Thursday, June 11
Eugene, OR.
Florida Gators
vs
NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships
Alida van Daalen secured the 11th All-American honor of her career on Thursday. // Photo by MJ Holloway
Van Daalen Sets Florida Record for All-American Honors Among Throwers at NCAA Outdoor Championships
Thursday, June 11, 2026 | Track and Field
The Gators collected a total of five All-American honors at Hayward Field on day two of the NCAA Championships.
Live Results
EUGENE, Ore.– Alida van Daalen became the most decorated thrower by All-American count in Florida history Thursday, headlining five All-American honors and four finals entries for the Gators' women's track & field team on day two of the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships in Eugene, Ore.
Van Daalen continued her dominant Florida career in the throws by adding an 11th All-American honor, 10 of which are First Team. In Thursday evening's shot put, van Daalen surpassed 18 meters outdoors for the first time since the 2024 NCAA East Preliminary, using her third toss to record a season-best mark of 18.12m/59-5.50 and finish in third place, her best placement in the event of her career and best performance by a Gator since Mariam Kevkhishvili ended third in 2008. A native of Rotterdam, the Netherlands, van Daalen holds the No. 3 outdoor shot put mark in school history of 18.32m/60-1.25 from the 2023 Euro U23 Championships, as well as the top mark in Florida indoor history of 18.66m/61-2.75 at the 2023 SEC Indoor Championships.
She now boasts seven First Team All-American accolades in the shot put and eight overall honors. Van Daalen, the Southeastern Conference Outdoor Female Field Athlete of the Year, gives the Gators their 18th All-American award in the event and is now the most decorated thrower in Florida history in terms of All-American accolades, surpassing Candice Scott who achieved All-American status 10 times, four of which were national titles. She has now scored 34 points at the outdoor championships during her career. The senior is back in action in Oregon for the final time of her career on Saturday, June 13, at 2:30 p.m. for the discus throw, where she currently holds three of the top 10 throws in collegiate history.
On the track, Claire Stegall became the first All-American in the women's 1500 meters since the 2014 season, now giving the Gators 10 All-American honors in the event. The freshman went out fast, establishing herself with the lead group in heat two, but ultimately ended in sixth after a fast final 400 meters, crossing the line at 4:10.04 to place 13th overall and claim her Second Team All-American honor. Stegall's freshman campaign saw her run the third-fastest 1500 meters in school history of 4:06.47 at the Wake Forest Invitational, as well as the fourth-best 800 meters of 2:01.07 at the Pepsi Florida Relays. She was Third Team All-SEC at the conference outdoor championships with a bronze in the 1500 meters and collected her first First Team All-American accolade in the indoor Distance Medley Relay, while capturing Second Team status in the mile run by placing 10th.
Quincy Penn put the Gators back in the All-American conversation in the 400 meters for the first time since 2023. Penn, running out of heat two, placed fourth with a time of 51.33, positioning herself into the final time qualifier spot with one heat remaining. At the conclusion of the final heat, she fell just short of qualifying for finals, ending as the first one out in 10th place. With her placement, she increases the UF All-American count in the event to 28 with the Second Team honor. A successful individual junior campaign comes to a close, recording a personal-best time of 50.78 earlier this season at the NCAA East Preliminary round, the third-best time in school history. Thursday's All-American honor is Penn's third after finishing eighth on the 4x400-meter relay team at the NCAA Indoor Championships this season and ninth as a member of the 2025 NCAA Outdoor 4x400-meter relay squad.
The three-time Barbadian national record holder, Layla Haynes, claimed Second Team All-American honors inside Hayward Field on Thursday evening. Coming out of the only section with four sub-2:00 times, Haynes placed seventh behind a 2:01.67 effort, ending in 16th overall for her first outdoor All-American distinction. Haynes completes her 2026 campaign as the Barbadian record holder in the outdoor 1500 and 800 meters, as well as the indoor 800 meters, with her outdoor 800-meter run personal-best of 1:59.38 also sitting at the top of the Gators' record book. A Third Team All-SEC honoree with that time, she is the only athlete in Florida history to run under two minutes in the 800 meters. During the indoor season, she collected First Team All-American honors as a member of the fourth-place DMR team.
Hilda Olemomoi closed out the individual events Thursday with a patient run to earn Second Team All-American status in the 10,000-meter run. The senior stayed with the lead pack through the 6K, with real separation beginning over the final 1600 meters. Olemomoi continued to hover around the eighth and ninth positions before crossing the line in ninth with a time of 32:21.62. For her career, Olemomoi tallied two First Team honors and one Second Team award in the 10,000 meters, and she also holds the No. 2 time in school history of 32:03.59 from the 2026 Raleigh Relays. She will take the track once again for the 5,000-meter run final on Saturday at 9:55 p.m. ET.
Finals Bound
The Gators are set to be represented in the 1500-meter run final round after a strong performance from Tia Wilson in the semifinals. With five automatic qualifiers coming out of each heat, Wilson got the action started in the opener, staying towards the back of the pack until 600 meters remained. She established herself in the lead group, of which the top four finished within 0.4 of each other, to place fourth and earn an auto qualifier at 4:06.81, also the fourth-fastest time in the semifinals. The 1500 meters finale will begin at 8:12 p.m. ET on June 13.
Gabrielle Matthews is back in the hunt for another First Team All-American honor after finishing eighth in the 200-meter dash at the 2025 Outdoor Championships. She began her day in the semifinal round of the 100-meter dash, the event in which she claimed the 2026 SEC title, needing to place in the top two of heat two in order to qualify for finals. Matthews delivered, going 11.02 (+0.6) to automatically qualify by winning her section. The senior will return at 8:52 p.m. ET on Saturday for the final round.
Matthews' night wasn't over, however. She took the track just over an hour after the completion of the 100-meter dash to line up for the 200 meters. Looking to solidify her appearance in both short sprints, Matthews was out of the blocks fast en route to a new personal-best, and No. 2 time in school history, of 22.22 (+1.7). Her time gave her an automatic qualifier into Saturday's 9:37 p.m. ET final, placing second in heat three and second overall in the semifinal round.
The final event of the night saw Florida's 4x400-meter relay team of Penn, Sydney Sutton, Malia Campbell and Layla Haynes punch their ticket to the last event of the championships on Saturday night at 10:21 p.m. ET. Leading after a strong first leg from Penn, Sutton put together the second-fastest split of the heat at 50.46 to put the Gators in a position to qualify for finals. Haynes battled on the final lap, pushing across the finish line with the third-best time in school history of 3:26.06 to place third in the section and sixth overall, claiming the top time qualifier into the finale. This will be Florida's first appearance in the women's 4x400-meter relay final round since 2023.
Honorable Mentions
In her first appearance at the NCAA Outdoor Championships, Imani Washington claimed Honorable Mention All-America status. Throwing out of a loaded flight two, which saw the top seven marks of the trials, Washington recorded a best toss of 60.49m/198-5 to place 21st. Washington ends her Florida career with the No. 4 mark in school history in the hammer throw, 64.03m/210-1, from the 2026 NCAA East Preliminary which helped her punch her ticket to Eugene. This outdoor season, she placed sixth in the SEC in the hammer throw, ending as a three-time SEC scorer in the event. The senior also holds the No. 9 weight throw mark in UF history of 21.03m/69-0, which helped her place sixth at the 2026 SEC Indoor Championships.
Up Next
The final day of the men's competition will get started at 5:15 p.m. ET with Jarno van Daalen in the discus throw, while track action will kick-off with Justin Braun in the men's 400-meter dash final at 9:02 p.m. ET.
Also taking center stage on Friday, Pauline Bikembo begins the women's heptathlon with the 100-meter hurdles at 2:45 p.m. ET. Her seven-event marathon will conclude with the 800-meter run at 9:43 p.m. ET on Saturday evening.
DAY TWO ALL-AMERICANS
Women's Shot Put
3. Alida van Daalen - 18.12m/59-5.50, Season Best, First Team All-American
Women's 400m
10. Quincy Penn - 51.33, Second Team All-American
Women's 800m
16. Layla Haynes - 2:01.67, Second Team All-American
Women's 1500m
13. Claire Stegall - 4:10.04, Second Team All-American
Women's 10,000m
9. Hilda Olemomoi - 32:21.62, Second Team All-American
DAY TWO SEMIFINALS
Women's 100m
6. Gabrielle Matthews - 11.02 (+0.6), Advancing to Final
Women's 200m
2. Gabrielle Matthews - 22.22 (+1.7), Advancing to Final
Women's 1500m
4. Tia Wilson - 4:06.81, Advancing to Final
Women's 4x400m Relay
6. Quincy Penn, Sydney Sutton, Malia Campbell, Layla Haynes - 3:26.06, No. 3 Florida Outdoor History, Advancing to Final
DAY TWO HONORABLE MENTION ALL-AMERICA
Women's Hammer Throw
21. Imani Washington - 60.49m/198-
EUGENE, Ore.– Alida van Daalen became the most decorated thrower by All-American count in Florida history Thursday, headlining five All-American honors and four finals entries for the Gators' women's track & field team on day two of the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships in Eugene, Ore.
Van Daalen continued her dominant Florida career in the throws by adding an 11th All-American honor, 10 of which are First Team. In Thursday evening's shot put, van Daalen surpassed 18 meters outdoors for the first time since the 2024 NCAA East Preliminary, using her third toss to record a season-best mark of 18.12m/59-5.50 and finish in third place, her best placement in the event of her career and best performance by a Gator since Mariam Kevkhishvili ended third in 2008. A native of Rotterdam, the Netherlands, van Daalen holds the No. 3 outdoor shot put mark in school history of 18.32m/60-1.25 from the 2023 Euro U23 Championships, as well as the top mark in Florida indoor history of 18.66m/61-2.75 at the 2023 SEC Indoor Championships.
She now boasts seven First Team All-American accolades in the shot put and eight overall honors. Van Daalen, the Southeastern Conference Outdoor Female Field Athlete of the Year, gives the Gators their 18th All-American award in the event and is now the most decorated thrower in Florida history in terms of All-American accolades, surpassing Candice Scott who achieved All-American status 10 times, four of which were national titles. She has now scored 34 points at the outdoor championships during her career. The senior is back in action in Oregon for the final time of her career on Saturday, June 13, at 2:30 p.m. for the discus throw, where she currently holds three of the top 10 throws in collegiate history.
On the track, Claire Stegall became the first All-American in the women's 1500 meters since the 2014 season, now giving the Gators 10 All-American honors in the event. The freshman went out fast, establishing herself with the lead group in heat two, but ultimately ended in sixth after a fast final 400 meters, crossing the line at 4:10.04 to place 13th overall and claim her Second Team All-American honor. Stegall's freshman campaign saw her run the third-fastest 1500 meters in school history of 4:06.47 at the Wake Forest Invitational, as well as the fourth-best 800 meters of 2:01.07 at the Pepsi Florida Relays. She was Third Team All-SEC at the conference outdoor championships with a bronze in the 1500 meters and collected her first First Team All-American accolade in the indoor Distance Medley Relay, while capturing Second Team status in the mile run by placing 10th.
Quincy Penn put the Gators back in the All-American conversation in the 400 meters for the first time since 2023. Penn, running out of heat two, placed fourth with a time of 51.33, positioning herself into the final time qualifier spot with one heat remaining. At the conclusion of the final heat, she fell just short of qualifying for finals, ending as the first one out in 10th place. With her placement, she increases the UF All-American count in the event to 28 with the Second Team honor. A successful individual junior campaign comes to a close, recording a personal-best time of 50.78 earlier this season at the NCAA East Preliminary round, the third-best time in school history. Thursday's All-American honor is Penn's third after finishing eighth on the 4x400-meter relay team at the NCAA Indoor Championships this season and ninth as a member of the 2025 NCAA Outdoor 4x400-meter relay squad.
The three-time Barbadian national record holder, Layla Haynes, claimed Second Team All-American honors inside Hayward Field on Thursday evening. Coming out of the only section with four sub-2:00 times, Haynes placed seventh behind a 2:01.67 effort, ending in 16th overall for her first outdoor All-American distinction. Haynes completes her 2026 campaign as the Barbadian record holder in the outdoor 1500 and 800 meters, as well as the indoor 800 meters, with her outdoor 800-meter run personal-best of 1:59.38 also sitting at the top of the Gators' record book. A Third Team All-SEC honoree with that time, she is the only athlete in Florida history to run under two minutes in the 800 meters. During the indoor season, she collected First Team All-American honors as a member of the fourth-place DMR team.
Hilda Olemomoi closed out the individual events Thursday with a patient run to earn Second Team All-American status in the 10,000-meter run. The senior stayed with the lead pack through the 6K, with real separation beginning over the final 1600 meters. Olemomoi continued to hover around the eighth and ninth positions before crossing the line in ninth with a time of 32:21.62. For her career, Olemomoi tallied two First Team honors and one Second Team award in the 10,000 meters, and she also holds the No. 2 time in school history of 32:03.59 from the 2026 Raleigh Relays. She will take the track once again for the 5,000-meter run final on Saturday at 9:55 p.m. ET.
Finals Bound
The Gators are set to be represented in the 1500-meter run final round after a strong performance from Tia Wilson in the semifinals. With five automatic qualifiers coming out of each heat, Wilson got the action started in the opener, staying towards the back of the pack until 600 meters remained. She established herself in the lead group, of which the top four finished within 0.4 of each other, to place fourth and earn an auto qualifier at 4:06.81, also the fourth-fastest time in the semifinals. The 1500 meters finale will begin at 8:12 p.m. ET on June 13.
Gabrielle Matthews is back in the hunt for another First Team All-American honor after finishing eighth in the 200-meter dash at the 2025 Outdoor Championships. She began her day in the semifinal round of the 100-meter dash, the event in which she claimed the 2026 SEC title, needing to place in the top two of heat two in order to qualify for finals. Matthews delivered, going 11.02 (+0.6) to automatically qualify by winning her section. The senior will return at 8:52 p.m. ET on Saturday for the final round.
Matthews' night wasn't over, however. She took the track just over an hour after the completion of the 100-meter dash to line up for the 200 meters. Looking to solidify her appearance in both short sprints, Matthews was out of the blocks fast en route to a new personal-best, and No. 2 time in school history, of 22.22 (+1.7). Her time gave her an automatic qualifier into Saturday's 9:37 p.m. ET final, placing second in heat three and second overall in the semifinal round.
The final event of the night saw Florida's 4x400-meter relay team of Penn, Sydney Sutton, Malia Campbell and Layla Haynes punch their ticket to the last event of the championships on Saturday night at 10:21 p.m. ET. Leading after a strong first leg from Penn, Sutton put together the second-fastest split of the heat at 50.46 to put the Gators in a position to qualify for finals. Haynes battled on the final lap, pushing across the finish line with the third-best time in school history of 3:26.06 to place third in the section and sixth overall, claiming the top time qualifier into the finale. This will be Florida's first appearance in the women's 4x400-meter relay final round since 2023.
Honorable Mentions
In her first appearance at the NCAA Outdoor Championships, Imani Washington claimed Honorable Mention All-America status. Throwing out of a loaded flight two, which saw the top seven marks of the trials, Washington recorded a best toss of 60.49m/198-5 to place 21st. Washington ends her Florida career with the No. 4 mark in school history in the hammer throw, 64.03m/210-1, from the 2026 NCAA East Preliminary which helped her punch her ticket to Eugene. This outdoor season, she placed sixth in the SEC in the hammer throw, ending as a three-time SEC scorer in the event. The senior also holds the No. 9 weight throw mark in UF history of 21.03m/69-0, which helped her place sixth at the 2026 SEC Indoor Championships.
Up Next
The final day of the men's competition will get started at 5:15 p.m. ET with Jarno van Daalen in the discus throw, while track action will kick-off with Justin Braun in the men's 400-meter dash final at 9:02 p.m. ET.
Also taking center stage on Friday, Pauline Bikembo begins the women's heptathlon with the 100-meter hurdles at 2:45 p.m. ET. Her seven-event marathon will conclude with the 800-meter run at 9:43 p.m. ET on Saturday evening.
DAY TWO ALL-AMERICANS
Women's Shot Put
3. Alida van Daalen - 18.12m/59-5.50, Season Best, First Team All-American
Women's 400m
10. Quincy Penn - 51.33, Second Team All-American
Women's 800m
16. Layla Haynes - 2:01.67, Second Team All-American
Women's 1500m
13. Claire Stegall - 4:10.04, Second Team All-American
Women's 10,000m
9. Hilda Olemomoi - 32:21.62, Second Team All-American
DAY TWO SEMIFINALS
Women's 100m
6. Gabrielle Matthews - 11.02 (+0.6), Advancing to Final
Women's 200m
2. Gabrielle Matthews - 22.22 (+1.7), Advancing to Final
Women's 1500m
4. Tia Wilson - 4:06.81, Advancing to Final
Women's 4x400m Relay
6. Quincy Penn, Sydney Sutton, Malia Campbell, Layla Haynes - 3:26.06, No. 3 Florida Outdoor History, Advancing to Final
DAY TWO HONORABLE MENTION ALL-AMERICA
Women's Hammer Throw
21. Imani Washington - 60.49m/198-
Players Mentioned
SO/SO | Heptathlon
/ Track and Field
SR/SR | Sprints
/ Track and Field
FR/FR | Sprints
/ Track and Field
JR/R-SO | Mid-distance
/ Track and Field
SR/SR | Sprints/Hurdles
/ Track and Field
SR/SR | Distance
/ Track and Field
JR/JR | Sprints
/ Track and Field
FR/FR | Distance
/ Track and Field
FR/FR | Sprints
/ Track and Field
SR/SR | Throws
/ Track and Field
FR/FR | Throws
/ Track and Field
SR/SR | Throws
/ Track and Field
SR/SR | Distance
/ Track and FieldTuesday, April 28
Saturday, February 07
Saturday, February 07
Thursday, January 22
