UF men, women both ranked in top 5 of track polls

With the conclusion of the Florida Gators’ football season and the start of a new year, that means track and field season is just around the corner.

The Gators track and field teams saw a lot of success in 2012 with the men claiming both NCAA Men’s Indoor and Outdoor Championships and the women winning the SEC Indoor Championships.

Because of their success, the 2013 U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association Poll ranked both squads high in their preseason rankings. The men come into the year as the No. 2 ranked men’s team, while the women also fall into the top five at No. 5 in the women’s poll.

The men’s track and field team will look to continue its dominance from the past three seasons. Last year, the Gators became the third different program to win three consecutive NCAA Indoor Men’s Championships.

Both the men’s and women’s squads return several key runners from last year’s teams. The men have seven 2012 USTFCCCA Indoor All-Americans returning for 2013 and the women have nine All-Americans coming back as well.

To start their 2013 seasons off, the Gators will travel up to Birmingham, Ala., on Jan. 12 for the Crimson Tide Indoor Opener.

drewlaing
Drew is a senior at Samford University in Birmingham, Ala. When not at school, Drew resides in Lakeland, Fla. Ever since working on his high school yearbook, Drew has had an interest in pursuing a journalism career after college. In addition to being Editor-in-Chief of his school newspaper, The Samford Crimson, Drew has also been with Gator Country as an intern for one year. He enjoys the finer things in life like Tampa Bay Rays baseball and always making sure to make fun of the Atlanta Braves to Andrew Spivey’s face.