The Gators boasted six victories on the first day of the Virginia
Tech Elite Meet in Blacksburg, Va. on Friday evening, including another NCAA
automatic qualifying mark for the No. 2 Gator men’s track and field team.
Junior sprinter Jeff Demps (Winter
Park, Fla.) led the Gators on Friday evening, competing in his first meet of
2012. The two-time defending NCAA Champion finished first in the men’s 60
meters with an NCAA automatic qualifying time of 6.59.
“We’re obviously very
pleased with Jeff,” Florida head coach Mike
Holloway said. “He’ll be the first to tell you that he didn’t kick the race
well in the final, but he’s been working a lot in practice and he’ll only
continue to improve as we get deeper into the season.”
Junior thrower Fidela James (Jacksonville, Fla.) moved into
the Florida record books with a personal-best toss of 20.27m/66-6, good for
seventh all-time at UF.
“Coach (Steve) Lemke
talked about Fidela throwing big this weekend and
we’re both just so pleased with her,” Holloway said. “We’re looking forward to
big things from Fidela as the season progresses.”
Junior hurdler Ugonna Ndu (Newark,
N.J.) moved to second all-time at Florida in the 60 meter
hurdles with a personal-best time of 8.43, earning her a second-place finish on
Friday evening. Fellow hurdler Ashley
Favors (Riverview, Fla.) turned her best performance of the season,
finishing fifth with a personal-best time of 8.52, good for fifth all-time in
Florida school history.
“Ugonna
is just getting better and better each meet,” Holloway said. “And we can’t
mention the 60 meter hurdles without mentioning Ashley. What a huge PR for her,
especially as a freshman, to get fifth all-time in school history is
incredible.”
Freshman Marquis Dendy (Middleton,
Del.) won the second event of his rookie campaign, taking the men’s long jump
with a leap of 7.69m/25-2.75, a personal-best and tied for ninth all-time at
Florida.
“I was very pleased
with Marquis Dendy tonight,” Holloway said. “He had a
PR and made top ten in school history. There’s still a lot of room for
improvement, which is exciting.”
Sophomore hurdler Eddie Lovett (West Palm Beach, Fla.)
took the men’s 60 meter hurdles title with a time of 7.72, just two-hundredths
of a second away from an NCAA automatic qualifying time.
“Eddie did great
tonight and just barely missed automatically qualifying for NCAAs,”
Holloway noted. “Eddie will keep working hard and he’ll get there, but I’m very
pleased with his effort.”
The Gators swept the 400 meter titles on Friday evening, as junior sprinter Lanie Whittaker (Miami, Fla.) won the
women’s 400 meter invite with a time of 53.44. Fellow junior Tony McQuay (Riviera
Beach, Fla.) took the men’s 400 meter invite title
with a time of 47.94.
“Very pleased with Lanie Whittaker tonight,” Holloway said. “She
Junior sprinter Leonardo Seymore
(Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.) earned his first victory of 2012 on Friday evening,
as he won the men’s 200 meter open with a time of
21.61.
Junior throwers Jeremy Postin (Auburndale,
Fla.) and David Triassi
(St. Johns, Fla.) finished 3-4 in the men’s weight throw, recording marks
of 21.18m/69-6 and 20.77m/68-1.75, respectively. Triassi’s
throw was a personal best and improved his standing at third all-time in
Florida school history.
“Pleased with both
Jeremy and David tonight,” Holloway mentioned. “David really stuck his nose in
there and there were some great competitors in there this evening. He and
Jeremy should both be pleased with their performances.”
“Tomorrow, we’re looking to come out
and get better,” Holloway said. “I talked to the team
tonight after the meet and told them to get hydrated, eat well, rest up and
come back tomorrow and perform at a high level.
