Five Florida track and field athletes punched their tickets to Des Moines, Iowa, for the NCAA finals and 10 athletes advanced to the next round of their respective running events to highlight a strong opening day by the Gators at the NCAA East Preliminary Rounds at Robert C. Haugh Track and Field Complex at E.C. Billy Hayes Track on the campus of the Indiana University.
Florida’s Will Claye (men’s long jump), Daisy Glasser (women’s pole vault), Frankie Hammond (men’s high jump), Christian Taylor (men’s long jump) and Stipe Zunic (men’s javelin) all advanced to Des Moines by finishing in the top-12 of their respective field events. Impressively, of the 10 Gators that qualified for the next round of their running event, four of those athletes had the top time of the day in their qualifying round.
“I am very, very proud of everybody, and their effort and focus today,” Florida head coach Mike Holloway said. “We talked about this being the first round of the NCAA meet and how we couldn’t treat this as if it were just another competition. We had to take this seriously and match the focus and the intensity of the other teams and the other athletes here. I thought we did a great job of that today.”
Junior jumper Will Claye (Phoenix, Ariz.), the 2011 Southeastern Conference Men’s Field Athlete of the Year, finished tied for second in the men’s long jump with a mark of 7.83m/25-8.25 (+0.3), while junior jumper Christian Taylor (Fayetteville, Ga.) was fourth with a mark of 7.77m/25-6. Both placed in the top 12 to punch their tickets to Des Moines, Iowa.
Jumper Frankie Hammond (Hollywood, Fla.) advanced to Des Moines in the men’s high jump, tying for ninth overall in the event with a mark of 2.14m/7-0.25. Hammond will make his first-ever trip to the NCAA finals site.
Freshman thrower Stipe Zunic (Zadar, Croatia) punched his ticket to the NCAA finals site in the men’s javelin, placing fourth overall in the event with a mark of 72.73m/238-7, which is close to his personal-best mark in that event.
Senior pole vaulter Daisy Glasser (Atlantic Beach, Fla.) advanced to the NCAA finals site in the women’s pole vault for the first time in her career, tying for first overall with a leap of 4.00m/13-1.50.
“Daisy Glasser, being a senior, and qualifying here today is huge,” Holloway said. “It was an incredible effort by her. She and Coach [Christiaan] Leeuwenburgh have been working hard together for four years and I’m really proud of her qualifying for the NCAAs as a senior.”
Florida advanced both of its athletes to the quarterfinals in the men’s 100-meter dash. Junior sprinter Jeff Demps (Winter Garden, Fla.) had the top time in the first round with a time of 10.16, while senior sprinter Terrell Wilks (New Haven, Conn.) was 11th overall in 10.49 (+0.1). The quarterfinals of the men’s 100-meter dash is set for 6:15 p.m. ET Friday.
Freshman sprinter Ebony Eutsey (Miami, Fla.) posted the top time in the first round of the women’s 400-meter dash, advancing to the quarterfinal round with a time of 52.64, which was just shy of her personal-best time of 52.62. The quarterfinals of that event are scheduled for 5:30 p.m. ET Friday.
Sophomore sprinter Tony McQuay (Riviera Beach, Fla.), who has battled through injuries throughout much of the outdoor season, posted the top time in the first round of the men’s 400-meter dash, finishing in 46.12. He advances to the quarterfinals of that event, which are slated for 5:45 p.m. ET Friday.
Freshman middle-distance runner Cory McGee (Pass Christian, Miss.) had the top time overall in the first round of the women’s 1,500-meter run, clocking a 4:20.82 to advance to the quarterfinals of that event. The women’s 1,500m quarterfinals are slated for 6:30 p.m. ET Saturday.
Sophomore hurdler Ugonna Ndu (Newark, N.J.) advanced to the quarterfinals of the women’s 400-meter hurdles, advancing on time as the 23rd qualifier in a time of 59.89. The quarterfinals of that event are slated for 4:30 p.m. ET Friday.
Freshman sprinter Darshay Davis (Mirimar, Fla.) charted the ninth-fastest time in school history in the first round of the women’s 100-meter dash. Davis clocked a personal-record time of 11.53 (+1.0) and advances to the quarterfinals of that event, which is scheduled for 6 p.m. ET Friday.
Junior distance runner Dumisani Hlaselo (South Africa) advanced to the quarterfinals of the men’s 1,500-meter run, placing 11th overall in the first round in a time of 3:50.11. The quarterfinals are scheduled for 6:45 p.m. ET Saturday.
Florida’s Sean Obinwa (Tampa, Fla.) and Daniel Wehunt (Tampa, Fla.) each advanced to the quarterfinal round of the men’s 800-meter run. Obinwa was eighth overall in a time of 1:49.59, while Wehunt was 23rd in 1:51.00. The quarterfinal round commences at 6:45 p.m. ET Friday.
The second day of the NCAA Preliminary Rounds begins at 11 a.m. ET from Robert C. Haugh Track and Field Complex at E.C. Billy Hayes Track on the campus of the Indiana University.
