Florida Gators
Rod McCravy Memorial Invite
No. 1 Gators Impress on First Day of Rod McCravy Memorial Invitational in Lexington
Saturday, January 24, 2015 | Track and Field
LEXINGTON, Ky. -- It was a day of debuts for the Orange and Blue Friday in Lexington as the No. 1 Gator track and field squads opened the Rod McCravy Memorial Invitational with six field events, five races and a group of athletes making either their season or collegiate debuts for the Gator Nation.
A trio of freshmen donning the Orange and Blue for the first time impressed right out of the gates at Nutter Field House, as men's jumper KeAndre Bates took top honors in the long jump with a 7.54m/24-9 opening performance, while Jhonny Victor finished third in the men's high jump (2.09m/6-10.25). On the women's side, Darrielle McQueen was Florida's top finisher in the long jump with her 6.21m/20-4.5 leap, landing her sixth overall in the event and ninth on UF's all-time top-10 list.
Senior men's thrower Kyle Strawn locked up a PR in the weight throw (19.43m/63-9), while both the men's and women's DMRs clocked top-five performances in University of Florida history. Andres Arroyo, Nick Uruburu, Ryan Schnulle and Mark Parrish went 9:36.44, while Becky Greene, Robin Reynolds, Claudia Francis and Taylor Tubbs put up an 11:08.19 debut -- both No. 2 marks in the NCAA following Friday competition.
Saturday's Rod McCravy action will air live on SEC Network+ through WatchESPN, with finals set to stream live beginning at 12 p.m. (ET) through the conclusion of the final 4x400-meter relays. One of the premier indoor competitions this season, the Gators are pitted against a top-25 saturated field at Nutter Field House in Lexington at this weekend's competition, also the site of the 2015 SEC Indoor Championships.
HEARING OUT HOLLOWAY
“Overall I thought this was a solid performance for us, nothing earth shattering. It was our first big meet of the year and I'm proud of our freshmen, KeAndre (Bates), Jhonny (Victor) and Darrielle (McQueen), who all had indoor PRs. Last year, Lloydricia (Cameron) didn't even know what a weight was, she came in, threw well and was impressive. Kyle Strawn had a PR in the weight throw today, too.
I'm also very happy with the DMRs, they both did a really great job. Our challenge to our veterans is to step up. They know what we are capable of and now they need to step up and match the intensity of the freshmen; we'll be looking for a little better leadership as we move forward.
Overall, we are really pleased and really looking forward to tomorrow. Kudos to Coach Floreal (Kentucky) for putting this meet together. The competition, the camaraderie and friendship in this building is great. It's been really good and we're looking forward to getting back out here and competing tomorrow.”
MEET AND BROADCAST INFORMATION
· Rod McCravy Memorial Invite Central
· SEC Network+ Coverage (Saturday 1/24 | noon-approx. 4:30 p.m.)
· Follow the Gators: Twitter and Facebook | Women's Instagram | Florida Track and Field Record Book
NOTABLES
· Florida men's senior thrower Kyle Strawn launched a PR (19.43m/63-9) on his first toss in weight throw finals, improving the mark on his fourth-place standing all-time in the Gators' top-10 record book
· Freshman Darrielle McQueen made her collegiate debut and was Florida's top finisher in the women's long jump finals, as she leapt 6.21m/20-4.5 on her first finals attempt to land at No. 9 on UF's all-time top-10 list
· The Florida women's DMR finished the first day of competition on a high note with the fifth-fastest mark in school history and second-fastest in the NCAA this season so far, as the quartet composed of Becky Greene, Robin Reynolds, Claudia Francis and Taylor Tubbs placed second in the race in 11:08.19
· On the men's side, Andres Arroyo, Nick Uruburu, Ryan Schnulle and Mark Parrish also closed the night with a stellar mark in the DMR with a second-place finish, clocking the fourth-fastest time in school history in the DMR (9:36.44), also the second-fastest in the NCAA pending other results from Friday action
| FRIDAY GATORS RESULTS | ||
| Field Events | ||
| W Long Jump | 6. Darrielle McQueen, 6.21m/20-4.5 -- PR | No. 9 all-time in UF history | |
| 8. Robin Reynolds, 6.02m/19-9 | ||
| 15. Ciarra Brewer, 5.77m/18-11.25 | ||
| 21. Brittany Harrell, 5.54m/18-2.25 | ||
| M High Jump | 3. Jhonny Victor, 2.09m/6-10.25 -- PR | |
| W High Jump | 3. Taylor Burke, 1.80m/5-10.75 | |
| M Weight Throw | 7. Kyle Strawn, 19.43m/63-9 -- PR | improves his mark at 4th in all-time record book | |
| W Weight Throw | 3. Jayla Bostic, 20.67m/67-9.75 | |
| 10. Lloydricia Cameron, 17.08m/56-0.5 -- PR | ||
| M Long Jump | 1. KeAndre Bates, 7.54m/24-9 -- PR | |
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| T1. Marquis Dendy, 7.54m/24-9 |
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| Running Events | ||
| W 200m | 5. Destinee Gause, 23.70 | |
| 31. Destiny Washington, 24.87 -- PR | ||
| M 200m | 18. Tyler Osorio, 21.95 -- PR | |
| M 5K | 14. Elliot Clemente, 14:58.21 -- PR | |
| W DMR | 2. Becky Greene, Robin Reynolds, Claudia Francis, Taylor Tubbs, 11:08.19 -- Fifth-fastest mark in school history | |
| M DMR | 2. Andres Arroyo, Nick Uruburu, Ryan Schnulle, Mark Parrish, 9:36.44 -- Fourth-fastest mark in school history | |
| SATURDAY GATORS LINEUP | ||
| Field Events | ||
| 11:00am | W Triple Jump -- Brewer / Warner / McQueen | |
| 12:00pm | W Shot Put -- Cameron | |
| M Pole Vault -- Watkins / Glasser / Amodio | ||
| 2:00pm | M Shot Put -- Zunic | |
| M Triple Jump -- Dendy / Bates / Victor | ||
| Running Events | ||
| 12:00pm | W 60m Hurdles (P) -- Owens / Harrell / McEnany | |
| 12:10pm | M 60m Hurdles (P) -- Hart / Pitt / Hill / Chambliss | |
| 12:20pm | W 60m (P) -- Sanders | |
| 12:35pm | M 60m (P) -- Wright / Graham, Jr. / Daniels / Osorio | |
| 12:45pm | W 60m Hurdles (F) -- Owens / Harrell / McEnany | |
| 12:50pm | M 60m Hurdles (F) -- Hart / Pitt / Hill / Chambliss | |
| 12:55pm | W 60m (F) -- Sanders | |
| 1:00pm | M 60m (F) -- Wright / Graham, Jr. / Daniels / Osorio | |
| 1:20pm | W Mile -- Hayes | |
| 1:40pm | M Mile -- Miranda / M. Reynolds / Beitter | |
| 2:00pm | W 400m -- Nunn | |
| 2:20pm | M 400m -- Futch / Hill / Aird | |
| 2:45pm | W 800m -- Francis | |
| 3:00pm | M 800m -- Arroyo / Schnulle / Romero | |
| 3:15pm | W 3000m -- Tubbs / Greene / Brasure / McDermott | |
| 3:40pm | M 3000m -- Parrish / Clark / Garcia / Chambers | |
| 4:05pm | W 4x400 -- Reynolds-Gause-Jefferson-Francis / B: Harrell-Washington-Nunn | |
| 4:25pm | M 4x400 -- A: Uruburu-Graham Jr-Glass-Hall / B: Aird-Futch-Hill-Osorio | |
IN THE POLLS
Women: No. 1
Men: No. 1
UP NEXT
Following its trip to Kentucky Jan. 23-24, Florida will visit Fayetteville and the Randal Tyson Track Center for the first of three meets this indoor season at the Razorback Invitational Jan. 30-31 before returning for the Tyson Invitational Feb. 13-14 and NCAA Indoors March 13-14.
