FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Florida’s track and field athletes qualified to move on in 11 events and freshman decathlete Gray Horn was 10th after the first day as the 2009 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships opened at John McDonnell Field on the campus of the University of Arkansas.
The first day of the competition, reserved for the first day of the 10-event decathlon and qualifying for track and field events for both men and women, was interrupted by heavy thunderstorms for more than three hours in the evening. The meet resumed 45 minutes before midnight ET.
“I thought we had an extremely good day,” Florida head coach Mike Holloway said. “As we talk about all the time, I don’t think perfect exists in this world and, even though we had a few bumps in the road, we had a lot of great things happen today. When you think about everything we were able to do out there, we had a great, great day.”
The Gators’ 4×100-meter relay team, which is ranked No. 1 this outdoor season, won its heat and qualified second overall for the Friday night’s 8:15 final. The team of Dennis Martin, Calvin Smith, Terrell Wilks and Jeremy Hall had a season-best time of 38.57 seconds.
Kemal Mesic and Beau Burroughs qualified for the men’s shot put finals (Thursday at 7:15) by finishing third and 10th overall. Sophomore Mesic had a toss of 63 feet, 1½ inches, while senior Burroughs’ effort was 60 feet, 3¼ inches.
In the women’s shot put, NCAA indoors champion, junior Mariam Kevkhishvili, qualified for the finals with a toss of 55 feet, 5½ inches, the second best of the day. Her freshman Keely Medeiros also qualified with her ninth-place effort of 52 feet, 7½ inches.
Junior javelin thrower Evelien Dekkers was fourth in qualifying with a toss of 169 feet, 5 inches. The final in the event is Friday at 6:30 p.m. ET.
Middle distance runner Carlos Phillips qualified for the semifinals of the men’s 800, finishing eighth in 1:49.65. The semifinals are Thursday at 8:25 p.m.
Freshman sprinter Alishea Usery qualified for the semifinals of the women’s 400-meter dash, finishing 17th overall in a time of 53.94. The semifinals take place at 8:15 p.m. EST Friday.
Junior Shara Proctor advanced to the finals of the women’s long jump, finishing fifth in qualifying with a leap of 20 feet, 10¾ inches.
Calvin Smith qualified in the men’s 400, running a strategic race to finish in a time of 46.30 seconds.
Jeremy Hall and Terrell Wilks each qualified for the 100 semifinals. Hall was timed in 10.19 seconds, while Wilks was timed in 10.18 in his heat. But in the semifinals, Hall was called for a false start in his heat. Wilks, meanwhile, ran 10.35 in the semifinals.
Horn set a new freshman record for the first day in the decathlon with his 3,973 points, which left him in 10th place. The SEC champion is 108 points ahead on his personal-best first-day score. The final five events of the decathlon take place Thursday beginning at 3:30 p.m.
Horn opened the day with a 12th-place finish in the 100 in 11.05 seconds. He placed sixth in the long jump with a personal-best effort of 24 feet, ¼ inch. But he was 20th in the shot put with his effort of 40 feet, ¾ inch. But a 6-7 ½ personal-best effort in the high jump was good for a third-place tie and his 50.52-second effort in the 400 was 16th.
NCAA DIV. I TRACK AND FIELD CHAMPIONSHIPS
UNIVERSITY OF ARKANSAS/JOHN McDONNELL FIELD
Wednesday’s qualifying results
Men
Decathlon, first day: 10. Gray Horn 3,973 (12th in 100 meters, 850 points; 6th in long jump, 24-0.25, 891 points; 20th in shot put, 40-0.75, 619 points; 3rd in high jump, 6-7.50, 822 points; 16th in 400 meters, 50.52, 791 points)
Shot put: 3. Kemal Mesic, 63-01.50 (Q); 10. Beau Burroughs, 60-03.25 (Q).
4×100-meter relay: 2. Florida (Dennis Martin, Calvin Smith, Terrell Wilks, Jeremy Hall) 38.57 (Q).
800: 8. Carlos Phillips, 1:49.65 (Q).
100 prelims: 4. Jeremy Hall 10.19 (Q); 6. Terrell Wilks, 10.18 (Q).
400: 12. Calvin Smith, 46.30 (Q).
100 semifinals: 6. Terrell Wilks, 10.35 (Q); FS. Jeremy Hall.
WOMEN
Shot put: 2. Mariam Kevkhishvili, 55-05.50 (Q); 9. Keely Medeiros, 52-07.50 (Q).
Javelin: 4. Evelien Dekkers, 169-05 (Q).
400: 17. Alishea Usery 53.94 (Q).
Pole vault: T21. Natalie Moser, 12-03.50.
Long jump: T5. Shara Proctor, 20-10.75 (Q).
5,000 semifinals: 27. Genevieve LaCaze 17:46.21.