Junior Florida jumper Christian Taylor (Fayetteville, Ga.) on Saturday became the fifth different Gator to record an NCAA automatic-qualifying mark this season to cap off a successful weekend at the Virginia Tech Elite Meet at Rector Field House.
On the weekend, the Gators totaled six event victories, two NCAA automatic-qualifying marks/times and set a number of personal-best times and marks. Five Florida men have now automatically qualified for the upcoming NCAA Championships to include Taylor (TJ), Will Claye (TJ) Omar Craddock (TJ), Jeff Demps (60m) and Gray Horn (heptathlon).
“This was a solid weekend for the Gators,” Florida head coach Mike Holloway said. “I am very pleased with our progress. We continue to take steps in the right direction and that is something that is very important to me. As long as we continue to maintain our focus and our hunger, I think we will put ourselves in a great position.”
Taylor charted a mark of 16.61m/54-6 in his first triple jump effort of the 2011 season. He extends his NCAA Division I-leading indoor triple jump winning streak to six consecutive competitions. Taylor has not dropped an indoor triple jump competition since the 2009 Tyson Invitational. Taylor joins Claye and Craddock as NCAA automatic-qualifiers in that event.
“If you look at where Christian was this time last year, he is way ahead of the curve this year,” Holloway said. “Christian has always been a very talented guy, but he has much better focus and drive this year. I think he and Coach [Dick] Booth have been doing a great job working together to get better every day.”
Sophomore sprinter Tony McQuay (Riviera Beach, Fla.), competing for the first time in 2011, won the open section of the men’s 400-meter dash in a time of 47.11. Fellow sprinter Leonardo Seymore (Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.) charted an impressive personal-best mark of 21.01 to win the invitational section of the men’s 200-meter dash. That was a dynamic improvement from the time of 21.50 that he ran last weekend at the Texas A&M Challenge.
“For Leonardo Seymore to have a half-second PR is incredibly impressive,” Holloway said. “I am also very pleased with Tony’s run. He’s coming off a little bit of an injury and we have wanted to be smart with him. I thought today was a great indicator of what we will see from him in the coming weeks.”
Senior thrower Kemal Mesic (Sarajevo, Bosnia) was the top collegian in the men’s shot put, charting a season-best mark of 19.16m/62-10.50. He placed second overall and came up just shy of hitting the NCAA automatic-qualifying mark. Freshman thrower Stipe Zunic (Zadar, Croatia) turned in a big personal-best mark of 17.36m/56-11.50 to place fifth in the men’s shot put.
Junior thrower Fidela James (Jacksonville, Fla.) charted a personal-best throw of 15.04m/49-4.25 to place ninth overall in the women’s shot put.
Junior Alexis Muniz (Coconut Creek, Fla.) tallied a personal best in the women’s high jump with a mark of 1.69m/5-6.50 to place seventh overall.
Women’s pole vaulters Daisy Glasser (Atlantic Beach, Fla.) and Claire Spurling (Jacksonville, Fla.) each tallied season-best marks of 3.71m/12-2 in that event.
Freshman sprinter Darshay Davis (Mirimar, Fla.) placed fourth in the open section of the women’s 200-meter dash in 24.28.
Florida returns to action on Friday when split squads travel to the Tyson Invitational in Fayetteville, Ark. (sprints, jumps, relays, hurdles), the Iowa State Classic in Ames, Iowa (throws) and the Husky Classic in Seattle, Wash. (distance).
For all of the latest information on Florida track and field, please log on to www.GatorZone.com/trackfield or, for up-to-the-minute information, follow the team’s Twitter account @GZTrackField or www.twitter.com/GZTrackField.
VIRGINIA TECH ELITE MEET (FEBRUARY 4-5 :: BLACKSBURG, VA.)
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 5, 2011
Women’s High Jump – 11 a.m. ET (AUTO: 1.85m/6-0.75)
7. Alexis Muniz – 1.69m/5-6.50
Women’s Pole Vault – 11 a.m. ET (AUTO: 4.30m/14-1.25)
5. Daisy Glasser – 3.71m/12-2
7. Claire Spurling – 3.71m/12-2
Men’s Shot Put – 12 p.m. ET (AUTO: 19.30m/63-4)
2. Kemal Mesic – 19.16m/62-10.50 (TC)
5. Stipe Zunic – 17.36m/56-11.50
--. Jeremy Postin - F
Men’s Triple Jump – 12 p.m. ET (AUTO: 16.15m/53-0)
1. Christian Taylor – 16.61m/54-6 (A)
Men’s Pole Vault – 1:30 p.m. ET (AUTO: 5.50m/18-0.50)
11. Eric Foran – 4.87m/15-11.75
Women’s Shot Put – 2 p.m. ET (AUTO: 16.90m/55-5.50)
9. Fidela James – 15.04m/49-4.25
Men’s 400m Open – 2 p.m. ET (AUTO: 46.15)
1. Tony McQuay – 47.11
6. Jovon Toppin – 48.92
Women’s 200m Open – 2:10 p.m. ET (AUTO: 23.20)
4. Darshay Davis – 24.28
Men’s 200m Invitational – 2:25 p.m. ET (AUTO: 20.83)
1. Leonardo Seymore – 21.01
Women’s 4x400m Relay – 3:10 p.m. ET (AUTO: 3:34.00)
3. Florida – 3:40.17 (L. Whittaker, D. Williams, U. Ndu, As. Usery)
FLORIDA NCAA AUTOMATIC-QUALIFYING MARKS ON SATURDAY
· Christian Taylor – Men’s Triple Jump – 16.61m/54-6 (A)
FLORIDA EVENT VICTORIES ON SATURDAY
· Tony McQuay – Men’s 400m – 47.11
· Leonardo Seymore – Men’s 200m – 21.01
· Christian Taylor – Men’s Triple Jump – 16.61m/54-6 (A)
