Three Florida track & field athletes will compete with Team USA at the 2012 North American, Central American and Caribbean (NACAC) Under-23 Track & Field Championships in Guanajuato, Mexico.
The three-day meet takes place at Paralympic Track Stadium from July 6-8, as athletes aged 20-22 will be representing 32 nations from North America, Central America and the Caribbean.
Freshman jumper Marquis Dendy (Middletown, Del.), sophomore hurdler Eddie Lovett (West Palm Beach, Fla.) and junior thrower Jeremy Postin (Auburndale, Fla.) will don the red, white and blue at the 2012 NACAC U-23 Championships, considered a preview of athletes expected to compete at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. All three recently competed at the 2012 U.S. Olympic Trials in Eugene, Ore.
Dendy will participate in the men’s long jump, having completed an impressive freshman campaign for the Gators. Dendy competed at the 2012 Olympic Trials, becoming the youngest competitor in the finals of the men’s long jump. Dendy won the men’s long jump at the SEC Indoor Championship and was the only freshman in the nation to compete in both the men’s long jump and triple jump at the NCAA Outdoor Championships.
Lovett had a breakout sophomore season in 2012, defending his SEC title indoors in the men’s 60-meter hurdles, while placing at both NCAA Indoors (8th – 7.72, 60H) and Outdoors (5th – 13.82, 110H). The West Palm Beach native also advanced to the semifinals of the men’s 110-meter hurdles at the Olympic Trials, having raced a personal best 13.49 to move into second all-time in Florida school history. Lovett was the youngest competitor in the men’s 110-meter hurdles at the Olympic Trials.
Postin was one of only five collegians to compete in the men’s hammer throw at the U.S. Olympic Trials last month and was the highest-finishing collegian at 14th. Postin is coming off a runner-up finish at the 2012 NCAA Outdoor Championships and is the SEC Champion in both the weight throw (indoors) and hammer throw (outdoors) in 2012. Postin is the Florida school record holder in the weight throw (21.60m/70-10.50) and the hammer throw (70.73m/232-1).
Courtesy UF Communications