Florida Gators
NCAA Outdoor Championships
Dendy Goes Back-To-Back in Long Jump, Florida Men Second After Day One at NCAA Outdoors
Thursday, June 11, 2015 | Track and Field
From Will Pantages: Seniors Have Field Day on First Night of NCAA Championships
EUGENE, Ore. -- Last one, best one. The motto of the Florida track and field seniors, and that's exactly what they did to lead the way on the opening day of the 2015 NCAA Outdoor Championships Wednesday at Hayward Field in Eugene as the Orange and Blue sit in second place (16) behind Oregon (34) with a day to go.
How about now six-time national champion senior Marquis Dendy with the best all-conditions long jump at the NCAA Championships since 1993 with an 8.43m, albeit wind-aided (+2.3) 27 foot, 8-inch leap for a new all-conditions PR, the No. 2 mark in the world and 10 Florida points. Add six points following a third-place finale in the shot put for senior Stipe Zunic and a clutch steeplechase performance for senior Mark Parrish to help lead the way in qualifying, as Florida advanced both relays and five individuals to Friday finals.
Alongside Dendy, senior Dedric Dukes has unfinished business and advanced to defend his 200m title, while Dendy will look to cap a phenomenal career in the triple jump as UF returns to work at Hayward at 4:30 p.m. (PT) Friday seeking its sixth national championship. The men's team national champion will be crowned Friday following the second and last day of men's finals competition and the ESPN family of networks will have all the action covered throughout the four-day championships in Oregon.
The Florida women's team will start competition Thursday for their first qualifying day on the track at 4 p.m. PT/ 7 p.m. ET, while freshman Darrielle McQueen and senior defending national champion in the javelin Fawn Miller will look to put up UF's first points of the championship in finals of the long jump and jav, respectively. The women's national champion will be crowned Saturday evening in Eugene after the second day of finals competition at Hayward Field.
HEARING OUT HOLLOWAY
“I thought we did a great job,” Florida head coach Mike Holloway said. “Marquis -- wow, 27-8 and he wasn't even on the board for that. To then come back and have two other 27-foot jumps that were legal. Phenomenal job by him. He is who he is and does what he does. Stipe pressed a little bit today, but getting third place at the national championships and throwing one of his better outdoor throws -- I'm just so proud of them. I thought they did a good job. I thought qualifying went extremely well today. I'm proud of the way that everyone competed, we got a lot of great qualifiers. So proud of Mark Parrish for making his very first NCAA Final. Outstanding job by him. I think across the board we did a wonderful job and we just have to come back tomorrow with the women, get this group back to the hotel and rested up.”
FROM THE SENIORS
“I wanted 28 (feet) and I was really, really close to it,” Marquis Dendy said. “But I definitely know where I'm at for USAs, so I have a chance to hit that mark this year. I mean, I set a personal record and I can't mad about that. For the triple jump, I just have to take care of my body. I want to be able to set the pace early in the event and make people catch me. Tomorrow will be great because I have a complete day off. I can come out here and get a shake off and really prepare myself for Friday.”
“I felt really good about it,” Stipe Zunic said. “To finish third, I feel really good.”
GATORS NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS NOTABLES
· A contingent of 23 Gators descended upon Eugene and TrackTown USA Sunday afternoon for the 2015 NCAA Championships at Historic Hayward Field. The Gators own six national titles, including five on the men's side. Two of those crowns are outdoor national titles as the No. 1 UF men's squad struck with back-to-back outdoor titles in 2012 and 2013. The No. 6 Florida women own one indoor national title from 1992
· On both the men's and women's sides, Florida returns all of its 2014 National Champions, including senior jumper Marquis Dendy who swept both horizontal jumps at 2014 outdoors and 2015 indoors. After winning back-to-back titles in the long jump Wednesday, he'll look to defend his triple jump crown Friday. Men's senior Dedric Dukes, the reigning 200m champion, returns to defend his title, while the Gators' 4x1 will additionally look to make it three straight national championship titles. On the women's side, defending javelin national champion Fawn Miller is back in Eugene for the Gators, while redshirt sophomore Kyra Jefferson, the indoor national champion at 200m, has made a splash this season in the 200m and enters NCAAs as the top seed in the event
· The Gators were crowned the 2015 SEC Outdoor Champions on the men's side after picking up Florida's fifth overall outdoor title in Starkville in May
· Last season at NCAA Outdoors, the Florida men were the national runner-up, UF's third straight top-two finish and seventh consecutive top-five finish. The Gators scored 70 points at NCAA Outdoors, the most under Florida head coach Mike Holloway and the most for Gators in 40 years, while racking up 21 All-America honors, tying for the most in UF history (2011)
· On the women's side, after finishing third indoors for their highest finish under head coach Mike Holloway, the Gators finished with a fourth-place finish at the NCAA Outdoor Championships, the second top-five finish under Holloway and the best since third in 2010. Florida scored the second-most points in program history at NCAA Outdoors (55), while UF's 19 All-America honors from outdoors marked the most in school history
· READ: Florida Cleans Up with Four USTFCCCA Outdoor Regional Postseason Awards
· READ: From Will Pantages | Last One, Best One: Dukes and Family Seek Successful Week at NCAA Championships
NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS TIDBITS
· The Gator men's squad will take to the track and field Wednesday and Friday, while the Gator ladies compete on Thursday and Saturday in this year's new schedule format, which this year crowns the men's team champion Friday, the women's Saturday
· With the approved schedule change, ESPN will have unprecedented coverage of the 2015 Championships. For surround coverage each day on ESPN3.com, visit the Gators Game Day box on UF track and field's main page for all live links directly to coverage and live stats
MEET AND BROADCAST INFORMATION
· 2015 NCAA Championships Schedule
· Remaining ESPN Broadcast Schedule:
Thursday, June 11........................7 p.m.-8:30 p.m. (ESPNU)
8:30 p.m.-10:30 p.m. (ESPN)
1 p.m.-10:45 p.m. (ESPN3)
Friday, June 12.............................7:30 p.m.-10 p.m. (ESPN)
7 p.m.-10:15 p.m. (ESPN3)
Saturday, June 13........................5 p.m.-7:30 p.m. (ESPN2)
4:30 p.m.-7:45 p.m. (ESPN3)
FLORIDA NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS SCHEDULE (all times Pacific)
| Wednesday, June 10 (MEN) | |
| Long Jump | 1. Marquis Dendy, 8.43m/27-8 (+2.3) | all-conditions PR, 6th national title, best all-conditions jump at NCAA meet since 1993 |
| Shot Put | 3. Stipe Zunic, 20.30m/66-7.25 | scores Gators' first points of NCAA Outdoors |
| 4x100 (S) | 3. Wright-Hall-Futch-Dukes, 38.91 | advances to finals w/ season-best mark |
| Steeple (S) | 6. Mark Parrish, 8:41.32 | advances to finals |
| 110 Hurdles (S) | 16. Yanick Hart, 13.62 (+0.3) |
| 100m (S) | 14. Dedric Dukes, 10.18 (+0.9) | ties career-best mark |
| 400m (S) | 4. Najee Glass, 45.49 | advances to finals |
| 800m (S) | 11. Andres Arroyo, 1:48.08 | advances to finals |
| 23. Ryan Schnulle, 1:51.73 | |
| 400mH (S) | 2. Eric Futch, 49.63 | advances to finals |
| 200m (S) | 2. Dedric Dukes, 20.03 (+1.8) | advances to finals |
| 4x400 (S) | 1. Uruburu-Hall-Futch-Glass-Dukes | advances to finals, 3:04.11 | advances to finals |
| Thursday, June 11 (WOMEN) | |
| 5:15pm | Long Jump – McQueen |
| 5:30pm | Javelin – Miller |
| 4:00pm | 4x100 (S) – Reynolds-Sanders-Gause-Jefferson |
| 5:02pm | 100 Hurdles (S) – Owens |
| 5:16pm | 100m (S) – Sanders |
| 5:30pm | 400m (S) – Reynolds |
| 5:44pm | 800m (S) – Francis |
| 6:14pm | 200m (S) – Jefferson / Gause |
| 7:18pm | 4x400 (S) – Reynolds-Jefferson-Gause-Francis- Washington |
| Friday, June 12 Qualifiers (MEN – CHAMPIONSHIP CROWNED) | |
| 4:30pm | Triple Jump – Dendy |
| 4:35pm | 4x100 (F) – Wright-Hall-Futch-Dukes |
| 4:57pm | Steeple (F) – Parrish |
| 5:35pm | 400m (F) – Glass |
| 5:50pm | 800m (F) – Arroyo |
| 6:00pm | 400m Hurdles (F) – Futch |
| 6:10pm | 200m (F) – Dukes |
| 6:50pm | 4x400 (F) – Uruburu-Hall-Futch-Glass-Dukes |
IN THE POLLS
Men: No. 1
Women: No. 6
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