Sophomore Florida jumper Omar Craddock (Killeen, Texas) notched the team’s first NCAA automatic-qualifying mark of the season, as the Gators claimed 10 events and posted three meet records Saturday to jump-start the 2011 season at the Nittany Lion Challenge at Horace Ashenfelter III Indoor Track in University Park, Pa.
“Coming into this meet, I was looking for effort and focus and, for the most part today, we saw that,” Florida head coach Mike Holloway said. “It was as good of an opener as we’ve had in a long time. Obviously, with it being the first meet, there’s going to be some mistakes, but that’s our job as coaches to get those things fixed. I’m pleased with this weekend and now we’re going to get back to Gainesville and get this team ready to go to Texas A&M in two weeks.”
Craddock, who was a two-time All-America selection in 2010, tied his personal-record indoor leap with a jump of 16.19m/53-1.50 to claim the men’s triple jump. Craddock’s jump went down as the third-best in school history and set a Nittany Lion Challenge meet record.
Sophomore thrower Jeremy Postin (Auburndale, Fla.) captured the men’s weight throw, setting a meet record and a personal-best in the process with the second-best men’s weight throw toss in school history at 19.69m/64-7.25. Sophomore David Triassi (St. Johns, Fla.) was second in the event with a personal-record throw and the third-best mark in school history at 19.41m/63-8.25. Triassi became just the third athlete in school history to eclipse the 19-meter mark in the men’s weight throw.
Freshman distance runner Cory McGee (Pass Christian, Miss.) directed a 1-2-4 finish in the women’s mile. In her first collegiate track and field competition, McGee set a Nittany Lion Challenge meet record to win the mile in a personal-best time of 4:46.70. Junior Genevieve LaCaze (Queensland, Australia) was second in 4:49.48, while freshman Shelby Hayes (Winter Park, Fla.) was fourth overall in 4:56.73.
LaCaze came back to win the women’s 3,000m run in a time of 9:34.42, while McGee finished second in that race in 9:43.72.
Each of Florida’s six competitors in the men’s 60m dash advanced to the finals and placed among the top-eight in the event. Junior Christian Taylor (Fayetteville, Ga.) won the event in a time of 6.79, while transfer Leonardo Seymore (Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.) was third overall in 6.86. Junior transfer Will Claye (Phoenix, Ariz.) and freshman Blake Heriot (Gahanna, Ohio) each tied for fifth in 6.92.
In his first meet since 2009, after redshirting the 2010 campaign, sophomore William Wynne (Marietta, Ga.) won the men’s 60-meter hurdles in a time of 7.94. Freshman Eddie Lovett (West Palm Beach, Fla.) was second in 7.98, while Jarius Cooper (Palm Coast, Fla.) was third in 8.09 – his best-ever time in a season-opening meet. Junior multi-event athlete Gray Horn (Waynefield, Ohio) clocked the second-fastest time of his life in the 60m hurdles in 8.11.
Thrower Kemal Mesic (Sarajevo, Bosnia) was the top collegian in the men’s shot put, placing second overall with a throw of 18.93m/62-1.25. It was a talent-stocked competition that included four of the top-eight finishers at last year’s NCAA Championships, including Nike’s Ryan Whiting, who set a facility record with a toss of 20.89m/68-6.50. Freshman Stipe Zunic (Zadar, Croatia) placed sixth in the men’s shot put with a throw of 16.94m/55-7.
Junior thrower Fidela James (Jacksonville, Fla.) posted two victories on the day, winning the women’s weight throw and the women’s shot put. She charted a personal-best toss of 19.28m/63-3.25 on her final throw in the weight throw competition to shatter her previous personal-best of 18.59m/61-0, recorded at the 2010 Southeastern Conference Indoor Championships. James then claimed the shot put with a mark of 14.14m/46-4.75. Ashley Miller (Miami Beach, Fla.) was fourth in the women’s weight throw with a mark of 16.79m/55-1.
Senior Eric Foran (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) claimed the men’s pole vault with a leap of 4.60m/15-1 for his fifth career victory as a Gator, while junior Claire Spurling (Jacksonville, Fla.) captured the women’s pole vault with a mark of 3.60m/11-9.75.
Freshman sprinter Darshay Davis (Mirimar, Fla.) advanced to the finals of the women’s 60-meter dash, charting the ninth-fastest time in school history at 7.58 en route to a fifth-place finish. Fellow rookie Lorraine Graham (Springdale, Md.) was third in the women’s 60m hurdles in a time of 8.60. Sophomore Ugonna Ndu (Newark, N.J.) followed in fourth in the hurdles in 8.67.
Senior sprinter Danielle Williams (Jacksonville, Fla.) charted her fastest time in a season-opening meet, placing sixth in the 200-meter dash with a time of 24.80.
Freshman Sean Obinwa (Tampa, Fla.) was the runner-up in the men’s 600-meter run in a time of 1:19.55. Sophomore Lanie Whittaker (Miami, Fla.) placed third in the women’s 600m in a time of 1:32.86, while junior Ashley Usery (St. Louis, Mo.) won her heat and finished fourth in a personal-best time of 1:33.24.
Competing in the women’s long jump for the first time in her collegiate career, senior Daniela Griffin (Jacksonville, Fla.) was second overall with a mark of 5.64m/18-6, while Graham was third at 5.58m/18-3.75.
Florida has a week off from competition before returning to action Jan. 28-29 at the Texas A&M Challenge in College Station, Texas.
