Florida’s Jeff Demps (Winter Garden, Fla.), Dumisani Hlaselo (South Africa), Cory McGee (Pass Christian, Miss.), Sean Obinwa (Tampa, Fla.) and Terrell Wilks (New Haven, Conn.) each turned in top-five national times in their respective events Saturday to top an impressive list of standout performances by the Gators at the 2011 Tom Jones Memorial Classic at James G. Pressly Stadium at Percy Beard Track.
Over the course of the day, the Gators won 10 total events and made numerous re-writes to the school’s all-time top-10 lists. Florida’s dynamic performances often brought the crowd to its feet on a windy, but otherwise picturesque day at Percy Beard Track.
“We have talked a lot about progressing and getting better,” Florida head coach Mike Holloway said. “I saw a lot of drive and desire from our team today and I thought we made a lot of progress from top to bottom. I am very, very proud of our team for putting their best foot forward. For us, our emphasis was more about effort. We’ve been training hard, but now we’re starting up to rest up and sharpen up and we’re looking for some great performances the next couple of weeks. The big thing for us is that we just need to be who we are.”
The meet held special significance, as it honored former longtime University of Florida women’s track and field coach Tom Jones, who passed away on March 21, 2007 at the age of 62 after a courageous battle with cancer. He guided 71 athletes to 245 All-America honors at the track, while his teams posted a combined 15 top-10 finishes at the NCAA Indoor and Outdoor Championships.
Demps provided one of many impressive highlights on the day for the Gators, claiming the men’s 100-meter dash in a time of 9.96 (+2.4), which currently is the fastest wind-assisted 100m time in the world so far this season. As the time was slightly wind-aided, it can’t officially go down as Florida’s school record, but it does match Demps’ previous wind-assisted personal-best of 9.96, run en route to the 2010 NCAA 100m Championship in Eugene, Ore.
Running alongside Demps, Wilks ran the second-fastest time of his life in the men’s 100-meter dash, clocking a time of 10.19 (+2.4) to place fourth overall. He then ran a wind-legal personal-best time of 20.51 (+1.9) in the men’s 200-meter dash. That 200m time goes down as the third-fastest time in the NCAA this season. Wilks moves into a tie for 10th place on Florida’s all-time 200m chart with former Gator teammate Jeremy Hall.
Hlaselo, the 2011 Southeastern Conference Cliff Harper Trophy recipient indoors, ran the fourth-fastest time in the country this season to win the men’s 1,500-meter time of 3:40.66. Hlaselo’s time was the second-fastest in school history and he just narrowly missed breaking a nearly 38-year-old facility record in the event. Dick Buerkle of the New York Athletic Club set a track record of 3:40.2 in the men’s 1,500m during the 1973 season.
McGee, a freshman middle-distance runner who claimed the 2011 SEC Indoor Mile Championship, ran the second-fastest time in the nation so far in the women’s 1,500-meter run, clocking a 4:16.39 to place second in the event. McGee’s time goes down as the fourth-fastest in UF school history and currently ranks 16th-fastest in the world so far in 2011.
Obinwa claimed the men’s 800-meter run in a personal-best time of 1:47.73, which currently ranks third in the NCAA this season. That ranks 10th all-time in UF school history in the men’s 800m.
Sophomore distance runner Callie Cooper (St. Johns, Fla.) ran the sixth-fastest time in school history in winning the women’s steeplechase with a time of 10:54.23, breaking the 11-minute plateau in that event for the first time in her career and going down as a personal-best of nearly one minute.
Sophomore thrower Jeremy Postin (Auburndale, Fla.), already Florida’s school-holder in the men’s hammer throw, claimed that event with a toss of 64.85m/212-9. Sophomore David Triassi (St. John’s, Fla.) was fourth overall with a personal-best toss of 56.50m/185-4. Triassi’s toss went down as the seventh-best in program history.
The Florida men’s 4×100-meter relay time captured its event in a time of 39.07, using the quartet of Eddie Lovett (West Palm Beach, Fla.), Christian Taylor (Fayetteville, Ga.), Wilks and Demps. It was Demps’ strong anchor leg that allowed the Gators to edge Texas A&M in the race. That currently ranks fifth-fastest in the country this season.
Jumper Frankie Hammond (Hollywood, Fla.) won the men’s high jump event, using a personal-best leap of 2.20m/7-2.50, which ties for the seventh-best jump in the country so far this season. Hammond’s high jump mark now ranks tied for fifth all-time in UF program history. Teammate Bryan Turner (Gainesville, Fla.), returning from a nagging back injury, came up just shy of his personal-best mark in his first competition of 2011, placing third with a leap of 2.05m/6-8.75.
Distance runner Michael Anderson (Williston, Fla.) took home his second consecutive men’s steeplechase title at the Tom Jones Memorial Classic, emerging victorious in the event for the second year in a row with a time of 9:19.89.
Junior thrower Keely Medeiros (Luzuania, Brazil) captured the women’s shot put with a mark of 15.92m/52-2.75. Earlier in the day, she placed second in the women’s discus with a personal-record toss of 54.22m/177-11, good for the sixth-best mark in that event in program history and also the sixth-best in the country so far this season.
Distance runner Anthony Morales (Palm Coast, Fla.) won the men’s 3,000-meter run in a time of 8:45.69.
Freshman thrower Fawn Miller (Stockbridge, Ga.) recorded the fourth-best women’s javelin throw in school history at 46.60m/152-11 to place third in her event Saturday. Miller smashed her previous collegiate-best mark of 41.19m/135-2, set at the Pepsi Florida Relays two weeks ago.
Junior hurdler Ashley Usery (St. Louis, Mo.) made her way onto Florida’s all-time top-10 list in the women’s 400-meter hurdles, clocking a time of 59.84. That catapults Usery into ninth place all-time in the women’s 400-meter hurdles at UF.
Freshman hurdler Eddie Lovett (West Palm Beach, Fla.) placed second in the men’s 110-meter hurdles in a time of 13.81, which currently ranks 16th in the nation and second-best nationally by a freshman. Senior hurdler Jarius Cooper (Palm Coast, Fla.) ran the second-fastest time of his life at 14.07 (+2.3) to finish third in the 110-meter hurdles.
Sophomore hurdler Ugonna Ndu (Newark, N.J.) recorded the ninth-fastest time in school history in the women’s 100-meter hurdles, clocking a time of 13.86 (+0.0) in the finals of the event.
Freshman distance runner Stephanie Strasser (Fernandina Beach, Fla.) placed second in the women’s 3,000-meter run with a time of 10:00.08.
TOM JONES MEMORIAL CLASSIC (APRIL 16, 2011 :: GAINESVILLE, FLA.)
Men’s Hammer Throw – 12 p.m. ET
1. Jeremy Postin – 64.85m/212-9
4. David Triassi – 56.50m/185-4
Women’s Discus – 2 p.m. ET
2. Keely Medeiros – 54.22m/177-11
7. Kaitlin Davis – 49.70m/163-1
12. Ashley Miller – 46.75m/156-4
Women’s High Jump – 2 p.m. ET
7. Alexis Muniz – 1.58m/5-2.25
8. Rebecca Goldring – 1.58m/5-2.25
Men’s High Jump – 2:30 p.m. ET
1. Frankie Hammond – 2.20m/7-2.50
3. Bryan Turner – 2.05m/6-8.75
Men’s Long Jump – 2:30 p.m. ET
6. Josh Pederson – 7.01m/23-0 (+2.9)
Men’s 4x100m Relay – 3:10 p.m. ET
1. Florida – 39.07
(E. Lovett, C. Taylor, T. Wilks, J. Demps)
Women’s Steeplechase – 3:15 p.m. ET
1. Callie Cooper – 10:54.23
Men’s Steeplechase – 3:30 p.m. ET
1. Michael Anderson – 9:19.89
3. Mark Parrish – 9:30.92
5. Matt Mizereck – 9:57.29
Women’s 100m Hurdles (prelim) – 3:50 p.m. ET
6. Ugonna Ndu – 13.66 (+3.6) q
9. Lorraine Graham – 13.98 (+3.6) q
10. Brittany Harrell – 14.14 (+2.5)
11. Paige Morton – 14.28 (+5.1)
19. Katrina Dekrey – 14.81 (+2.5)
Women’s Shot Put – 4 p.m. ET
1. Keely Medeiros – 15.92m/52-2.75
10. Fidela James – 14.50m/47-7
Men’s Pole Vault – 4 p.m. ET
2. Eric Foran – 5.07m/16-7.50
6. Max Lang – 4.92m/16-1.75
Men’s 110m Hurdles (prelim) – 4:10 p.m. ET
1. Eddie Lovett – 13.82 (+3.3) q
3. Jarius Coooper – 14.14 (+2.3) q
12. Kyle Mailloux – 17.43 (+2.3)
Women’s Long Jump – 4:30 p.m. ET
6. Lorraine Graham – 5.91m/19-4.75 (+2.8)
7. Daniela Griffin – 5.82m/19-1.25 (+2.2)
Women’s 3,000m – 4:30 p.m. ET
2. Stephanie Strasser – 10:00.08
Men’s 3,000m – 4:45 p.m. ET
1. Anthony Morales – 8:45.69
Men’s 110m Hurdles (final) – 5:05 p.m. ET
2. Eddie Lovett – 13.81 (+2.3)
3. Jarius Cooper – 14.07 (+2.3)
Women’s 100m Hurdles (final) – 5:15 p.m. ET
7. Ugonna Ndu – 13.86 (+0.0)
9. Lorraine Graham – 14.22 (+0.0)
Women’s 400m – 5:25 p.m. ET
10. Michelle Stegall – 56.04
Women’s 100m – 5:55 p.m. ET
6. Darshay Davis – 11.42 (+3.8)
Men’s Javelin – 6 p.m. ET
2. Stipe Zunic – 72.85m/239-0
6. Zane Breakiron – 58.21m/191-0
Women’s Javelin – 6 p.m. ET
3. Fawn Miller – 46.60m/152-11
Men’s 100m – 6:10 p.m. ET
1. Jeff Demps – 9.96 (+2.4)
6. Terrell Wilks – 10.19 (+2.4)
15. Chris Rainey – 10.60 (+2.9)
Women’s 800m – 6:20 p.m. ET
2. Genevieve LaCaze – 2:11.16
Men’s 800m – 6:30 p.m. ET
1. Sean Obinwa – 1:47.73
5. Daniel Wehunt – 1:52.69
12. Luc Lawrence – 1:54.90
14. Derek Wehunt – 1:56.57
Women’s Pole Vault – 6:30 p.m. ET
3. Daisy Glasser – 3.97m/13-0.25
9. Claire Spurling – 3.67m/12-0.50
Women’s 400m Hurdles – 6:45 p.m. ET
3. Ashley Usery – 59.84
4, Amani Bryant – 1:00.02
5. Ugonna Ndu – 1:00.29
8. Paige Morton – 1:02.03
Men’s 400m Hurdles – 6:55 p.m. ET
9. William Wynne – 56.48
Women’s 200m – 7:10 p.m. ET
9. Danielle Williams – 23.80 (+2.5)
16. Michelle Stegall – 24.31 (+1.8)
Men’s 200m – 7:25 p.m. ET
5. Terrell Wilks – 20.51 (+1.9)
7. Leonardo Seymore – 20.72 (+2.8)
8. Christian Taylor – 20.76 (+1.9)
16. Blake Heriot – 21.26 (+2.8)
Women’s 1,500m – 7:40 p.m. ET
2. Cory McGee – 4:16.39
5. Mandy Perkins – 4:29.71
11. Sarah Davis – 4:42.70
Men’s 1,500m – 8 p.m. ET
1. Dumisani Hlaselo – 3:40.66
4. James Uthmeier – 3:54.39
Women’s 4x400m Relay – 8:15 p.m. ET
3. Florida – 3:40.05
(E. Eutsey, As. Usery, M. Stegall, A. Bryant)
Men’s 4x400m Relay – 8:25 p.m. ET
2. Florida – 3:06.43
(C. Taylor, T. Wilks, B. Heriot, S. Obinwa)
FLORIDA EVENT VICTORIES ON SATURDAY
· Michael Anderson – Men’s Steeplechase (9:19.89)
· Callie Cooper – Women’s Steeplechase (10:54.23)
· Jeff Demps – Men’s 100m (9.96, +2.4)
· Frankie Hammond – Men’s High Jump (2.20m/7-2.50)
· Dumisani Hlaselo – Men’s 1,500m (3:40.66)
· Keely Medeiros – Women’s Shot Put (15.92m/52-2.75)
· Anthony Morales – Men’s 3,000m (8:45.69)
· Sean Obinwa – Men’s 800m (1:47.73)
· Jeremy Postin – Men’s Hammer Throw (64.85m/212-9)
· Men’s 4x100m Relay (39.07)