Marquis Dendy (left) and Kytra Hunter will receive their 2015 Ben Hill Griffin Awards in April
2015 Ben Hill Griffin Award Goes to Marquis Dendy & Kytra Hunter
Thursday, February 18, 2016 | General, Gymnastics, Track and Field
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Two who were named 2015's top collegiate athlete for their sport are also the 2015 Ben Hill Griffin Award winners for their overall contributions to the Gator athletics program and Gainesville community last year. Track & field's Marquis Dendy and gymnast Kytra Hunter receive their 2015 Ben Hill Griffin Award at the 2016 Hall of Fame Banquet on April 9.
Established by Gator Boosters, Inc., and the University of Florida Athletic Association, the award honors the top male and female student-athlete at the University of Florida and is named after Ben Hill Griffin and his family, who have been long-time avid supporters and fans of Gator athletics. The Ben Hill Griffin award is based primarily on athletic achievement; academic achievement and extra-curricular involvement are also considered.
Dendy's 2015 Season Spotlight:
- Became the first Gator to win The Bowerman, track and field's highest honor and the equivalent to college football's Heisman Trophy within the sport.
- Named the USTFCCCA Indoor and Outdoor National Field Athlete of the Year, as well as the SEC Indoor and Outdoor Field Athlete of the Year.
- Became the only man in collegiate history to finish his career as a 27-foot long jumper and 57-foot triple jumper both indoors and outdoors.? Dendy was the only man ranked in the outdoor world top 20 in both the long jump (fourth) and triple jump (fifth).
- Swept the triple jump and long jump titles at the NCAA Indoor and Outdoor Championships, joining 1992 Olympic gold medalist Michael Conley, a former Arkansas Razorback, as the only other athlete in history to sweep the horizontal jumps titles at three consecutive NCAA Division I Championships.
- Became the fourth athlete in history to sweep the horizontal jumps at the SEC Indoor and Outdoor Championships in the same season.
- Posted 2015's top world indoor triple jump and the third-best mark in collegiate history (57 feet/17.37 meters) en route to his NCAA Indoor Championships victory.
- Logged the third-best triple jump within a collegiate season (57 feet, 5 inches/17.50 meters) in NCAA history to win the outdoor national title.
- Claimed the NCAA Outdoor Championship in the long jump with the third-longest all-conditions mark in collegiate history (28 feet, 5.75 inches/8.68 meters).
Hunter's 2015 Highlights:
- Hunter picked up her second Honda Sports Award for gymnastics in 2015, as she also received the honor distinguishing her as the nation's top collegiate female athlete in the sport as a freshman in 2012.
- Won a share of the NCAA all-around title and also became Florida's first in 30 seasons to win the NCAA floor exercise title. Her two titles in 2015 along with her two wins as a freshman (2012 all-around, vault) makes her the Gators' leader in NCAA event titles. Hunter helped the Gators win their third consecutive NCAA team title in 2015.
- SEC Gymnast of the Year – first such honor for Gator program since 2000.
- Four All-America honors earned at NCAA Championships brings her career total to a Florida all-time high of 15 honors earned in NCAA competition.
- National Association of Collegiate Gymnastics Coaches/Women (NACGC) Southeast Region Gymnast of the Year.
- Only gymnast to appear in final top-25 national rankings for each of the five events – No. 1 all-around (39.625 RQS), No. 2 in floor (9.96) and vault (9.955), No. T17 bars (9.900) and No. T22 beam (9.885).
- All-arounder in each of Florida's 14 meets in 2015, claiming a career season-high nine wins.
- Shared SEC vault (9.95) and floor exercise (9.975) to be one of five in the 35-year history of the SEC Championships to claim at least one league event title each season of collegiate career. Seven SEC event wins is a Gator career record.
- Led Florida in 2015 with 24 events titles (nine all-around, floor, four vault, two beam).
- Received her degree in Food & Resource Economics in December of 2015. Hunter also was involved in team Goodwill Gator activities, which included Climb for Cancer, Making Strides Against Breast Cancer Walk, Harvest Food Drive and serving dinner at Hope Lodge.
Players Mentioned
/ Men's Track and Field
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