Three Gators Earn SEC Weekly Honors

KeAndre Bates (right) is showing no signs of slowing down after his award-winning indoor season.

Three Gators Earn SEC Weekly Honors

Tuesday, April 18, 2017 | Track and Field

All three turned in some of the best individual performances in the last five seasons at Saturday's Horned Frogs Invitational

By: Zach Dirlam

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Florida jumpers KeAndre Bates and Yanis David, along with hurdler, jumper, and sprinter Grant Holloway earned SEC weekly honors following their impressive performances at Saturday's (April 15) Horned Frogs Invitational, the conference office announced Tuesday (April 18) afternoon.

Bates, this year's indoor long jump national champion, was named SEC Men's Field Athlete of the Week. The El Paso, Texas native posted a top mark of 8.13 meters (26 feet, 8.25 inches), the No. 2 all-conditions mark in the nation this year.

Bates joins Gator Great Marquis Dendy (2013, 2015) and LSU's Damar Forbes (2013) as the only other SEC long jumpers in the last five seasons to clear 8.05 meters prior to the NCAA Preliminaries. Dendy won the NCAA title in 2015, and Forbes won the title in 2013.

David, the triple jump runner-up at NCAA Indoor Championships, recorded a nation-leading mark of 13.92 meters (45 feet, 8 inches), earning SEC Women's Field Athlete of the Week honors. She also recorded a wind-legal mark of 13.78 meters (45 feet, 2.5 inches), making her the No. 2 triple jumper on Florida's All-Time Outdoor Top 10.

Some additional numbers to put her weekend in perspective:

Joined American and collegiate record holder Keturah Orji (Georgia) as the only other underclassman since 2010 to eclipse 13.90 meters
Fourth underclassman since 2002 to eclipse 13.90 meters—Orji (2015-16), Blessing Okagbare, UTEP (2008), Kimberly Williams, Florida State (2009)
Leads all NCAA Division I triple jumpers by 24 centimeters (9.25 inches) this year
Paired with her 6.41-meter long jump from last month, David is the fourth woman since 2010 to triple jump 13.75-plus meters and long jump 6.40-plus meters prior to the NCAA Preliminaries—Orji (2015-16), Andrea Geubelle, Kansas (2013), Mara Griva, Nebraska (2011)

Holloway, the 60-meter hurdles NCAA champion, once again put his versatility on display, nabbing an SEC Freshman of the Week accolade.

The Chesapeake, Va. native ran the third-fastest 110 hurdles time in the nation (13.51 seconds, wind-aided), posted the third-best long jump mark in the nation (8.04 meters / 26 feet, 4.5 inches), and ran on a 39.02-second 4x100 relay team.

Some other interesting nuggets on Holloway's day:

Joined two-time Olympic decathlon gold medalist Ashton Eaton as the only other collegian since 2002 to long jump over 8.00 meters and break 13.55 seconds in the 110 hurdles
Fifth freshman since 2002 to wind-legally break 8.00 meters—two of the previous four combined for five NCAA titles (Marquise Goodwin, Texas; Ngonidzashe Makusha, Florida State)
Ninth freshman since 2002 to break 13.53 seconds—five of the previous eight won an NCAA title in their careers (Devon Allen, Oregon; Ronnie Ash, Bethune-Cookman; Omar McLeod, Arkansas; Aries Merritt, Tennessee; Jason Richardson, South Carolina)
No. 7-ranked long jumper on Florida's All-Time Outdoor Top 10
Leads all freshmen 110 hurdlers by 0.24 seconds this year
Holds second-best wind-legal long jump among collegians this year

The Gators return to action April 21-22 at the Virginia Challenge, which will primarily feature their distance runners.

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