Recent Florida graduate Tyson Alexander finished 3-1 in his matches to help the United States team to a 13-11 victory over Europe in the 2010 Palmer Cup Saturday at Royal Portrush Golf Club in Belfast, Northern Ireland.
The Palmer Cup, which honors Arnold Palmer, is a Ryder-cup style tournament that pits the top American and European collegiate golfers. The eight-member U.S. team is made up of the nation’s top collegiate players. The victory was the USA’s first in Europe since 2002 and gives the USA a 7-6-1 overall advantage in the Palmer Cup series.
Alexander won his first three matches in the competition. He paired with Russell Henley of Georgia to beat James Byrne of Scotland (and Arizona State) and Jesper Kennegard of Sweden (and Arizona State), 3 and 1, in their four-ball match. Alexander and Henley then paired in foursomes to defeat Kennegard and Henrik Norlander of Sweden (and Augusta State), 1 up.
On Friday, Alexander beat Patrick Spraggs of England (and Stirling University), 2 and 1, in a singles match. But Europe’s Andrea Pavan (Texas A&M) beat Alexander, 2 and 1, on the last day of the competition.
In 2010, Alexander was a PING All-America honorable mention selection. He also was named to the All-Southeastern Conference first team and made his second consecutive year appearance on the PING All-Region Team. The senior was part of the Gator team that finished tied for 11th at the NCAA Championships.
TRACK AND FIELD: Six current and four former Florida athletes competed in the USA Track and Field Championships and USA Track and Field Junior Championships that were run concurrently last weekend at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa.
Freshman Omar Craddock won the junior men’s triple jump and qualified for the World Junior Championships with his effort of 54 feet and four inches. Sophomore Christian Taylor, the reigning NCAA indoor and outdoor triple jump champion, finished second in the men’s triple jump with a leap off 55 feet even and was 12th in the men’s long jump with a leap of 25 feet, ½ inch. Freshman Ugonna Ndu finished fourth in the women’s junior 400 hurdles with a time of 59.94 seconds, which also qualified her for the World Junior Championships. Senior Calvin Smith finished sixth in the men’s 400 meters in 45.27 seconds.
Senior R.J. Anderson (400) and freshman Lanie Whittaker (women’s junior 400) also competed but did not reach the finals, nor did Florida alumni Kerron Clement (men’s 200 and 400), Hazel Clark (women’s 800) and Mason Cathey (women’s 3,000 steeplechase) also did not reach the finals and Erin Gilreath (women’s hammer throw) finished 15th.
2013 INDOORS AT ARKANSAS: The Randal Tyson Track Center at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville will be the host of the 2013 NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships. The Tyson Track Center is where Florida won the men’s indoor championship last March. The facility has played the host to 10 of the last 11 NCAA indoors beginning with the 2000 meet. In 2009, the event was held at the Gilliam Indoor Track Stadium in College Station, Texas, where is scheduled to be held next winter. The 2012 event will take place in Boise, Idaho.