorees)
Arman Hall, Florida
Eddie Lovett, Florida
Men's Second-Team All-SEC (Gator Honorees)
Andres Arroyo, Florida
Dedric Dukes, Florida
Najee Glass, Florida
Hugh Graham, Jr., Florida
Sean Obinwa, Florida
Ryan Schnulle, Florida
Nick Uruburu, Florida
Stipe Zunic, Florida
Men's SEC All-Freshman Team (Gator Honorees)
400m: Nick Uruburu, Florida
800m: Andres Arroyo, Florida
Women's First-Team All-SEC (Gator Honorees)
Ciarra Brewer, Florida
Loreal Curtis, Florida
Ebony Eutsey, Florida
Destinee Gause, Florida
Rebekah Greene, Florida
Kyra Jefferson, Florida
Cory McGee, Florida
Robin Reynolds, Florida
Agata Strausa, Florida
Women's Second-Team All-SEC (Gator Honorees)
Jayla Bostic, Florida
Taylor Burke, Florida
Women's SEC All-Freshman Team (Gator Honorees)
60mH: Skylar Ross-Ransom, Florida
Mile: Rebekah Greene, Florida
3,000m: Rebekah Greene, Florida
