Gators Earn Three Medals, Qualify Eight Ahead of Final Day at SEC Outdoors

Friday, May 14

Bryan-College Station, Texas

Florida Gators

SEC Outdoor Championships

Freshman Claire Bryant earned a silver medal in the long jump at SEC Outdoors

Gators Earn Three Medals, Qualify Eight Ahead of Final Day at SEC Outdoors

Friday, May 14, 2021 | Track and Field

By: Rick Hurtado

BRYAN-COLLEGE STATION, Texas – Florida track and field added three medals and secured eight finals berths Friday ahead of the final day of competition at this year's SEC Outdoors Track and Field Championships in College Station, Texas.

Jumpers Clayton Brown and Claire Bryant collected the first medals of the day for the Gators.

Bryant, who ranks tied for third in school history and arrived in Texas as the No. 6-ranked long jumper in the nation, took a leap of 6.71 meters (22 feet, 0.25 inches) [+2.2] to earn a silver medal. That mark ranks sixth on this year's NCAA Division I Outdoor Qualifying list.

Meanwhile Brown, who entered the championships meet ranked eighth nationally, cleared a height of 2.24 meters (7 feet, 4.25 inches) to finish third in the high jump and collect bronze. A season-best for Brown, his mark ranks seventh in the NCAA.

Out on the field, redshirt senior Connor Bandel finished third in the shot put, capturing his first outdoors and third combined SEC medal with a mark 19.61 meters (64 feet, 4 inches). That mark is a new personal-best for Bandel and ranks fourth in program history.

In addition to collecting three medals Friday, the Gators earned team points on both the women and men sides.

On the women's side, the Gators collected six team points with a seventh-place finish by Sterling Lester in the heptathlon and Thea Jensen's fifth-place finish in the shot put.

Lester amassed 5,499 points, the fourth most in the school history, while Jensen logged a personal-record throw of 16.42 meter (53 feet, 10.50 inches) that ranks ninth in UF history.

Meanwhile, Trevor Foley added six points for the men with time of 9:00.98 in the 3000-meter steeplechase, and Caleb Foster finished fifth in the men's long jump with a personal-best mark of 7.70 meters (25 feet, 3.25 inches) [+1.7] to contribute four points.

Florida's men now sit in fifth place with 30 team points, while the women have 14 points and are in ninth place. For a full list of points per team as of Friday, see below.

In the women's 400 meters, freshman Talitha Diggs and redshirt junior Taylor Manson finished third and fifth, respectively, in the preliminary race to advance to the final round. Diggs logged a time of 51.23 seconds that ranks sixth nationally and fifth in school history, while Manson crossed in 51.69 seconds.

Meanwhile, freshman Grace Stark advanced in the 100-meter hurdles with the 10th-fastest time in the nation. Stark crossed in 12.88 [+1.5] seconds, finishing second and landing on the No. 4 spot of UF's All-Time Outdoor Top 10 list.

On the distance side, redshirt sophomore Gabrielle Wilkinson, who qualified Thursday for the 800 meters, clinched another finals berth Friday after finishing fifth in the 1,500 meters. Wilkinson crossed in 4:17.97 and was followed by redshirt freshman Vasileia Spyrou, who also advanced with a time 4:21.42.

In the 100 meters, redshirt junior Dedrick Vanover qualified with a new personal-record time of 10.27 [+1.3] seconds, followed by redshirt junior Joseph Fahnbulleh who crossed in 10.32 [+1.0] seconds. Vanover and Fahnbulleh are also scheduled to run the 200 meters final Saturday, which they qualified for Thursday.

On the women's side, redshirt freshman Semira Killebrew advanced after crossing in 11.54 [+0.5].

A complete list of results from Friday, along with Gators entries for Saturday, is below.

The final day of competition will be televised on SEC Network beginning at 6 p.m. See below for complete details.

TEAM RESULTS as of Day 2

Men' Standings [8 out of 21 scored]
Place	Team	Points
1	Arkansas	58
2	Alabama	51
3	Tennessee	41
4	LSU	38
5	*Florida*	30
6	Miss State	23
7	Georgia	19
8	Auburn	16
9	South Carolina	12
10	Ole Miss	10
10	Texas A&M	10
12	Kentucky	4
-	Missouri	0
13	South Carolina	2
-	Vanderbilt	0

Women's Standings [8 out of 21 scored]
Place	Team	Points
1	Arkansas	51
2	Alabama	47
3	Auburn	36
4	Georgia	35
5	Ole Miss	30
6	LSU	26
7	Texas A&M	25
8	Tennessee	19
9	*Florida*	14
10	Missouri	12
11	Kentucky	9
12	Miss State	6
13	South Carolina	2
-	Vanderbilt	0

2021 SEC INDOOR MEDALISTS

Thomas Mardal, Men's Hammer Throw – 2021 Outdoor SEC Champion
Claire Bryant, Women's Long Jump – Silver medalist
Clayton Brown, Men's High Jump – Bronze medalist
Connor Bandel, Men's Shot Put – Bronze medalist

QUOTABLE

Thomas Mardal

On winning the SEC title and what is next from here

"It felt alright. I've been struggling with my hip for the last month so I wanted at least to get in at least 2 or 3 throws in today and I was able to get in all 6. Just that is a big win for me. I wasn't sure what I was expecting distance wise today. Obviously, I wanted to get the win and I did that today by an alright margin. I wanted to get at least 73 meters today and I had three throws over that, so I'm very happy with the consistencies. Now, I just have to make sure that my hip is alright for the next month or so and at least qualify comfortably for regionals and then do well at nationals. I think for me it's more about getting back to normal training and lifting, and if I can do that then I'm sure that the distances will get better."

2021 SEC OUTDOOR TRACK AND FIELD CHAMPIONSHIP MEET INFORMATION (all times Eastern)

Live Results / Start Lists (Flash Results)
Meet Notes
Venue: E.B. Cushing Stadium

Coverage: The final day of competition will be televised on SEC Network beginning at 6 p.m. ET. Additionally, fans can stay up to date by following the Gators' social media platforms.
- Saturday Broadcast
  - 6 p.m. – Stream Live on SEC Network
- Follow the Gators on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram for coverage and updates, and stay tuned to FloridaGators.com for a full recap of the championship meet.

*Friday, May 14 ( denotes semifinals, all other events are finals. ^ denotes events from day 1 in the Women's Heptathlon)**
Event	Place (points), Gators – Time/Mark \| Notes
100m (W)*	8. Semira Killebrew – 11.54 [+0.5] \| Advanced to finals (time)
100m (W)*	4. Dedrick Vanover – 10.27 [+1.3] \| Advanced to finals (time), new personal record
	5. Joseph Fahnbulleh – 10.32 [+1.0] \| Advanced to finals (automatic)
	19. Tyler Davis – 10.61 [+1.0]
400m (W)*	3. Talitha Diggs – 51.23 \| Advanced to finals (time), No. 6 in the nation, fifth-fastest time in UF history), new personal record outdoors
	5. Taylor Manson – 51.69 \| Advanced to finals (automatic)
	16. Doneisha Anderson – 53.54
400m (M)*	10. Ryan Willie – 45.99
	17. Jacob Miley – 47.36
	18. Chantz Sawyers – 47.82
	22. Kunle Fasasi – 48.13
1,500m (W)*	5. Gabrielle Wilkinson – 4:17.97 \| Advanced to finals (automatic)
	9. Vasileia Spyrou – 4:21.42 \| Advanced to finals (automatic)
	13. Emily Culley – 4:25.15
	17. Imogen Barrett – 4:30.04
1,500m (M)*	10. Caden Monk – 3:48.00
	12. Angel Vicioso – 3:49.51
100mH (W)*	2. Grace Stark – 12.88 [+1.5] \| Advanced to finals (automatic), 10-fastest time in Division I, fourth-best time in school history
110mH (M)*	14. Joey Stravato – 14.86 [+2.7]
3000S (M)	6. (3) Trevor Foley – 9:00.98
	9. Marshall Dillon – 9:07.21 \| New personal record
	10. Reed Legg – 9:07.57 \| New personal record
HJ (M)	3. (6) Clayton Brown – 2.24 meters (7 feet, 4.25 inches) \| SEC Bronze medalist, seventh-best in Division I, season best
LJ (W)	2. (8) Claire Bryant – 6.71 meters (22 feet, 0.25 inches) [+2.2] \| Silver medalist, sixth-best mark in the nation
	11. Alissa Braxton – 6.08 meters (19 feet, 11.50 inches) [+3.6]
	Nadia Williams – DNS
LJ (M)	5. (4) Caleb Foster – 7.70 meters (25 feet, 3.25 inches) [+1.7] \| New personal best
	12. PJ Austin – 7.22 meters (23 feet, 8.25 inches) [+1.4]
	14. Michael Holloway II – 6.86 meters (22 feet, 6.25 inches) [+1.8]
SP (W)	5. (4) Thea Jensen – 16.42 meters (53 feet, 10.50 inches) \| New personal record, ninth-best mark in UF history
SP (M)	3. (6) Connor Bandel – 19.61 meters (64 feet, 4 inches) \| Bronze medalist, fourth-best mark program history, new personal record
Hept (W)	7. (2) Sterling Lester – 5,499 points \| Fourth-most points in school history

	*Heptathlon Event-by-Event Scores (Final – Day 1 &2)*
200m^	2. Sterling Lester – 23.60 [+3.1] [1,019 points] \| Season best
800m	2. Sterling Lester – 2:14.00 [907 points]
100mH^	2. Sterling Lester – 13.44 [+1.5] [1,059 points] \| Season best
HJ^	8. Sterling Lester – 1.68 meters (5 feet, 6 inches) [830 points]
LJ	15. Sterling Lester – 5.26 meters (17 feet, 3.25 inches) [631 points]
SP^	7. Sterling Lester – 11.62 meters (38 feet, 1.50 inches) [636 points]
JT	14. Sterling Lester – 26.85 meters (88 feet, 1 inch) [417 points] \| Season best

*Saturday, May 15 (unless denoted otherwise, events are finals)*
Time	Gators – Event
3:30 p.m.	Connor Bandel, Edward Shelikoff – Men's Discus
	Clayton Brown; Jonathan Miller – Men's Triple Jump
6 p.m.	Florida 'A' – Men's 4x100 Relay
6:15 p.m.	Florida 'A' – Women's 4x100 Relay
	Alissa Braxton; Natricia Hooper – Women's Triple Jump
6:35 p.m.	Vasileia Spyrou; Gabrille Wilkinson – Women's 1,500 meters
	Claire Bryant – Women's High Jump
6:55 p.m.	Grace Stark – Women's 100-meter Hurdles
7:15 p.m.	Talitha Diggs; Taylor Manson – Women's 400 meters
7:25 p.m.	Joseph Fahnbulleh; Dedrick Vanover – Men's 100 meters
7:35 p.m.	Semira Killebrew – Women's 100 meters
7:55 p.m.	Imogen Barrett; Gabrielle Wilkinson – Women's 800 meters
8:05 p.m.	Denzel Villaman – Men's 400-meter Hurdles
8:25 p.m.	Joseph Fahnbulleh; Dedrick Vanover – Men's 200 meters
8:45 p.m.	Nick Deal; Trevor Foley – Men's 5,000 meters
9:05 p.m.	Emily Culley; Maria Fernandez; Stephy Ormsby; Jessica Pascoe; Vasileia Spyrou – Women's 5,000 meters
9:30 p.m.	Florida 'A' – Men's 4x400 Relay
9:40 p.m.	Florida 'A' – Women's 4x400 Relay

*Thursday, May 13 ( denotes semifinals, all other events are finals)**
Event	Place (points), Gators – Time/Mark \| Notes
200m (W)*	23. Lauryn Ghee – 24.52 [+0.6]
200m (M)*	4. Joseph Fahnbulleh – 20.46 [+0.6] \| Advanced to finals (automatic)
	5. Dedrick Vanover – 20.65 [+1.8] \| Advanced to finals (time), new personal record
	10. Tyler Davis – 20.95 [+1.8]
	Cameron Miller – DNS
400mH (M)*	7. Denzel Villaman – 50.96 \| Advanced to finals (time)
800m (W)*	2. Gabrielle Wilkinson – 2:05.40 \| Advanced to finals (automatic)
	12. Imogen Barret – 2:09.27 \| Advanced to finals (automatic)
	15. Abbie Harrelson – 2:10.90
800m (M)*	17. Deshay Fernandes – 1:53.19
	21. Chase Ruskin – 1:54.64
	22. Dalton Brown – 1:57.07
10,000m (M)	17. Nick Deal – 31:41.27
10,000m (W)	10. Jessica Pascoe – 35:05.10
	17. Gianna Forte – 36:17.23 \| New personal best
HT (M)	1. (10) Thomas Mardal – 74.78 meters (245 feet, 4 inches) \| SEC Champion, facility record.
JT (M)	8. (1) Jacob Stanko – 64.16 meters (210 feet, 6 inches) \| Season best
Hept (W) Day1	5. Sterling Lester – 3,544 points \| *Results as of Day 1 [100mH; HJ; SP & 200m]

	*Heptathlon Event-by-Event Scores (Day 1 only)*
200m	2. Sterling Lester – 23.60 [+3.1] [1,019 points] \| Season best
100mH	2. Sterling Lester – 13.44 [+1.5] [1,059 points] \| Season best
HJ	8. Sterling Lester – 1.68 meters (5 feet, 6 inches) [830 points]
SP	7. Sterling Lester – 11.62 meters (38 feet, 1.50 inches) [636 points]

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