Saturday, December 2
Boston, MA
10:40 a.m. ET
Florida Gators
at
Sharon Colyear-Danville Season Opener
Parker Valby Breaks NCAA Record, Gators Collect Four Top Ten Marks in School History
Saturday, December 2, 2023 | Track and Field
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – In just the first meet of the 2023-2024 indoor season, Parker Valby has set a new NCAA record. The junior, who was the NCAA Cross Country Individual Champion and Cross Country Athlete of the Year, now holds the indoor record in the Women's 5000m with a groundbreaking time of 14:56.11 at the Sharon Colyear-Danville Season Opener.
Valby's mark was an outstanding 16 seconds faster than the previous indoor collegiate record of 15:12.22 which was set by Emily Sisson in 2015. It also undercuts the outdoor record (15:03.12) by seven seconds which was set by Katelyn Tuohy in 2023.
Valby becomes the first woman to ever run a sub 15-minute 5000m race during collegiate competition.
Earlier in the morning, Elise Thorner was the first Gator to hit the track in Boston. Participating in the women's mile, Thorner ran a 4:37.59, good for the fifth best indoor mile in school history and a personal best.
Flomena Asekol followed up Thorner's all-time performance with one of her own. After not running a 3000m race since 2020, her mark of 8:52.57 now stands second on Florida's indoor all-time list and sets a PR of over a minute.
Allison Wilson joined her teammates as her performance in the 5000m also places her in the top ten all-time. Her finish of 15:58.14 now stands as the third best time recorded in an indoor 5000m race in school history and marked the fourth personal best run by a Gator on Saturday.
HEAR FROM ASSISTANT COACH WILL PALMER
"It was a phenomenal first meet for the Gators. The women showed up and raced hard across the board. I'm especially proud of Parker, she's the first collegiate woman under 15 minutes. What a run. Her race was the cherry on top of a great day."
Women's event results can be found below.
Saturday, December 2 (Track):
Final – Women's Mile
5. Elise Thorner – 4:37.59 | Personal Best
Final – Women's 3000m
Final – Women's 5000m
UPCOMING ACTION
The Gators' Track & Field program will continue the indoor season more than a month from now as the team is set to travel to College Station, Texas for the McFerrin 12 Degree Invitational on January 12th and 13th.
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Valby's mark was an outstanding 16 seconds faster than the previous indoor collegiate record of 15:12.22 which was set by Emily Sisson in 2015. It also undercuts the outdoor record (15:03.12) by seven seconds which was set by Katelyn Tuohy in 2023.
Valby becomes the first woman to ever run a sub 15-minute 5000m race during collegiate competition.
Earlier in the morning, Elise Thorner was the first Gator to hit the track in Boston. Participating in the women's mile, Thorner ran a 4:37.59, good for the fifth best indoor mile in school history and a personal best.
Flomena Asekol followed up Thorner's all-time performance with one of her own. After not running a 3000m race since 2020, her mark of 8:52.57 now stands second on Florida's indoor all-time list and sets a PR of over a minute.
Allison Wilson joined her teammates as her performance in the 5000m also places her in the top ten all-time. Her finish of 15:58.14 now stands as the third best time recorded in an indoor 5000m race in school history and marked the fourth personal best run by a Gator on Saturday.
HEAR FROM ASSISTANT COACH WILL PALMER
"It was a phenomenal first meet for the Gators. The women showed up and raced hard across the board. I'm especially proud of Parker, she's the first collegiate woman under 15 minutes. What a run. Her race was the cherry on top of a great day."
Women's event results can be found below.
Saturday, December 2 (Track):
Final – Women's Mile
5. Elise Thorner – 4:37.59 | Personal Best
- 5th best all time in women's indoor school history.
Final – Women's 3000m
- Flomena Asekol – 8:52.57 | Personal Best
- 2nd best all-time in women's indoor school history.
Final – Women's 5000m
- Parker Valby – 14:56.11 | Collegiate Record
- Best all-time in women's indoor school history.
- Personal Best
- Allison Wilson – 15:58.14 | Personal Best
- 3rd best all-time in women's indoor school history.
UPCOMING ACTION
The Gators' Track & Field program will continue the indoor season more than a month from now as the team is set to travel to College Station, Texas for the McFerrin 12 Degree Invitational on January 12th and 13th.
FOLLOW THE GATORS
SOCIAL: Twitter | Facebook | YouTube | Instagram
JOIN THE CONVERSATION: #GoGators
Players Mentioned
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Distance
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