No. 1/2 Gators Rake in SEC Track and Field Weekly Awards
Tuesday, February 3, 2015 | Track and Field
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- The No. 1/2 Gator track and field program reeled in four of the six SEC Track and Field weekly awards, announced Tuesday afternoon by the league office. Florida is coming off two stellar weekends of competition, most recently at the Razorback Invitational in Fayetteville Jan. 30-31.
For their performances at the Randal Tyson Track Center last Friday and Saturday, freshman KeAndre Bates (SEC Men's Freshman of Week), senior Marquis Dendy (SEC Men's Field Athlete of Week), and juniors Najee Glass (SEC Co-Men's Runner of the Week) and Kyra Jefferson (SEC Women's Runner of the Wee) all picked up conference weekly honors.
Bates, the top freshman in the country in both the long and triple jump, notched freshman of the week accolades for the second consecutive week after leaping a season-best mark in the long jump right on to UF's all-time top-10 list with his 7.84m/25-8.75 runner-up finish Friday evening. It was the three-time national champion Dendy who swept both the long and triple jump titles at the Razorback Invite, including his best indoor long jump performance in nearly two years at (8.02m/26-3.75) for the NCAA lead in the event.
On the track, Glass, the USTFCCCA DI Men's National Athlete of the Week, and Jefferson, blazed it up with two world and NCAA-leading performances. Jefferson crushed her first 200m of the indoor season, winning the race in 23.06, while Glass cruised to a PR in the 400m with a 45.34 performance to put him within .01 of the all-time collegiate top-10 performers list, and at No. 7 on the list of American collegians.
Men's Freshman of the Week: KeAndre Bates, Florida
• Secured a runner-up finish (to teammate Marquis Dendy) in the long jump at the Razorback Invite, after winning the event at the Rod McCravy
• Notched a personal-best indoor long jump mark and jumped onto Florida's top-10 list in the event (tied for No. 8)
• Has the No. 3 long jump in country after last weekend, tops among freshman jumpers (also tops among freshmen in the triple jump)
Men's Field Athlete of the Week: Marquis Dendy, Florida
· Won both the long jump and triple jump titles this past weekend at the Razorback Invitational
· Put together a season-best performance (8.02m/26-3.75) in the long jump, which was also his best indoor long jump mark in two years
· Owns the top long jump mark in the NCAA and the fifth-best triple jump in the nation right now
· Won both jumps for the second consecutive meet, both meets were dubbed USTFCCCA National Meets of the Week with top-25 saturated fields
Co-Men's Runner of the Week: Najee Glass, Florida
· Named the USTFCCCA Division I Men's National Athlete of the Week on Tuesday
· Clocked a world-leading time of 45.34 in his 400-meter debut to win the race at the Razorback Invitational. That time was a personal-best and is the best in the NCAA this season
· Glass is ranked No. 7 in the event all-time among American collegians and is No. 4 on UF's all-time top-10 list in the event
Women's Runner of the Week: Kyra Jefferson, Florida
· Won the 200-meter race at the Razorback Invitational, filled with 17 of the top teams in the nation
· Clocked a 200-meter time of 23.06 en route to the victory
· Her time was a world-leading mark and tops in the NCAA and SEC so far this season in the women's 200m
2014 TRACK & FIELD ATHLETES OF THE WEEK
Jan. 13: Damien Daniels, SEC Men's Freshman of the Week
Jan. 13: Bridgette Owens, SEC Women's Runner of the Week
Jan. 27: KeAndre Bates, SEC Men's Freshman of the Week
Jan. 27: Claudia Francis, SEC Co-Women's Runner of the Week
Feb. 3: KeAndre Bates, SEC Men's Freshman of the Week
Feb. 3: Marquis Dendy, SEC Men's Field Athlete of the Week
Feb. 3: Najee Glass, USTFCCCA Division I Men's National Athlete of the Week
Feb. 3: Najee Glass, SEC Co-Men's Runner of the Week
Feb. 3: Kyra Jefferson, SEC Women's Runner of the Week
IN THE POLLS
Women: No. 1
Men: No. 2
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