Wilkinson Wins Gold, Gators Collect Seven Medals to Close SEC Outdoors

Saturday, May 15

Bryan-College Station, Texas

Florida Gators

SEC Outdoor Championships

Wilkinson Wins Gold, Gators Collect Seven Medals to Close SEC Outdoors

Saturday, May 15, 2021 | Track and Field

Photo Gallery

By: Rick Hurtado

BRYAN-COLLEGE STATION, Texas – Redshirt sophomore Gabrielle Wilkinson was crowned SEC champion in the 1,500 meters during the third and final day of the 2021 SEC Outdoor Track and Field Championships, helping the women's team to a sixth-place finish (62 points) in Bryan-College Station, Texas. Meanwhile, the men finished fourth with a total of 74 points.

Wilkinson rallied during the last stretch of the race, moving all the way from third place to take the lead and clinch her first SEC gold medal with a time of 4:15.28.

Wilkinson's SEC title is the second consecutive 1,500 meters conference crown for the Gators, as Imogen Barrett won it in 2019. UF is the first program to have consecutive teammates wins in the 1,500 meters since Arkansas in 2000, 2001 and 2002, and the first to win back-to-back gold medals in that event since Tennessee (Sara Bowman) in 2008 and 2009.

Wilkinson's gold medal adds to thrower Thomas Mardal's SEC crown, which he clinched during the first day of competition.

Including Wilkinson and Mardal's SEC titles, the Gators collected 11 top-3 finishes throughout the championship meet.

Redshirt freshman Grace Stark finished second Saturday in the 100-meter hurdles with a time of 12.74 [+3.6] seconds to earn the first medal of the day after Wilkinson's championship-winning gold.

Meanwhile on the men's side, Joseph Fahnbulleh clocked a time of 20.05 [+1.7] in the 200 meters to win a silver medal. A new personal record for Fahnbulleh, that time ranks fourth in UF history and second in the NCAA this year.

Fellow sprinter Dedrick Vanover also earned a medal of his own. The Gainesville native logged the fifth-fastest time in Division I, crossing in 10.03 [+3.2] seconds to earn bronze in the 100 meters.

Freshman Talitha Diggs collected a bronze medal in the 400 meters with a time of 51.27 seconds, the fifth-fastest time in program history. Diggs was followed by redshirt junior Taylor Manson, who finished fifth after crossing in 51.51 seconds for a new personal record that ranks 10th on UF's Outdoor All-Time Top 10 list.

In the jumps Natricia Hooper, earned a bronze medal in the triple jump with a mark of 13.93 meters (45 feet, 8.25 inches) [+5.1]. Hooper moved the No. 2 spot UF's Outdoor All-Time Top 10 list with a wind legal jump of 13.92 meters [+1.9] and joined fellow jumpers Claire Bryant (Long Jump, Silver), and Clayton Brown (High Jump, Bronze), in earning top-3 finishes at SECs.

Florida's 4x400-meter relays squad, formed Taylor Manson, Sterling Lester, Doneisha Anderson and Talitha Diggs, finished the weekend for the Gators on high note, logging a time of 3:28.33 to earn a silver medal.

A full list of medalists, as well all performances by Gators during the SEC championship meet and team results, is below.

TEAM RESULTS

Men – Top 5
Place	Team	Points
1	Arkansas	129
2	Alabama	109
3	LSU	108
4	*Florida*	74
5	Kentucky	70

Women – Top 6
Place	Team	Points
1	Arkansas	127
2	LSU	120.5
3	Alabama	116
4	Texas A&M	82
5	Georgia	64
6	*Florida*	62

2021 SEC OUTDOOR MEDALISTS

Gabrielle Wilkinson, Women's 1,500 meters – 2021 Outdoor SEC Champion
Thomas Mardal, Men's Hammer Throw – 2021 Outdoor SEC Champion
Joseph Fahnbulleh, Men's 200 meters – Silver medalist
Grace Stark, Women's 100-meter Hurdles – Silver medalist
Taylor Manson, Sterling Lester, Doneisha Anderson and Talitha Diggs, Women's 4x400 – Silver medalists
Claire Bryant, Women's Long Jump – Silver medalist
Dedrick Vanover, Men's 100 meters – Bronze medalist
Talitha Diggs, Women's 400 meters – Bronze medalist
Clayton Brown, Men's High Jump – Bronze medalist
Natricia Hooper, Women's Triple Jump – Bronze medalist
Connor Bandel, Men's Shot Put – Bronze medalist

QUOTABLE
Head Coach Mike Holloway

On what he saw from the team and what the expectations are moving forward

"I think as a whole, the team does a great effort across the board. There's always a bump here and a bump there, but I think that everybody—even the people that didn't run well—walked away today with a great attitude and worked hard… Overall, I thought everyone came in here and fought hard and did a phenomenal job and I'm really proud of them."
"You know, we have a bright future, but we can't rest on the future. We have to deal with the present and we have about 10 days on the men's side and 11 on the women's side to get some things cleaned up as we move towards the NCAA Championships."

Gabrielle Wilkinson

On winning her first SEC title

"It feels amazing. Just knowing that you did all the hard work and it's paid off. This is a great feeling to be able to score for my team, so it's been really good."

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)
Day 1 Recap
Day 2 Recap
Venue: E.B. Cushing Stadium

*Saturday, May 15 (unless denoted otherwise, events are finals)*
Time	Gators – Event
100m (W)	7. (2) Semira Killebrew – 11.43 [+2.7]
100m (M)	3. (6) Dedrick Vanover – 10.03 [+3.2] \| SEC bronze medalist, fifth-fastest time in the NCAA
	5. (4) Joseph Fahnbulleh – 10.11 [+3.2]
200m (M)	2. (8) Joseph Fahnbulleh – 20.05 [+1.7] \| SEC silver medalist, new personal record, fourth-fastest time in UF history, second-fastest in the NCAA
	5. (4) Dedrick Vanover – 20.43 [+1.7]
400m (W)	3. (6) Talitha Diggs – 51.27 \| SEC bronze medalist, fifth-fastest time in school history
	5. (4) Taylor Manson – 51.51 \| New personal record, ninth-fastest time in UF history, 10th-best in the NCAA
800m (W)	5. (4) Imogen Barrett – 2:06.84
	9. Gabrielle Wilkinson – 2:14.38
1,500m (W)	1. (10) Gabrielle Wilkinson – 4:15.28 \| SEC champion
	11. Vasileia Spyrou – 4:21.55
5,000m (W)	12. Stephy Ormsby – 16:21.82
	18. Emily Culley – 16:54.60
	19. Jessica Pascoe – 16:56.02
	25. Maria Fernandez – 17:15.69
	Vasileia Spyrou – DNS
5,000m (M)	15. Trevor Foley – 14:35.70
	Nick Deal – DNS
100mH (W)	2. (8) Grace Stark – 12.74 [+3.6] \| SEC runner-up
400mH (M)	6. (3) Denzel Villaman – 51.20
4x100m (M)	5. (4) Ryan Willie, Tyler Davis, Dedrick Vanover & Joseph Fahnbulleh – 39.42
4x400m (W)	2. (8) Taylor Manson, Sterling Lester, Doneisha Anderson & Talitha Diggs – 3:28.33 \| SEC silver medalists
4x400m (M)	5. (4) Ryan Willie, Denzel Villaman, Jacob Miley & Kunle Fasasi – 3:06.48
HJ (W)	9. Claire Bryant – 1.75 meters (5 feet, 8.75 inches) \| Matched personal record
TJ (W)	3. (6) Natricia Hooper – 13.93 meters (45 feet, 8.25 inches) [+5.1]\| SEC bronze medalist
	14. Alissa Braxton – 12.35 meters (40 feet, 6.25 inches) [+2.0] \| New personal record
TJ (M)	4. (5) Jonathan Miller – 16.38 meters (53 feet, 9 inches) [+2.7] \| Season best
	6. Clayton Brown – 16.28 meters (53 feet, 5 inches) [+1.0]
DT (M)	6. (3) Edward Shelikoff – 55.20 meters (181 feet, 1 inch)
	9. Connor Bandel – 52.27 meters (171 feet, 6 inches)

*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

*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]

FOLLOW THE GATORS
SOCIAL: Twitter | Facebook | YouTube | Instagram
JOIN THE CONVERSATION: #GoGators; #WeBelieve; #LessSaid; #TheMissionContinues #UFTF2021