Gator Country

Former Florida runner Tony McQuay won three national championships with the Gators during his career. / Photo provided by UF Communications

Olympic silver medalist and three-time NCAA Champion Tony McQuay (Riviera Beach, Fla.) is one of three male finalists for The Bowerman, collegiate track and field’s biggest award. The Bowerman will be awarded on Wednesday, December 19 at the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association Convention at the JW Marriott Grande Lakes in Orlando, Fla. The Bowerman red carpet will begin at 6:30 p.m. ET and will air live on Flotrack. The Bowerman Award ceremony will air live on Flotrack at 7 p.m. ET. The live video links for both the red carpet and the ceremony can be found here and on Flotrack.org.

Finalists were chosen by the ten-person Bowerman Advisory Board based on performances recorded during the indoor and outdoor 2012 track & field seasons. Only performances through the conclusion of the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships are used in consideration.

“This is an incredible honor for Tony,” Florida head coach Mike Holloway said when McQuay was named a finalist back in June. “The Bowerman is a prestigious award and I think this is a direct reflection of the great season Tony had this year.”

McQuay helped lead the Gators to their first NCAA Outdoor team title with a national crown in the 400 meters and as anchor of the 4x400 relay that took victory. In the 400, McQuay claimed top honors with the season’s collegiate best time of 44.58 seconds, just ahead of Oregon’s Mike Berry.

In the 4x400, McQuay literally clinched the team title for the Gators. Taking the baton in second place, Florida, down two points heading into the meet’s final event, needed to win the relay to secure at least a share of the team crown. McQuay, with a 44.01 split, fired past Southern California’s Bryshon Nellum to take the tape and give the Gators their only 4x400-meter relay national title in program history.

Because LSU finished third in the relay, the Gators managed a four-point swing, enough to place Florida on top of the point standings and hand the Orange and Blue their first NCAA Outdoor Championship.

He was the winner of the 400 meters at the SEC Outdoor Championships, as part of an outdoor undefeated season in the event, in 45.48 and also led Florida to the SEC crown in the 4x400. The 4x400 squad also won the Drake Relays title.

McQuay is the first since 2008 to sweep NCAA indoor and outdoor 400-meter crowns. He won the national indoor title in the season’s best by a collegian, 45.77. His performance aided the Gators in capturing their third consecutive NCAA Indoor Championship.

McQuay placed second at the U.S. Olympic Trials in the men’s 400 meters and earned a silver medal with the U.S. men’s 4x400-meter relay at the London Olympics.

McQuay will represent Florida and the SEC as the second Bowerman male finalist for both groups. Olympic gold medalist Christian Taylor was a finalist for the award in 2011, and Taylor will join McQuay at the ceremony along with two-time Olympic medalist and 2011 Bowerman semifinalist Will Claye.

Courtesy of UF Communications

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