Gator Country

Senior Mariam Kevkhishvili is the favorite to win her third women's indoor shot put title at this weekend's NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships at the University of Arkansas. / University of Florida photo

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. -- Florida head track and field coach Mike Holloway knows that opportunities like those awaiting the Gators’ men and women at this weekend’s NCAA Indoor Championships don’t come along often. The meet takes place Friday and Saturday at the Randal Tyson Track Center on the University of Arkansas campus.

“We’ve put ourselves in a good position to go in and challenge for the title on both the men’s and women’s sides,” Holloway said. “I’m extremely confident that we’re going to go in and put our best foot forward and our goal, as always, is that the Gator Nation is going to be very proud of both track and field programs at the end of the day.”

The Gators enter the meet ranked among the top-four nationally, according to the latest poll by the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association poll. The men currently are ranked No. 1 in the nation entering the meet, which begins Friday at 11 a.m. and concludes Saturday evening at 10 p.m. Florida’s men have never won the team indoor title but did finish second last season at College Station, Texas.

The women’s team is ranked No. 4 and is coming off its first SEC Indoor Championship since the 2004 campaign, after winning the league crown in Fayetteville two weeks ago. The men placed second at the event, coming up four points shy of first-place Arkansas.

Five Florida athletes enter the meet ranked No. 1 in the nation in their respective events: Charlotte Browning (women’s mile), Jeff Demps (men’s 60 meters), Mariam Kevkhishvili (women’s shot put), Calvin Smith (men’s 200 meters) and Christian Taylor (men’s triple jump). The Gators have qualified 11 spots on the men’s side and seven spots on the women’s side for the upcoming NCAA Indoor Championships.

Two Gators – Kevkhishvili and Taylor – are the defending indoor champions in their events. Kevkhishvili is attempting to become just the second person in NCAA history to claim three consecutive NCAA individual indoor titles in the women’s shot put. Regina Cavanaugh of Rice claimed three consecutive women’s indoor shot put titles from 1984-86.

Florida received five South Region honors from the USTFCCCA on Tuesday evening at the pre-track banquet. Holloway was named the men’s and women’s head coach of the year, assistant coach for distance running Todd Morgan was named the women’s assistant of the year, Browning was named women’s track athlete of the year and Taylor was named men’s field athlete of the year for the second consecutive season.

NCAA INDOOR TRACK AND FIELD CHAMPIONSHIPS
At Randal Tyson Track Center, Fayetteville, Ark.
All times EST
FRIDAY
11 a.m.: Men’s Heptathlon (60 meters, long jump, shot put and high jump) (Florida entrant Gray Horn).
3:45 p.m.: Men’s shot put (Kemal Mesic)
6:25 p.m.: Men’s long jump (Christian Taylor)
6:30 p.m.: Women’s mile prelims (Charlotte Browning)
6:55 p.m.: Men’s 400 meters prelims (Tony McQuay, Calvin Smith)
7:25 p.m.: Men’s 60 meters prelims (Jeff Demps, Jeremy Hall)
7:40 p.m.: Women’s 60 meters prelims (Alishea Usery)
8:25 p.m.: Women’s long jump (Shara Proctor)
8:25 p.m.: Men’s 200 meters prelims (Tony McQuay, Calvin Smith)
9:45 p.m.: Men’s 200 meters final (Tony McQuay, Calvin Smith)

SATURDAY
12 p.m.: Men’s Heptathlon (60-meter hurdles, pole vault, 1000 meters) (Gray Horn)
5:30 p.m.: Women’s shot put (Mariam Kevkhishvili, Keely Medeiros)
6:30 p.m.: Men’s triple jump (Omar Craddock, Christian Taylor)
7:25 p.m.: Women’s mile final (Charlotte Browning)
7:30 p.m.: Women’s triple jump (Shara Proctor)
7:55 p.m.: Men’s 400 meters final (Tony McQuay, Calvin Smith)
8:15 p.m.: Men’s 60 meters final (Jeff Demps, Jeremy Hall)
8:25 p.m.: Women’s 60 meters final (Alishea Usery)
9:25 p.m.: Men’s 4x400 relay (Tony McQuay, Christian Taylor, Jovon Toppin, Calvin Smith)

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