FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – On the second of two days at the SEC Indoor Track & Field Championships, the Florida Gators totaled five SEC Individual Championships and seven additional medals, bringing their total to 14 for the weekend.
From a team perspective, the Gators finished second on both the Men's and Women's side as they totaled 106 and 80 points, respectively. This marks the second year in a row that both Gator programs have finished runner-up at SEC Indoor Track & Field Championships.
Flomena Asekol,
Parvej Khan,
Grace Stark,
Wanya McCoy and
Parker Valby were the five Gators to claim gold medals in Saturday's competition.
With Khan's victory the Gators men's team extended their streak of having at least one individual champion at every SEC Indoor Track & Field Championship since 2002.
Sean Dixon-Bodie,
Alida van Daalen,
Robert Gregory and
Jevaughn Powell make up the quartet that earned silver medals while
Sam Austin and the men's 4x400m relay captured bronze.
Outlined below are more details about the Gators that tallied SEC Champion finishes.
GOLD MEDAL HEADLINES
Asekol Begins Finals Day with Gold
After finishing as the top qualifier on Friday, Asekol walked away from the women's mile with another first place finish, this time of much greater significance. Her finish of 4:38.35 crowned her the first Gator to be an SEC Individual Champion in the women's mile since Corey McGee in 2013.
Freshman Sensation Khan Runs Signature Race Plan to Capture Gold
Following in the footsteps of Asekol,
Parvej Khan was also able to secure a SEC Individual Championship in the mile. The freshman navigated his way through the field as the laps progressed eventually ending with a time of 4:00.18. Possibly the most impressive aspect of Khan's medal performance was his 200m splits. Khan ran subsequently faster 200m splits throughout the race, excluding one lap, eventually culminating in a final 200m time of 26.30. This marks the first time a Gator has been an SEC Champion in the men's mile since Dumisani Hlaselo in 2011.
After Year Hiatus, Stark Returns as SEC Champion
Grace Stark, who was the 60m hurdles SEC Champion in 2022, is back on top in the SEC. After not competing in 2023, Stark made a statement in this year's competition as she recorded a season best time of 7.90 in the 60m hurdle finals.
McCoy Tallies Three Medals, One of Each Variety
Wanya McCoy had an outstanding day on Saturday, earning three medals: one gold, one silver and one bronze. McCoy's gold medal finish came in the men's 200m where the sophomore set a new personal best, obtained the collegiate lead and bettered his already standing Bahamian national record with a time of 20.29. This mark ties McCoy with
Jacory Patterson for No. 3 on UF's All-Time Top 10 List, a mark that Patterson achieved when he was crowned the 2023 SEC Champion in the 200m.
He added a silver medal in the men's 60m and a bronze medal in the men's 4x400m relay.
Valby Breaks Several Records En Route to SEC Championship
Looking for her second gold medal of the weekend,
Parker Valby broke three records on her way to claiming the SEC Individual Championship in the women's 3000m. Valby's time of 8:42.29 now stands as the Florida school record, the SEC Indoor Track & Field Championship meet record and the Randal Tyson Track Center facility record. She is the first Gator to claim a women's 3000m individual championship since 2014.
FINAL TEAM STANDINGS
| WOMEN |
MEN |
| Ranking |
Team |
Points |
Ranking |
Team |
Points |
| 1 |
Arkansas |
131 |
1 |
Arkansas |
163 |
| 2 |
Florida |
80 |
2 |
Florida |
106 |
| 3 |
LSU |
68.5 |
3 |
Texas A&M |
71 |
| 4 |
Texas A&M |
61 |
4 |
South Carolina |
42.5 |
| 5 |
Ole Miss |
52.5 |
5 |
Ole Miss |
42 |
| 6 |
Georgia |
47 |
6 |
Kentucky |
41.5 |
| 7 |
Auburn |
41 |
7 |
Georgia |
38 |
| 8 |
Tennessee |
38 |
T8 |
LSU |
32.5 |
| 9 |
Alabama |
35 |
T8 |
Tennessee |
32.5 |
| 10 |
Kentucky |
30.5 |
10 |
Auburn |
31 |
RESULTS
| Saturday, February 24 – Heptathlon |
| Events |
Athletes Competing |
| 60m H (Heptathlon) |
7. Oliver Thorner – 8.37 | PR, 891 Points |
| Pole Vault (Heptathlon) |
T5. Oliver Thorner – 4.50m/14'9" | SB, 760 Points |
| 1000m (Heptathlon) |
1. Oliver Thorner – 2:31.52 | 970 Points |
| Final Total |
4. Oliver Thorner – 5751 | PR |
