Gator Country

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Coaches at the University of Florida know that speed wins championships. Track coach Mike Holloway’s Gators demonstrated that Friday in the weather-plagued third day of the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships at John McDonnell Field on the campus of the University of Arkansas.

Florida won its second event of the four-day meet that concludes today when the men’s 4x100-meter relay team, the top-ranked relay team coming into the meet, justified its ranking by running the event in 38.58 seconds for the Gators’ first national title in the event since 2004.

Dennis Martin of Anderson, S.C., ran the leadoff leg of the race, handing the baton to Calvin Smith of Lutz, Fla., who handed the baton to Terrell Wilks of New Haven, Conn. Jeremy Hall of Jacksonville, Fla., ran the anchor leg. All four runners earned All-America status for winning, Florida’s third title in the event.

Wilks also earned All-America status for his fourth-place finish (10.19 seconds) in the 100 meters, while junior Evelien Dekkers of The Netherlands finished fourth in the women’s javelin to gain All-America honors. She had a career-best toss of 174 feet, 5 inches.

“I am absolutely ecstatic about our performance today,” Florida head coach Mike Holloway said. “Everybody went out there and got the job done and I am pleased with the people we had qualify tonight. Things don’t always go perfectly, but I have stressed to our team that we have to remember all of the positive things that have happened. Today is in the books and we have to go get some rest, come back tomorrow morning and compete hard.”

Junior Shara Proctor of Anguilla, who earned All-America honors Thursday for finishing fourth in the long jump, qualified for Saturday’s 1 p.m. ET triple jump finals with her effort of 43 feet, 5¼ inches, the sixth best effort in the preliminaries.

Freshman Christian Taylor (Fayetteville, Ga.) also advanced to today’s finals in the men’s triple jump with his leap of 52 feet, 1¼ inches. The finals of the men’s triple jump take place 1 p.m. EST Saturday.

William Wynne (Fayetteville, Ga.) and Kallinka Pitt (Largo, Fla.) both advanced to Saturday’s finals at 1:59 p.m. ET in the 110-meter hurdles. Wynne was third overall with a time of 13.66 seconds and Pitt was sixth in 13.76.

Calvin Smith finished third in Friday’s semifinals of the 400 meters in 45.40 seconds. Smith, who is No. 1 in the event, will run at 1:12 p.m. Saturday.

NCAA TRACK AND FIELD CHAMPIONSHIPS
University of Arkansas/John McDonnell Field/Fayetteville, Ark.

WOMEN
Friday’s finals
Javelin: 4. Evelien Dekkers, 174 feet, 5 inches
Friday’s qualifiers
Triple jump: 6. Shara Proctor, 43 feet, 5¼ inches
400 (semifinals): 16. Alishea Usery, 54.62.

MEN
Team standings:
Friday’s finals
4x100 relay: 1. Florida (Dennis Martin, Calvin Smith, Terrell Wilks, Jeremy Hall) 38.58
100: 4. Terrell Wilks, 10.19.
Friday’s qualifiers
Triple jump: 10. Christian Taylor, 52 feet, 1¼ inches
110 hurdles (semifinals): 3. William Wynne, 13.66 (Q); 6. Kallinka Pitt, 13.76 (Q)
400 (semifinals): 3. Calvin, 45.40 (Q)

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