TALLAHASSEE – Florida’s track and field athletes overcame heavy rain and windy conditions Saturday to win five events in the Florida State Relays at the Mike Long Track.
Miserable weather conditions hampered the three-day event, and Saturday many of Florida’s results were severely wind-aided.
Florida freshman Keely Medeiros of Brazil captured the women’s discus with a collegiate-best mark of 149 feet, 1 inch. That toss was 11 feet better than her previous best at last week’s UCF Black and Gold Challenge.
Sophomore Terrell Wilks of New Haven, Conn., who broke the school indoors record in the 60-meter dash, won the 100 meters with a 10.23 clocking. Florida junior Jeremy Hall of Jacksonville was second with a 10.29 time. Both would have been NCAA regional-qualifying times but were wind-aided by readings of +6.0.
Florida had the top four times in the men’s 110 hurdles, despite a wind reading of +4.2. Senior Kallinka Pitt of Largo won in 13.73 seconds, followed by freshman William Wynne of Marietta, Ga. (13.76), senior Dennis Martin of Anderson, S.C., was third (13.98) and sophomore Jarius Cooper of Palm Coast was fourth (14.17).
Florida won the women’s 1,600-meter relay in 3:45.45 with the quartet of freshman Alishea Usery of St. Louis, freshman Ije Iheoma of Holland, Pa., sophomore Danielle Williams of Jacksonville and freshman Paige Morton of Stockbridge, Ga.
The Gators also won the men’s 1,600-meter relay in 3:13.37 with Wynne, junior Calvin Smith of Lutz, sophomore Lamarr Davis of Knightdale, N.C., and senior R.J. Anderson of Big Pine Key. Florida’s “B” relay team was second in 3:19.80 and included freshman Preston Wilson of Orlando, junior Ethan Philpot of Titusville, Wilks and Hall.
Despite the weather problems, the meet was a good warmup for the 65th Pepsi Florida Relays next Friday and Saturday on the Percy Beard Track at James G. Pressly Stadium.