Florida Gators

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. –  The Florida women advanced 11 of a possible 18 entries to the NCAA Outdoor Championships Saturday night on the final day of the NCAA East Prelims.
 
Those 11 entries combined with the five already qualified make up a team of 16 entries for Florida at next month's NCAA Outdoor Championships.
 
The Gators will take entries in nine different events with multiple athletes set to contest the Long Jump, Triple Jump, Heptathlon, 400 Meters, 800 Meters and 400-Meter Hurdles.
 
Talitha Diggs and Taylor Manson started things off by qualifying automatically to Eugene in the 400 meters.
 
The pair of Gators were finalists in the event a season ago at the NCAA Outdoor Championships. Diggs came through with the top mark in 51.22 while Manson followed in 51.77.
 
Diggs was the NCAA Indoor Champion in the 400 Meters and will have the chance to sweep the event in 2022 when she contests the event at Outdoor Nationals.
 
Imogen Barrett and Gabrielle Wilkinson continued their success in the 800 meters on Saturday night with each of them qualifying through to the NCAA Outdoor Championships.
 
Barrett came across the line in 2:02.61 while Wilkinson won her heat in 2:03.25.
 
This is the third-straight trip to the NCAA Outdoor Championships in the 800 meters for Wilkinson.
 
Anna Hall has her eyes set on a rare double in Eugene. After earning a spot in the Heptathlon with her collegiate-leading score of 6458 at the USATF Combined Events Championships, Hall qualified through in the 400-meter hurdles (55.25) as well.
 
She is the school record holder in both events and will take on the challenge of the Heptathlon/400-Meter Hurdles double when the Gators arrive in Eugene.
 
Vanessa Watson was an automatic qualifier in the event as well, crossing the line in 57.65.
 
Florida will send a trio of athletes to the NCAA Outdoor Championships in the Triple Jump.
 
Alissa Braxton recorded a personal best of 13.10m/42-11.75 (-1.5) to join All-Americans Jasmine Moore (13.65m/44-9.5) and Natricia Hooper (13.59m/44-7) in the trip to Eugene.

The Gators went 1-2 in the Triple Jump at both SEC meets and the NCAA Indoor Championships.
 
Parker Valby continued to prove she's one of the best 5000-meter runners in the nation with her performance on Saturday night.
 
After breaking the school record at the SEC Outdoor Championships, Valby went and bested her own mark by over three seconds.
 
She crossed the line in 15:29.07 as the second-fastest qualifier, earning her first trip to the NCAA Outdoor Championships.
 
The Gators closed out the competition by putting up the sixth-fastest time in school history in the 4x400 relay.
 
Florida's team of Hall, Sterling Lester, Manson and Diggs carried the stick in 3:27.37 to earn the second-fastest qualifying mark.
 
The 16 entries on the women's side combined with the nine from the men means Florida will take 25 total entries to the NCAA Outdoor Championships.
 
Qualified to NCAA Outdoor Championships
- Talitha Diggs (400m)
- Taylor Manson (400m)
- Anna Hall (400mH)
- Vanessa Watson (400mH)
- Imogen Barrett (800m)
- Gabrielle Wilkinson (800m)
- Parker Valby (5000m)
- Jasmine Moore (Triple Jump)
- Natricia Hooper (Triple Jump)
- Alissa Braxton (Triple Jump)
- Jasmine Moore (Long Jump)
- Claire Bryant (Long Jump)
- Anna Hall (Heptathlon)
- Sterling Lester (Heptathlon)
- Thea Jensen (Shot Put)
- Florida (4x400)
 

Saturday, May 28th: NCAA East Prelims
Event	Place, Gators – Time / Mark | Notes
Triple Jump: Final (W)	1. Jasmine Moore: 13.65m/44-9.5 (-1.3) | Advances to NCAA Outdoor Championships 3. Natricia Hooper: 13.59m/44-7 (-0.3) | Advances to NCAA Outdoor Championships 6. Alissa Braxton: 13.10m/42-11.75 (-1.5) | Personal Best, Advances to NCAA Outdoor Championships
High Jump: First Round (W)	25. Claire Bryant: 1.71m/5-7.25
3000mS: Semifinals (W)	38. Pamela O'Brien: 10:35.12
100 Hurdles: Quarterfinals (W)	13. Anna Hall: 13.33 (-0.7) 18. Sasha Wells: 13.51 (-1.2) 22. Sterling Lester: 13.64 (-0.3)
5000 Meters: Semifinals (W)	2. Parker Valby: 15:29.07 | Personal Best, School Record, Advances to NCAA Outdoor Championships
400 Meters: Quarterfinals (W)	1. Talitha Diggs: 51.22 | Advances to NCAA Outdoor Championships 7. Taylor Manson: 51.77 | Advances to NCAA Outdoor Championships 19. Cait Tate: 52.99 23. Sterling Lester: 53.58
800 Meters: Quarterfinals (W)	2. Imogen Barrett: 2:02.61 | Advances to NCAA Outdoor Championships 4. Gabrielle Wilkinson: 2:03.25 | Advances to NCAA Outdoor Championships
400 Hurdles: Quarterfinals (W)	1. Anna Hall: 55.25 | Advances to NCAA Outdoor Championships 10. Vanessa Watson: 57.65 | Advances to NCAA Outdoor Championships
4x400 Relay: Quarterfinals (W)	2. Florida: 3:27.37 | Advances to NCAA Outdoor Championships, No. 6 in School History - Anna Hall, Sterling Lester, Taylor Manson, Talitha Diggs

 
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